EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
- Isaiah 58:6
Stay safe, stay committed…and always know that you are beloved. ______
Miriam Casey, Co-chair, Commission for Intercultural Ministries ([email protected])
Lynn Zender, Co-chair, Commission for Intercultural Ministries ([email protected])
Jo Ann Williams, Editor ([email protected]) ______
THE BLACK CHURCH THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG Tuesday and Wednesday, February 16 and 17, 2021
PBS will air a four-hour, two-part documentary series that traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America. It reveals how Black people have worshipped, and through their spiritual journeys, improvised ways to bring their faith traditions from Africa to the New World translating them into a form of Christianity that was not only truly their own, but a
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redemptive force for a nation whose original sin was found in their ancestors’ enslavement across the Middle Passage: https://www.pbs.org/weta/black-church/
CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH
PBS is thrilled to share a host of documentaries and digital shorts that highlight the richness of the Black experience in American history. Here are previews of films premiering this month on PBS, as well as a dozen films you can stream to celebrate Black history: Celebrate Black History Month 2021 (pbs.org). Make sure you also visit their feature: 28 Black History Makers in 28 Days to learn more about the lasting contributions of this group of 28 incredible individuals.
URGE CONGRESS TO ADVANCE STUDY OF REPARATIONS
In 2006, General Convention passed a resolution calling for “legislation initiating study of and dialogue about the history and legacy of slavery in the United States and of proposals for monetary and non-monetary reparations to the descendants of the victims of slavery.” Since that time, The Episcopal Church has been supportive of this proposal, and we ask you to act with us now to urge Congress to finally pass this bill into law which was introduced to the 117th Congress. Take action on HR 40, the bill pertaining to reparations: Action Alerts - The Episcopal Church
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ABOLITIONIST HERO HARRIET TUBMAN AND THE EFFORT TO GET HER ON THE $20 BILL
The Biden administration will resume the process to add famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman to the $20 bill. The Obama administration announced plans to put Tubman on the bill in 2016, but the Trump administration halted those plans in 2019. Tubman will become the first Black person on the face of American paper currency and the first woman in generations. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Tubman’s image on the new $20 note would reflect the history and diversity of our country. Read more here: https://www.centerforracialhealing.org/post/what-to-know-about-abolitionist-hero-harriet- tubman-and-the-effort-to-get-her-on-the-20-bill.
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EQUITY AND EQUALITY IN THE MOVEMENT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE WEBINAR Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Racial justice continues to be a concern for African descendant communities globally. The onset of COVID-19 in early March has affected people across the globe; but in the US, people of color, particularly Black people, have been disparately affected resulting in heightened racial ethnic disparities and inequities. The movements for justice are complex and include the call for equity and inclusion - issues which are essential to bring changes in church and society. Join Aundreia Alexander, Associate General Secretary for the National Council of Churches, Adele Halliday from The United Church of Canada, and Karen Georgia Thompson as they discuss the role of the church in creating a just world for all. Register here for the webinar: https://ucc.zoom.us/webinar/register/3916118857501/WN_ZxK70Uq- QjuaABlB6u5EOQ?inf_contact_key=8d484a3aaa13e8b3414a93b99406a2abb7af0999d ac2af6212784c39e05d2aef
CONTEMPLATIVE RESISTENCE: WHAT HOWARD THURMAN CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIVING MERCIFULLY IN AN UNJUST WORLD Saturday, February 20, 2021
St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster, PA, will host a Zoom workshop on Saturday, February 20, 2021, 6 am PST, on the teachings of Howard Thurman and explore a spirituality that provides a more reconciling and less reactive way to engage, and disengage, from the violence of our current world. The workshop leader will be Dr. Tejai Beulah, assistant professor of history, ethics and black church and African diaspora studies at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Register here: Howard Thurman: Contemplative Resistance Tickets | Saint James Episcopal Church (saintjameslancaster.org)
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THE NEXT FAITHFUL STEP Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 6 pm
For those who have completed Sacred Ground or something like it: are you looking for a place to talk with others committed to the work of ongoing learning and work for racial healing? Come and share the "next faithful step" you have been discovering and hear from others what they are reading and doing and discovering. The “Next Faithful Step” meeting will be held on February 23, 2021, at 6 pm. Contact The Rev. Anne Clark, Assistant Rector, Grace Episcopal Church, St. Helena, if you have questions and for the Zoom link: [email protected].
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25th ANNUAL IMMIGRANT DAY OF ACTION Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Please put on your calendars! The 25th Annual Immigrant Day of Action will be held on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at the California State Capitol and it will be virtual. This is an opportunity to visit with our legislators about important bills coming up related to immigration. Stay tuned for more information on this important day. Or contact Lynn Zender at [email protected]. More information here: Immigrant Day 2021 - California Immigrant Policy Center (caimmigrant.org)
FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN EXPECTED TO TAKE ACTIVE ROLE IN IMMIGRANT FAMILY REUNIFICATION
The current first lady's upcoming involvement in the issue and its targeted task force will lend visibility to the mission of reuniting children with their parents, which remains a crisis for many families. A White House official said Jill Biden was especially impacted by her December trip to the Matamoros, Mexico, refugee camp across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Read more here: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/27/politics/jill- biden-immigration-family-separation/index.html
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PRESIDING BISHOP JOINS CALL FOR CHRISTIANS TO COUNTER CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM DURING WEBINAR
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry joined the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for a webinar on Christian nationalism by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, also known as BJC, on Jan. 27. The webinar provided an overview of what Christian nationalism is, how it is showing up in America and how Christians can address it. Christian nationalism has been described as “… an ideology that ‘seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy.’” https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2021/01/28/presiding-bishop-joins-call- for-christians-to-counter-christian-nationalism-during-webinar/
SPIRITUAL ACTIVISM FOR FIGHTING AND HEALING FROM WHITE SUPREMECY Thursday, February 18, 2021, 6:30 pm PST
The California Institute of Integrated Studies will host live online racial justice educator and sought-after spiritual activist Rachel Ricketts who has developed heart-centered
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and mindfulness-based practices to fight white supremacy from our personal lives to our communities, addressing anti-racism from a comprehensive, intersectional, and spiritually aligned perspective. Join A-Ian Holt, director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford for a conversation with Rachel as she offers mindful and practical steps for all of us to dismantle white supremacy on a personal and collective level. Click here to register: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy Tickets, Thu, Feb 18, 2021 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite.
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THE FOUR VISION QUESTS OF JESUS Begins February 18, 2021
During Lent Trinity Cathedral will present the book, The Four Vision Quests of Jesus, written by The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Choctaw. Bishop Charleston examines four events in the life of Jesus through the lens of Native American spirituality. Discussions will be held on Thursday evenings at 7 pm. The dates of the classes are February 18, February 25, March 4, March 11, March 18, and March 25, 2021. You are invited to participate by contacting Deacon Emerita Tina Campbell, Indigenous Missioner of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, [email protected]. Deacon Tina will provide you with the Zoom link to the sessions.
THE COMMISSION FOR INTERCULTURAL MINISTRIES BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS ON INDIGENOUS HISTORY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873. Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Winner. Historian and author Benjamin Madley describes pre-contact California and precursors to the genocide before explaining how the Gold Rush stirred vigilante violence against California Indians. Between 1846 and 1873, California’s Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000. Madley is the first historian to uncover the full extent of the slaughter, the involvement of state and federal officials, the taxpayer dollars that supported the violence, indigenous resistance, who did the killing, and why the killings ended.
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Murder State: California's Native American Genocide, 1846- 1873. Author Brendan C. Lindsay examines the darker side of California history, one rarely studied in detail, and the motives of both Native Americans and Euro-Americans at the time. Murder State calls attention to the misuse of democracy to justify and commit genocide. American citizenry of California carried out mass genocide against the Native population of their state, using the processes and mechanisms of democracy to secure land and resources for themselves and their private interests. Murder, rape, and enslavement of thousands of Native people were legitimized by notions of democracy—in this case mob rule— through a discreetly organized and brutally effective series of petitions, referenda, town hall meetings, and votes at every level of California government.
Killing for Land in Early California: Indian Blood at Round Valley, 1856–1863. Author Frank Baumgardner presents a highly researched account of the California frontier wars that gave rise to a stable and permanent ranch economy for whites and a reservation system for the few surviving Native Americans, with a focus on the Nome Cult Farm in remote northeastern Mendocino County, California. Congress seemed to be on a different track in dealing with the California Indians than both the California state legislature and the Indian Affairs Department. The author emphasizes the vital role played by the US Army and how lack of funding and poor coordination of various levels of government resulted in disaster for the Indians.
ORIGINAL CARETAKERS Center for Earth Ethics (CEE)
Indigenous traditions hold important knowledge for the challenge posed by our ecological crisis. The Original Caretakers Program supports the work of wisdom keepers from Indigenous traditions. The vast majority of what remains of the world’s biodiversity is in the hands of Indigenous peoples, and their lifeways are under constant assault and threat. CEE supports Indigenous rights to self-determination and is committed to making sure Indigenous voices are heard and heeded in the necessary reorientation of our attitudes towards nature and creation of a new economic development paradigm. You can read more about Original Caretakers at this link: Original Caretakers • Center for Earth Ethics.
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ASIAN AMERICANS CALL ON THE CHURCH TO PREACH AGAINST CORONAVIRUS RACISM
Inspired by their convictions around human dignity and their hope in the body of Christ, Asian American believers are asking the church to take the lead in opposing anti-Asian racism fueled by the coronavirus pandemic. “‘America first’ or ‘my own race first’ is not living out the Parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus defined our neighbor as the one who is most hated,” wrote Allen Yeh, Biola University professor of intercultural studies. “In times of fear, take this as an opportunity to defend and support those who are most targeted and marginalized.” The Asian American Christian Collaborative released a statement denouncing xenophobia, stands in solidarity with victims, and directs Christians to speak out and make changes in their churches, schools, and communities. Read the statement and ways to support the Asian American community here: Asian Americans Call on the Church to Preach Against Coron...... | News & Reporting | Christianity Today.
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BIDEN SIGNS MOST FAR-REACHING FEDERAL PROTECTIONS FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE YET
Last month President Biden signed an executive order to combat discrimination against LGBTQ people in health care, housing, and education. The action is the most far- reaching of any federal protections yet. Listen to this 3-minute podcast between NPR host Leila Fadel and Taylor Chandler Walker, Transgender Health Coordinator for Us Helping Us People Into Living, Inc., in Washington, DC; Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Senior Attorney and Health Care Strategist at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV; Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom where she is a key member of the Center for Christian Ministries; and Kathleen O’Donnell, a Montana woman who faced housing and employment discrimination: Biden Signs Most Far-Reaching Federal Protections For LGBTQ People Yet : NPR
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WASHINGTON BISHOP MARIANN BUDDE SAYS CHURCH SHOULD “LEAD WITH JESUS” IN ITS NONPARTISAN ADVOCACY
Many Episcopal bishops, priests, and deacons feel called by faith to bear public witness on issues of the day, but few have been as prominent or outspoken in recent years as Bishop Mariann Budde of the Diocese of Washington. As the top Episcopal leader in the nation’s capital, Budde has not been shy in calling for federal policies that reflect Jesus’ call to care “for the least of these.” Bishop Budde says she has tried to “lead
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with Jesus” rather than let politics guide her ordained ministry. “If your Jesus always agrees with your politics, you’re probably not reading deeply enough into Jesus,” she said. At the same time, “I don’t think justice and societal issues are optional for clergy. They are embedded in our faith.” Read more about Bishop Budde here: https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2021/02/04/qa-washington-bishop-mariann- budde-says-churchs-nonpartisan-advocacy-should-lead-with-jesus/.
SUBURBAN PARISH PARTNERS WITH DETROIT CHURCH TO OPEN COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER
Christ Church Cranbrook, an Episcopal parish in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, has partnered with First Baptist Institutional Church in Detroit to open a community resource center that will serve a variety of needs in “already struggling Detroit neighborhoods that have also been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The center is housed in a renovated space on the First Baptist Institutional Church’s campus in northwest Detroit in an area where 31% of residents – and about half of children – live below the federal poverty line. The center will offer services including a food pantry; workforce training; financial assistance for residents facing eviction or utility shutoffs; and workshops for reading, math, and financial literacy, with a particular focus on youth, seniors, and veterans. Case managers will also work with clients to connect them with other services they might need. Read about their partnership here: https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2021/02/01/suburban-parish-partners-with- detroit-church-to-open-community-resource-center/
“WE FALL DOWN/AMAZING GRACE”
Listen to this beautiful and relaxing song combination of “We Fall Down” (Donnie McClurkin) and “Amazing Grace” (music: New Britain text: John Newton (1725-1807): Music - Washington National Cathedral
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