Rev. Sara LaWall
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Why We Say #BlackLivesMatter

8/6/2016

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I haven’t written a bog post in quite a long time. The first year of ministry can be a bit all consuming. But today I found myself preparing for our worship service this Sunday with special guest preachers from the organizing collective Anti-Racists in Idaho, preaching about “White Allyship and #BlackLivesMatter.
 
I had some unscheduled free time on my hands being the only one in the house and sat down to read The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement by Dr. William J. Barber II, one of the leaders of the North Carolina Moral Monday movement, and the president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. Dr. Barber was one of our keynote speakers at our annual UU General Assembly this summer and he took us by storm, preaching of the moral revolution that is upon us and our call to join the fight as progressive people of faith that we might be the new freedom fighters for the third reconstruction that is upon us. He gave a powerful speech at the DNC this year, the best sermon that many have heard in a long time from a national stage, insisting that we must be the defibrillators for the heart of democracy. I say Amen.
 
Now, I am no Dr. William J. Barber II, but his words inspired me, called me, reignited the fire for justice I have always felt but which has been slowly dying under the crushing weight of violence this summer; a fire which is fueled by my Unitarian Universalist faith. Thinking about how I can become a better ally, how I can help my congregants see the wound of racism and become better allies, this is what my heart had to say:
_______________________________
 
To say “all lives matter” is to miss the point. The phrase silences the lived experience of an entire group of people quickly and without listening, without acknowledging their pain. In the wake of this summer’s shootings of black men and women and in the wake of the attack on the Dallas Police, which is tragic and horrifying and black people across this country are grieving too, but we cannot allow it to overshadow the continued systemic violence against black people. We must listen to the pain and agony of our fellow citizens of color in a manner to which we are unaccustomed. We must hear their cries and their stories without dismissing them, without explaining it away or offering our perspective (as white people). We must just sit and listen more deeply and openly and quietly and reflectively than we ever have before.
 
May I suggest, as many others have, that saying “Black Lives Matter” does not imply the word “only” preceding the statement. Rather, saying “Black Lives Matter” lifts up and recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of black people and people of color who have been historically marginalized and oppressed in this country for hundreds of years. And not just historically, but still today, people of color are marginalized, oppressed, singled out, plagued by more violence, more incarceration, more suspicion, and more poverty than most white people have ever experienced.
 
We (white folks) will never know what it is like to feel the deep wounds of racism and violence, both obvious and implicit, that people of color are forced to confront every moment of their lives. We will never know what that feels like, but we must try to imagine. That is why we choose, we choose, to say “Black Lives Matter,” because it is a reminder that we must wake up and acknowledge the systems and structures of racism that exist today, that were foundational to the building and thriving of our country. We must acknowledge how those systems and structures seep into our individual thinking and being and fight against them.
 
I am not immune to my own racism. I think about how it has shown up in my life in ways conditioned by culture. When all I saw growing up were mostly young black and Hispanic men being arrested and sent to jail, it naturally seeped into my way of understanding the world. When two young black men harassed me on a bus in Chicago it added to my fear and bred deep internal judgements. I know I must hold those moments, and many others, in the forefront of my awareness and fight against them regularly, because I know I cannot be truly free in the world if I am holding a group of people to a set of judgements based on isolated experiences and cultural messaging.
 
I have also been witness to the deep wound of racism in my own family. My Hispanic father-in-law was pulled over for “looking tired” when he helped us drive our U-Haul on our move to Los Angeles. He’d only been on the road for 30 minutes. I have heard the story of the Tucson, AZ (my hometown) police chief (also Hispanic) when he was mowing his front lawn in his upper-middle class neighborhood and someone pulled up to ask him for his card because they were looking for a gardener. Racism is pervasive, systemic and we are conditioned to it.
 
But as white allies becoming, we can fight to deprogram ourselves, to listen to the stories, to journey in solidarity, to be the change, to push the moral arc toward justice for all––let’s not forget the “for all” part––and step into the moral revolution until the glory comes.
 
The tear in the fabric of our humanity is ripping further, wider, almost beyond repair . . .almost. Together, with an openness and a vulnerability that will stretch us beyond our imagination (and not without some pain), we can slowly begin to stitch up that tear with colorful threads of love, compassion, and solidarity; tears, pain and grief; wholeness, healing, and transformation.
 
I’m all in. Are you?

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We Need Victories

6/29/2015

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Waking up to the Supreme Court decision affirming marriage equality, I felt a surge of joy like I had not felt in a long time. It was bolstered by the fact that I was in Portland with 4,000 other Unitarian Universalists for our annual General Assembly and the air of excitement was practically vibrating. Tears were flowing freely as people allowed themselves to soak up the reality that their lives, their families, their love mattered; that it held an equal place in the eye of the highest court in the land. I cried. A lot. We UUs have been working for decades for LGBT rights and especially for marriage equality. And finally, finally, we can enjoy the sweetness of victory knowing, #LoveWins!

Victories like these are so important. For many of us justice minded, religious people, it often feels like we are losing; struggling to make our voices heard, let alone affect systemic change while going up against those with more money and more power. But victories like the marriage equality decision fill us up again and remind us that our voices do matter and change is possible. Victories help us to keep on moving forward.

In my new home in Boise, Idaho, where I will begin a new ministry at the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, I am aware that this Supreme Court Victory is bittersweet. You see, Idaho has yet to include protections for “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in the Idaho Human Rights Act (IHRA). This means people could be fired or denied housing for being gay, lesbian, trans or differently identified, with no access to resources or mediation. How awful it is that those whose marriage is finally recognized by the state and the nation cannot fully express their joy in the workplace for fear of losing their job. For nine years progressive groups and activists, including Unitarian Universalists, in Idaho have been pushing the legislature to "add the words" to the IHRA. For nine years they have been denied. And yet, each year they find more resolve to keep on moving forward and we Unitarian Universalists pledge continue to fight alongside them to add the words.

So, when a victory comes, whether large or small, it is important to take time for celebration, for singing and dancing and feeling the joy deep in our bones. At our General Assembly we held an impromptu pop-up worship service to commemorate the marriage equality victory. We sang and prayed and heard heartfelt reflections. And yet, in each of those reflections and throughout the rest of the week, we were reminded to take this victory as a moment of recharging to help move us forward for all the work still to be done; for trans men and women, for people of color, for immigrants and refugees and so many more.

Let this victory bolster us as we recommit ourselves to continued engagement and action. We know that there are many victories yet to be won, many people who still need our voices and our solidarity. May this victory guide our feet as a beacon of possibility, hope, and joy that justice will indeed prevail. Let the work continue in love, friends. We are here. We will show up, again and again and again.



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#LoveWins

6/26/2015

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I am beyond words this morning. "Justice has arrived like a thunderbolt!" Today my heart is filled with love, joy, and pride. Last night I was honored to be welcomed into preliminary fellowship as a UU mister at our national General Assembly. It was moving and powerful and we were charged up to continue to draw our circle wide to all who are seeking a spiritual home. This morning I wake up to the news of this historic Supreme Court decision and I am even more proud and honored to be part of a faith that has held love at the center, affirmed that love makes a family, and fought for marriage equality. As a new minister, I pledge to continue to hold love at the center, to fight for justice and equality and welcome all who search into our doors. I want my LGBTQ friends and all others to know you are a blessing and you are loved. We are with you always. You have been waiting far too long for this day. We celebrate you. And, when you are ready to get married, find a UU minister. We will say "YES"! Let us lift up our voices in praise and song, especially those of us together at ‪#‎UUAGA to remind ourselves that our actions can indeed make change and that as our president lifted up, "create ripples of hope!" ‪#‎LoveWins

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    Rev. Sara LaWall

    Justice minded, Unitarian Universalist Minister, mother & wife serving Boise, ID

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