This is a powerful and important cultural moment. Our heads are spinning as we experience unprecedented upheaval and dislocation related to the pandemic, and now, the explosion nationwide rooted in racial injustice.
At this time, it might be useful to look back to April 16, 1963 when the Reverend Martin Luther King found himself imprisoned for his civil disobedience. The local Birmingham ministers wrote him an impassioned letter asking that he slow down and embrace change more carefully and methodically. It was at this time that King penned a very important and timeless letter in response to their concerns. It is referred to as the Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It is articulate and powerful, urging that Americans take moral responsibility by disobeying unjust laws, urging direct social action.
Has anything changed in 57 years? What is our individual responsibility? Do I know the difference between personal racism and systemic racism? All important questions to consider.
I’m not sure how any of us should respond to this crisis, yet I do believe that the engine of capitalism can be an important avenue in providing access for the marginalized. It is time to be creative and use this unique tool to transform our times.
Read the letter here with an open mind and consider how you (and I) are to respond.
Lord have mercy. Doug.
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