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This is the first of 2 posts on MLK, simply highlighting a few of his provocative quotes. I have great respect for the bravery, truth, and boldness King demonstrated as a leader - I would have loved to have marched or have done a sit-in with him. Yet, the next post (which should happen by tomorrow) will take a critical look at his theology; if you want to hear (read) me scrutinize an icon, stay tuned. In the meantime, the Social Studies teacher in me can’t resist presenting you with these:

1 - “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”

2 - “…power without love is reckless and abusive and…love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.”

3 - “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defence than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

4 - “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

5 - “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that’s pretty important.”

6 - “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

7 - “Most people…are thermometers that record or register the temperature of the majority’s opinion, not thermostats that transform or regulate the temperature of society.”

8 - “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

9 - “The profit motive, when it is the sole basis of an economic system, encourages a cutthroat competition and selfish ambition that inspires men to be more concerned about making a living than making a life.”

10 - “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”- Bishop Dom Helder Camara

“Washing one’s hands [of the struggle] between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”- Paulo Friere

As I eluded to before, it’s not uncommon to see an apathetic/individualistic/fatalistic attitude about solving structural problems, especially when (because) one isn’t directly and negatively affected. So, allow me to prod a little more…and just in case the red scare is still in effect: I affirm that a planned/controlled economy is a disaster for a plethora of reasons.

Disclaimer aside, the market is a fallen entity and pregnant with moral considerations. We mustn’t look at it too simply and miss an entire ethical dimension, that would be like calling a cube a square.In God’s economy, everyone matters, not just profit motive. The CEO’s, those who hold stock, the consumers, those in US, those over “there”, the man, the little guy, and even labor.

Everyone matters.

So, are there additional questions to ask besides, “how can I get goods and services (that I mostly don’t need in the first place) as inexpensively and efficiently as possible?” The following video asserts that to say “no” would be shortsighted and self-oriented, privileging abstract principles over real people.

Coldplay - Til Kingdom Come

“For five years, young Emmanuel Jal fought as a child soldier in the Sudan. Rescued by an aid worker, he’s become an international hip-hop star and an activist for kids in war zones. In words and lyrics, he tells the story of his amazing life.”

A powerfully delivered poem starts at 4:00 minutes and goes to 7:30…

Rage Against The Machine - Born Of A Broken Man

My friend sent me a link to a NY Times story…hard to imagine:

“Racially segregated proms have been held in Montgomery County — where about two-thirds of the population is white — almost every year since its schools were integrated in 1971. Such proms are, by many accounts, longstanding traditions in towns across the rural South, though in recent years a number of communities have successfully pushed for change. When the actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for last year’s first-of-its-kind integrated prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi, his home state, the idea was quickly embraced by students — and rejected by a group of white parents, who held a competing “private” prom…”

READ MORE…

How encouraging!

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Now playing: The Frames - Falling Slowly
via FoxyTunes

This past summer, I had the privilege of being part of a trip/fund-raising effort for Rayitos de Luz, (Little Rays of Light), an orphange in Monterrey, Mexico…specifically pertaining to this story. Me gusta.

Social Studies education doesn’t have to be about memorizing dates and names. It can build citizens capable of critical thinking and bent towards making an unjust world more just. Currently, I’m teaching a unit on Progressivism and I can’t help be a bit excited because all sorts of ethical questions about labor & exploitation have been raised. It has been so rewarding to make this relevant to today and watch teenagers wrestle with difference between fair and free trade.

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Now playing: The Killers - All These Things That I’ve Done
via FoxyTunes

Here’s a great article…

“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group”

- Peggy McIntosh 

White privilege & racism…are whites really those that suffer from (reverse) racism?

Because of a time crunch, I had to leave a conversation that I wanted to finish…it was about whether or not white privilege/racism is real. I used to think this was truly a non-issue, viewing the world through my white middle-class lens.

After I watched the documentary, The Color Of Fear, I was humbled. The premise of the film is a group of men of different ‘races’ all gather in one room to talk about race. In short time, the middle class white guy begins to argue that the men of color are mistaken, their perceptions are off base…he doesn’t listen. Basically, his perception should be everyone’s reality.

The Color Of Fear, tutoring at the Black Child & Family Institute, and other volunteer work has helped me realize that I (and my ‘race/culture’) don’t see racism as problematic or a reality, because for me (us)…it isn’t a problem. My dominant group doesn’t have to deal with it, so the group’s views of oppression which are normalized can be easily narcissistic; blind or sometimes even blaming people of color for victimization.

Here’s a clip…and if you’re white & really want to disagree with what I’ve said; I would hope you’d watch the documentary (Go to video to go in EL) and talk to poor minorities first.

My friend Josh sent me this…aren’t you glad our government subsidizes companies like this?

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/big_box_mart

Finally I have got around to posting on Mexico. Here’s the group photo…we’re doing ‘Da Moose.’ (Inside Joke) It was so cool to get to know new people and have other relationships deepen. The coolest thing about these trips is watching others experiencing God, service, and each other.

I met this adorable little girl and she quickly turned me into a swing-set. Interactions like these with orphans were so rewarding and sobering at the same time. I cannot imagine what it is like to grow with the obstacles these children deal with…

I can’t remember who took the photo, but I’m standing inside of the old Reyitos De Luz building. I found it absolutely beautiful to see Christ etched in the glass…though this building was dilapidated I’m convinced it didn’t lack love.

Mark, me, and Antonio. Antonio was one of the amazing staff people we met. It was incredible to watch the joy and sacrifice ooze from the Back2Back people. It seems they conceive of a truly big and living God. I think that always encourages people, to take one’s faith seriously…those who founded the organization acted upon what stirred and bothered their hearts.

The trip really helped me reaffirm the fact that God is eager to use us to do His work, and that to be fully given to His agenda is what it means to be fully alive. We cannot take our vision too lightly…what if our hopes and dreams weren’t something that we’ve merely conjured up? What if they have ended up inside of us because Someone has placed them there?

We’re going to Mexico again; a group in late June to Tijuana to build houses and a group in early July to help at an orphanage. You can help and perhaps help yourself with our silent auction found here: www.rivmexico.com

I heard an amazing story on NPR today about interracial marriage…40 years ago Richard and Mildred Loving gave their name to the landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down anti-miscegenation laws in more than a dozen states. They were arrested for being married, disturbing the ‘racial integrity’ act of Virginia. I couldn’t imagine having my marriage forbidden on those grounds.

Here’s the kicker; the original judge who upheld the old law, (prior to going to the supreme court), said that God had separated the ‘races’ by putting them on different continents, proving that He was opposed to interracial marriage…if I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard religious types be racist (and often not even realize it), I could buy a tank of gas. And to make this more disturbing, I only live in a northern city, in a blue state.

…I take heart knowing that racism is a contradiction of the Gospel/scripture (Galatians 3: 28); something that says that all people are cherished image-bearers. Heaven, the perfect place, will be a place for every tongue, tribe, and nation. So, I blatantly reject the idea of ‘race’ as a perverse social construction (i.e. at the turn of the century, Italians, Jews, and even the Irish were considered ‘non-white’.) that’s been used to privilege some at the expense of others…I suppose this is why I don’t mind pissing someone off when I call out racism.