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Political reflections
Amy Zucker Morgenstern responds to Trump’s claims that “the Squad” of congresswomen are anti-Semitic.
I don’t take kindly to being manipulated by actual anti-Semites. . . . I know who will have my back if you drop the last pretence and come for me, and it won’t be the so-called Christians who sing your praises. It will be the people that you and they are trying, in your cynicism and naivete, to divide me from now. . . .
We are united by a force you don’t understand. Because of it, we are stronger than you, and we will never be defeated. (Sermons in Stones, July 16)
After finalizing her children’s adoption, Kimberly Wildszewski thinks about immigrant children separated from their parents—without a “gentle smile from a judge, an offer for a picture at the end.”
I’ve been in an immigration hearing and let me tell you, the babes waiting to find out their fate have the same inherent worth that my children do. I know the vulnerability, defensiveness, fear and desperation I had today. With all my money and documents and whiteness. . . . What have we done to these families? (Facebook, July 15)
David Breeden explores the phrase “identity politics.”
When a nation claims to guarantee the rights of its citizens, citizens are going to notice. Especially those suffering from inequality. Sooner or later, some citizens are going to ask for the rights afforded other citizens. . . .
Racists, populists, nationalists, and xenophobes—the underbelly of any dominant culture—will have a problem when any oppressed group insists on equal rights as citizens. The dominant culture wishes to label a group, not recognize it. That, too, is politics. (Medium, July 18)
Remembering a beloved activist
Nathan Ryan pays tribute to civil rights activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph, who was murdered this past week.
Her very existence is a model for all of us. She was warm, inviting, generous and loving. But her kindness never allowed false narratives or racist status quo ideologies to persist unchallenged.
I cannot state it simply enough: her life made the world better. (Facebook, July 13)
What's in a name
Tony Lorenzen’s discovery of a photo of a relative for whom he was named prompts reflection—and questions for others named after a family member.
What’s that been like for you? What do you know of them as a person? How has having this namesake affected your sense of self and sense of connection to your family and its history? How has being a namesake affected your sense of self and identity? (Sunflower Chalice, July 18)
Playing for the joy of it
Jake Morrill teaches a subject he previously knew nothing about: Jugger.
It turns out to be like if rugby was played by Vikings, if the Vikings had rabies. Kids running around with pool noodle and Nerf weapons, bashing at each other for two hours in the heat. It has, from what I can tell, absolutely no socially redeeming value. There’s no way to make it noble or meaningful. Except for a few water breaks, it’s just running around, bashing. I love it. (Facebook, July 16)