Learning from Dr. King
by Julia Gaughan
Consultant for Equity and Inclusion
Monday, January 18th is this year’s celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are just weeks into 2021, but it feels like decades. This year’s celebration takes place in the midst of an unrestrained global pandemic, and a period of political unrest in our country that many of us have not previously experienced. This does offer us an opportunity, however, to reflect and learn from Dr. King, the now-celebrated, once-denigrated, civil rights icon.
Most people associate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with his “I Have a Dream” speech, but there is so much more. In this week’s eNews, we’ve included in the list of resources his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” for you to read. As you read or revisit this letter, I wonder where you see yourself: as an ally to the imprisoned preacher? As one of the white preachers, or progressives, he’s admonishing? Perhaps you occupy each of these spaces at different points.
This question of allyship isn’t meant to admonish you; rather, it’s meant to convict you. What are you doing to be God’s hands in this world? To be Jesus’s heart in this world? To be the love that transcends everything, in this world, and for this unique moment in history?
In the past week, we’ve seen the confederate flag occupy the Capitol building, something that didn’t even occur during the Civil War. We’ve seen preachers and politicians, side by side with neo-Nazis and Proud Boys, storming the People’s House. Whether you were surprised or not, I imagine, like me, you are still reeling. It’s hard to know just what we can do to bring about meaningful change in the here and now amid all of this chaotic noise.
The thing is, we don’t need to have all the answers or Big Plans or bold and audacious next steps. But, we do need to keep listening for God’s voice to help us move forward. Forward toward justice. In love, may we begin to take those steps.
Over the past year, I received training to become a facilitator for the UCC’s “Sacred Conversations to End Racism” curriculum. We plan to offer this virtually in the months ahead for our conference, for those ready to move deeper into their racial justice work with this transformational curriculum. For congregations interested in discussing how to form their own racial justice committees or move deeper into racial justice conversations, your Conference is here to serve and support you.
We also have work to do toward living into our Open and Affirming covenant as a Conference. In the coming months, we will be working with the Open and Affirming Coalition to discover ways we can support our congregations interested in becoming Open and Affirming; and we will be working to support our Open and Affirming congregations so that they can become spaces where people not only feel welcome, but experience a deep sense of belonging.
Becoming more equitable and inclusive isn’t about buzz words and virtue signaling. It’s about being willing to be transformed by God’s love so that our next steps guide us toward justice, that our next good words are those grounded in love, and our next right actions bring us closer to God’s Kingdom on earth. As you honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the coming days, spend time reflecting on his Letter from a Birmingham Jail and allow yourself to be changed.
I hope you’ll join me in the important work we will do this coming year. More news about our programming will be forthcoming, with ample opportunities to sign up for our virtual sessions. In the meantime, please check out the Resource List Rev. Michael Vollbrecht has put together. I highly recommend Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman, which I’m currently re-reading, as well as My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem. Our work cannot stay merely between the pages of books, but these books can help us learn and know where, when, and what to do next.
Read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”