By Stefan Baumgartner
John 2:13-22
Spirit who connects every being, move in our midst this day.
Welcome to Pride Sunday! I’m so happy to be with you today.
My name is Stefan Baumgartner. My pronouns are he/him.
I want to begin my reflection with a quote by Marsha P. Johnson,
“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”
As a gay, white, cisgender man,
I am indebted to trans folks and queer women of color.
By Joanna Lawrence Shenk
These words were prepared for Faith in Action Bay Area’s Latinx-led Juneteenth solidarity action, “Black Lives Matter: Praying and Working to Create Healthy and Stable Communities,” held in Daly City, CA on June 19, 2020.
We are living through a long overdue nationwide awakening to the reality of state sponsored white supremacist violence against Black and Brown bodies. White supremacy, embodied in racist institutions, policies, and cultural ideals, is an original sin of our country. African-Americans suffer from discrimination and unequal access to employment, housing, education, and health care. This systemic injustice is clear in San Francisco where only 3% of the population is Black, but 37% of those living on the street are Black.
By Helen Stoltzfus
I am sitting in a Direct Action training with 12 other Extinction Rebellion members. Pre-COVID. Extinction Rebellion – or XR – as it is called, is a climate activist group that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to raise awareness about the climate crisis and halt our march toward extinction of life.
We are getting trained on the rules of nonviolence, which include not harming property and making sure our speech is nonviolent – which includes treating everyone — police, bank tellers, security guards – with respect. “I know this,” I think to myself.
