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Black Lives Matter ♥ Love Like God Loves

Dear Neighbors, We are humbled and heartbroken by current events. The tragic death of Mr. George Floyd and too many others is shocking, unjust and completely unacceptable. UPLIFT vows to keep their memory alive and their loved ones in our prayers by taking action to help all people of color catch up from generations of systemic racism and live into their full potential.  Most importantly, we want to let all our black brothers and sisters know, we hear you, we are here for you, we are listening, and stand by you. Your lives do matter. We will speak up, educate those around us, identify our racial blind spots, and work to facilitate systematic change by accelerating opportunities in education and housing. Our first step is to draw closer to God, to dive deeper into his words until they are rooted in our souls, embedded in our hearts and radiate boldly outward to all:   John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. We vow to love as God has loved us despite our own history and sins. We will love others boldly so that those around us will be inspired to do the same, the next generation will have a new standard of love and not accept anything less.     Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up that it may give grace to those who hear.” We vow not to tolerate and take corrective action when we hear any prejudicial comments of any kind toward any of God's people. As literacy advocates, we will continue to empower and educate supporters and students to be very conscious of the words they choose and just how powerful they are.  1 Corinthians 12:25-26 “That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” We vow to not stop until we have cultivated equality for all and our black brothers and sisters and people of all colors can rejoice together in the image of God.  We will continue the legacy of UPLIFT Founders Rev. Burton & Audrey Smith, to know our neighbors of San Diego personally, to uplift all by fulfilling unmet needs and transform lives with God's love. Thank you for your time and faithful support. We will continue to multiply your generous blessings. Believe Big, Pray Bold & Love Strong, The UPLIFT Team

Wisdom from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Doing What is Right  “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor popular, but must be taken because conscience says it is right.” “It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. On Hope “When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.” “In the midst of outer dangers I have felt an inner calm and known resources of strength that only God could give. In many instances I have felt the power of God transforming the fatigue of despair into the buoyancy of hope.”

Discussing Race with Kids

This is an amazing collaborative effort of High Tech Elementary East Lake Teachers in messaging to parents about discussing race with their children. Dear Kinder families,  We wanted to share with you that today during our Class Zoom Meeting we listened to Ms. Angie's recording of the read aloud All Are Welcome by to remind our class that in the HTe community, all are truly welcome, honored, respected and loved. After we listened to the story, we shared about how we were feeling, how the story made us feel and what ideas we had of our own about how to make others feel welcome in our class community. As adults we all have many emotions and questions about what is happening in our country currently. I encourage you to reach out to friends and family to discuss, research, process and get involved. As young people, our students may be aware of what is happening because of the news, conversations with friends or family, or because information on the internet and social media. Even Kinder students may be more aware of what has been happening than you may realize...

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Discussing Race with Grown-ups

Pastor Miles McPherson - The Third Option

The Third Option Pastor Miles McPherson, founder of The Rock Church in San Diego, has released his paradigm shifting book “The Third Option – Hope for a racially divided nation” in which he presents his third option in the race conversation from his lived-experience as a mixed-race boy, man, brother, husband, father, grandfather & pastor. His message is simple and clear - stop with the “us & them” mentality, the third option is love everyone like God Loves.   “a discussion about race that we desperately need...a must read” (Bishop T.D. Jakes, Senior Pastor, The Potter’s House) and argues that we must learn to see people not by the color of their skin, but as God sees them—humans created in the image of God.

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Simon Sinek & Curtis Martin - A Bit of Optimism Podcast

From Simon Sinek, author of "Start with Why", "Leaders Eat Last" & children's book "Together is Better" Our nation is facing a challenge unlike it’s faced in decades. There’s anger, there’s fear, there’s exhaustion. In an attempt to better understand the feelings surrounding the events of the week, I reached out to friends to have necessary and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. One call was to NFL Hall Of Famer Curtis Martin. He’s like a modern-day monk who understands people in a remarkable way. We talked about the lessons he’s learned and shared insights that can help us get through t his together. Because we have to get through it together. This…is  A Bit of Optimism.

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UPLIFT is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization Tax ID #: 33-0210280

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