Bloody Sunday

 

Yesterday was the ceremonial memory service of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama. That was when peaceful protesters wanting voting rights attempted to cross what was then the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965. The police beat them bloody. It makes me sick to think about it. I was 10 on that day and completely ignorant of it.  President Biden was there yesterday and gave a speech in which he said history shouldn’t be sanitized. I am very happy he was there and gave the speech BUT…

Reverend William J. Barber II was also in Selma. He was at Brown Chapel, where John Lewis and other activists started their march across the bridge. Rev. Barber said that they all returned to Brown Chapel, which had to become a field hospital for those injured at the Bridge. The bridge has since been renamed John Lewis Bridge after the late congressman.

I was so impressed and emotionally moved by Rev. Barber. He began with a Bible verse from Hebrews which stated something like, we are not of these who shrink back. We persevere for our salvation. So he said to the people watching, “Shrinking back is not an option.  We must stand up and push forward.” He had the congregation repeat those lines a couple of times and then turn to the right and repeat those lines to their neighbors.

Two of his points stood out to me. The first was that the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965 was gutted in 2013. Congress could have restored rights taken away, but they haven’t done anything. There was an attempt by Democrats after red states tried to gut the law further but the Rethuglicans voted it down—including so-called “good” Rethugs like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

Then Rev. Barber cited the poverty statistics in the red, southern, and midwestern states. In all of those states, governors refused the expansion of Medicaid to needy families. Barber said we’re not just talking about Black, Hispanic, and indigenous populations. White people are suffering too. It takes two full-time incomes to “maybe” afford a 2-bedroom apartment.

At presidential debates, he pointed out, no one asks the candidates “What are you doing to do about poverty?” Nothing ever gets done about it, that’s true. Instead, Rethugs convince marginalized groups to vote against themselves by selling a false story “It’s the Democrats who are keeping you in this lowly Position.”

It seems like 40% of the population is struggling. If those groups (and I would include the elderly and the disabled) would come together as a voting bloc, Rev. Barber is sure there would be enough votes to choose the President and the legislators in Congress. What a concept!

But how?

That’s why Rev. Barber was having the people repeat that they have to stand up and push back. Retreat is not an option. Being tired is not an option.

I signed up for his group, Repairers of the Breach. I want to stand up and push back too.

Jesus Ads and Fusion Politics

Last night, I read an article about Jesus coming to the Super Bowl in commercials saying or showing “He gets us.”  I have very mixed feelings about it.  I’ve seen photos that go with the “He gets us” ads and they do seem to represent New Testament Jesus. That Jesus supported poor and disenfranchised people. People claiming to be christian nationalists and right-wing evangelicals don’t seem to follow NT Jesus’ teachings.

These commercials show a loving Jesus, all-inclusive. He is for feeding and caring for those in need, sheltering the homeless, and protecting the children. That’s my Jesus. So why am I uncomfortable with this?

The ads are placed by a group called The Signatry. However, David Green, a co-founder of Hobby Lobby, came forward and said he was helping pay for the commercials and billboard ads. It set a red flag in my mind. Hobby Lobby petitioned the SupremeCourt because they didn’t want to pay for contraception for women. It violated their christian beliefs that contraception was a form of abortion. They won, and so their female employees can’t get coverage for any usual method of birth control.

Hm, thought I, is that kind of control something Jesus would have endorsed? I don’t think so.

And so, I’m not sure I trust these ads. The Signatry is going big with these ads, and there are more to come. I wonder if it’s on the up-and-up and not some ploy to sucker people into a more sinister christian position that won’t show up until later.

I’ll wait and see.

I’ve been more interested in Rev. William J. Barber II and “fusion” politics. I hadn’t heard of him before and his words intrigued me. I began reading about him. Fusion politics isn’t about red vs. blue, conservatism vs. liberalism. The idea is to bring together the poor, the lower-working white middle class, immigrants, people of color, people of different religions, and the LGBTQ community. Why? Because with all these groups working together, there’s a better chance of putting enough pressure on politicians to get the right things done to serve everyone.

He says christian nationalism promotes a kind of heresy. That’s because of all the cruel and untrue stances those people take. I agree with him on that. Christian nationalists don’t follow New Testament Jesus. Everything they say and do is anti-Christian.

I remember that in Matthew, Jesus confronted the disciples one day about how they’d rejected him. They were all upset at that and asked when? How? And his answer was that he’d come to the door, homeless, and they didn’t take him in. He needed clothes to wear, and they ignored him. He was sick and in prison, and no one came to visit him. Again the disciples were upset and asked when did we do that to you?

Jesus’ answer was any time you did this to anyone else, you did it to me.

That’s what the christian nationals are forgetting. So, when they cut benefits to the needy, make it harder for people to exercise their right to vote, and take away fundamental rights from people, they are doing those things to the Jesus they claim they love.

I like Rev. Barber’s message. I’ve been listening to him via YouTube and reading up more about fusion politics. I am hoping to locate a way to connect with the programs he supports. The next thing I'm doing is reading his book, We Are Called To Be A Movement. I get a hopeful feeling thinking about his message and desire to form a coalition of under-represented people who are suffering from oppression, suppression, or flat-out neglect.