A Message from the Incoming CMM Vice Chair
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The nation in someways became a little smaller last week with the passing of Congressman John Lewis and the Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian. Yet, paradoxically, their legacy allows us to expand the scope and dimension of our democracy and the goals of a Beloved community.
Both men were among the lions of the Civil Rights Movement that formally lasted from 1954 to 1968. Yet, the formative years of each man were shaped by the black church and a perspective that goodness worked as an active force in the world. Lewis was in his teens when he came under the power sway of the philosophy of non-violence. This drew him to Nashville to study theology and finally into the orbit of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Vivian joined King in Selma where he spoke to the power of democracy by way of voting rights for all.
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis and C.T. Vivian were integral to that movement in Selma, so personally meeting them decades later was life changing. Both were connected to the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma. In light of my work in ousting the mayor of Selma, C.T. Vivian invited me to be on its board of directors. I accepted.
Four years later, both men visited me in Boston as they accepted my organization’s civic service award at the African American Meeting House in downtown Boston. It was an occasion that coincided with the Democratic National Convention where I also was introduced to then-State Senator Barack Obama.
I will always remember one specific moment spent with Congressman Lewis and Rev. Vivian on the dais of the event when we honored them:
With me in the center seat on stage, Vivian leaned toward Lewis to say, “Here we go again.” To which Lewis said, “Yes, we are. Again.”
Those laconically expressed sentiments exchanged by Vivian and Lewis conveyed much as my young self listened on the stage.
They were saying that the fight for democracy was incomplete. They were saying that black lives matter with regard to their total integration into the life of the nation. They were saying that the dream that King had articulated was a lasting commitment to nonviolence and goals of peace. They were saying that truth crushed to earth will rise again.
Some years ago, I sat in C.T. Vivian’s home in Atlanta for what became a two day mentoring session about the meaning of King and the Civil Rights Movement. What I mostly recall was that the movement was unfinished. He encouraged me to continue my work at civic rights. He visited me at Boston University where I established my organization and made sure that Ambassador Andrew Young also visited me there.
I saw Lewis at the lip of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma this past March. He was frail but determined in conveying the message that we should vote this November “like we never voted before.”
During the coming days of mourning and reflection upon these great men, we must remember their contribution as much as we recall their name. Yes, the name of the Edmund Pettus Bridge should be renamed the John Lewis Bridge. And yes, fitting monuments should rise in honor of C.T. Vivian.
We in Boston owe a great debt to the meaning that these two men brought to our national life. Let us overcome.
P.S. CMM encourages everyone to
read the essay
written by the late great Rep. John Lewis, published yesterday on the day of his funeral (watch below). Everything stopped in our office as this originally aired live.
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Upcoming Community Events
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Jimmy Tingle's 2020 Vision: Why Would a Comedian Run for Office?
Friday, July 31, 2020, 7:30pm
A Fundraiser for Massachusetts Peace Action on Zoom
This event will feature Jimmy live on zoom introducing and commenting on the video clips of his latest one person show "Jimmy Tingle's 2020 Vision" recorded at Harvard's Sanders Theatre on February 29, 2020. The show will include updated material on the pandemic, the state of our Union and the 2020 presidential race as well as an ongoing live chat. Interactive is always fun! Run time: Approximately 70 minutes.
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The Artistry of Black Organizing in the 21st Century
Tuesday, August 4, 2020, 5pm (online)
People often think that protests and marches define organizing. However, so much of what Black organizers do involves more mundane and less sexy work like: mutual aid, transformative justice, fundraising for bail, working to fight evictions, healing and carework. This work helps lay the groundwork for getting people to imagine the abolition of policing and other violent systems in order to build support networks (and worlds) that don’t rely on the logics of anti-Blackness. This behind the scenes work is also gendered, racialized and classed labor that many Black queer, trans, non-binary and disabled femmes perform. Join us for a conversation with leading Atlanta-based organizers
Toni-Michelle Williams, Mary Hooks, Monica Simpson and Tiffany King
, about the deep, intersectional, and transformative struggle for Black liberation.
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Gene Dattel on Race in America (via Zoom)
- Cotton and Race in the Making of America: The Human Cost of Economic Power - Tuesday, August 4, 2020, 4:30pm
- Reckoning with Race: America's Failure - Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 4:30pm
Mark your calendars for two upcoming talks cohosted by St. Mary's and Sturgis Library.
Eugene Dattel
, a cultural and economic historian, educated at Yale University and Vanderbilt University Law School, will speak on his two books and their connection with current events.
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When Public Health Means Business featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci
Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 1 -2pm
Live on Facebook
(Watch live on Facebook via Harvard University, Harvard Chan School, The Forum, or the New England Journal of Medicine. Watch on the Harvard Chan School website:
hsph.me/29-
)
- Michelle A. Williams, Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci
- Moderated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN
- Introduction by Lawrence S. Bacow, President, Harvard University
Hosted by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, will answer questions from Harvard Chan faculty and other COVID-19 experts, going narrow and deep on questions about the pandemic that you won’t hear anywhere else.
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Voices from the Front Line: Health Care Workers and the Fight Against Covid
Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 3 - 4:30pm (online)
With states reopening around the country despite record levels of Covid-19 cases and a growing death toll as well as a national debate about whether public schools are safe to resume in-person classes this fall, it is clear that government officials don’t care about the human cost of this pandemic. Health care workers on the front lines of the crisis have been in the trenches, seen the devastation first hand and continue to organize against the inactions and callousness of the policy-makers. Hear from front line nurses and health care workers about their battles in the hospitals and the nursing homes against Covid-19 and why the fight against this pandemic is intricately linked to the struggle for Black lives and for dignity and respect in the workplace. What is the current shape of the Covid-19 crisis? How is it impacting ordinary people and health care systems and what can we be doing to fight back?
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration Guide for Faith Leaders
Mass. Peace Action invites you to join in the worldwide commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this August, 2020.
On August 6 and 9
, 1945, U.S. atomic bombings devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing up to 226,000 immediately and instigating illness, stigma, and trauma for years to come.
Hibakusha
– survivors – often describe scenes of “Hell on Earth” when they remember the horrific effects of these man-made weapons of mass destruction.
Today, in the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against the pandemic of racism, so many people are acting from a commitment to social change for justice, truth, restoration, and peace. We are painfully aware that the state violence that brutalizes and oppresses black and marginalized people is deeply connected with the state violence that makes our country capable of annihilating, poisoning, and harming whole populations, yet incapable of care for basic human and environmental needs. In attending to the urgent calls for change by those whom the systems of our society have harmed, we invite you to be part of the global effort to carry forward the legacy of
Hibakusha
(A-bomb survivors) who demand the abolition of nuclear weapons and an end to the scourge of war.
Included in this link
are w
ays to commemorate and spread the message of peace, justice, and disarmament, as well as an evolving list of resources, and
updates about events happening all across the commonwealth
.
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Louis D. Brown Peace Institute's Peace B'Que
Saturday, August 8, 2020, 12 - 1:30pm
Join LDBPI for their 5th annual family cookout. There will be performances, music, raffles, and much more!!! Interested in performing? Contact:
Lawrence@LDBpeaceinstitute.org
. Kids Game Bags are available for pick up: Mon. Aug 3rd 12:00 - 2:00 PM/ Thurs. Aug 6th 1:00 - 3:00 PM at 15 Christopher St. Dorchester, MA 02122
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PsalmSeason Presents: Sacred Practices in Times of Upheaval
Monday, August 10, 2020, 5 - 6pm
Via Zoom
As we navigate through these troubling times, what sacred practices—religious or secular—help to ground, console, or inspire? Join us for an interactive exploration with a group of esteemed community leaders and ritual-makers on the role of sacred practices in this time of upheaval.
Panelists include:
Moderated by Rabbi Or Rose
More on the PsalmSeason initiative below.
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Newton Free Library: A Conversation with Ibram X. Kendi
Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 6:30pm
Join the
Newton Free Library
for a virtual conversation on Wednesday, August 12 at 6:30 p.m. with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi followed by a discussion about race and racism in Newton. We encourage you to read Professor Kendi's book,
How to Be an Antiracist
. This book is part of the Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton city-wide read which will include a series of events and conversations about race and racism. Professor Kendi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, professor of history and international studies, and the Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.
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RSVP Aug - ECM Justice Network Gathering
At the August Justice Network gatherings, we will be joined by some of ECM’s key partners in the work of justice. The gatherings will feature a conversation about how we are called to engage in the work of justice and small groups where partners will share how Episcopal Communities can become more active in the movement for justice. We will be leaning on the teaching of Movement Ecology to support us in that discussion. We are asking that everyone who joins us in August
watches this 30-minute video
before registering.
RSVP Here
.
- Friday, 8/14, 12 - 2pm
- Wednesday, 8/19, 8 - 10am
- Tuesday, 8/25, 5 - 7pm
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Register for Peace-ing It Together: Examine Racism, Stereotypes, & the Root Causes of Violence
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is offering a three-day workshop for allies who want to deepen their understanding of racism as a root cause of violence and do more to support our peace building work. This course confronts the stigma and stereotypes about urban communities of color. We will focus on ways that allies can engage in meaningful service and challenge racism in their own communities.
Facilitated by Peace Institute and Visions Inc. staff.
- Monday, 8/17, 5:30 - 7:30pm
- Thursday, 8/20, 9:00 - 11:00am , 1:00 - 3:00pm
- Friday, 8/21, 9:00 - 11:00am
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TIME TO STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY! Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a game changer for democracy. For marginalized communities, it’s an empowerment opportunity that helps level the playing field in elections. With the economy in shambles and the continuing COVID crisis, extreme racial disparities in income, health, housing and education in Massachusetts are more intolerable than ever. RCV is a critical step towards claiming democratic power and holding elected officials accountable for addressing these urgent needs.
See below for details on RCV if it’s new to you.
Background on Ranked Choice Voting
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is an election reform recently adopted by New York City and the state of Maine, among others. It makes our elections more inclusive and democratic for everyone. And it provides a critical empowerment opportunity for voters of color and other marginalized communities.
RCV lets you rank your preferences rather than voting for just one candidate. If your first choice loses, your vote is automatically transferred to your second choice. This means you never “throw your vote away” by voting for a candidate that represents your values, even if that candidate may be an underdog in the race.
RCV also prevents the community’s voting power from being split among similar candidates. This may have contributed to Mayor Walsh’s victory in the 2013 Boston Mayoral primary with only 18% of the vote, while 35% of the vote was split among 6 candidates of color. RCV effectively aggregates votes of like-minded candidates, and makes it impossible for candidates to “split the vote” or “spoil the election.”
And because candidates need to appeal to each others’ supporters for second choice votes, RCV discourages negative campaigning, and promotes uniters rather than dividers or racists. Since negative campaign ads consume vast quantities of campaign money, RCV also reduces the power of big money to influence elections.
RCV is already being used in the state of Maine. It’s used in 20 other states for local elections (and military and overseas voting), including Cambridge and Amherst in Massachusetts. It’s also used in many countries around the world including Australia, Ireland, India, New Zealand and Scotland.
For more information, see:
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Episcopal City Mission Annual Meeting (VIRTUAL)
Saturday, September 19, 2020, 9am - 12pm
Sign up here
to save your spot for ECM's Annual Meeting, happening virtually on September 19, 9am-12pm!
ECM be in touch when formal registration opens on August 15th.
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Climate Prep Week 2020
September 24 - 30, 2020
Join us for virtual panel discussions and workshops on the intersections of climate and racial justice, with writers Eric Klinenberg and Elizabeth Knight, the Yale School of the Environment, and more! For more information, visit
www.climatecrew.org/prep_week.
Questions? Email Rev. Vernon K. Walker at
vernon@climatecrew.org
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PsalmSeason Digital Platform
In response to the unfolding global pandemic and upheaval over racial injustice, on June 8, 2020
Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College
and
Interfaith Youth Core
are launching a new digital initiative on the Book of Psalms entitled PsalmSeason: An Online Encounter with the Wisdom of the Psalms. The multifaceted project seeks to provide people with a creative context in which to explore their swirling thoughts and feelings through the prism of this ancient and beloved collection of prayer-poems.
The project began with an online PsalmSeason Concert on June 8 (link below), followed by the launch of the
PsalmSeason digital platform
—an 18-week exploration of the Psalms focusing one psalm each week.
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