Presidents Day and our Voice

American politics continues to seem to disappoint us as we pursue justice together.And yet, there are glimmers of light amid the centuries of oppressive darkness. In today’s New York Times alone, there are stories of collaboration among African American mayors, an ember of progress in providing multi-racial access to suburban housing in New York State, and, on the bleaker side of things, Mississippi’s creation of a police-run judicial system for majority black neighborhoods.

At Rev. Dr. Wylie Hughes’ suggestion, I recently read James Cone’s powerful work, Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare. Among the wealth of wisdom offered, Cone reminds us of the need for both principled engagement and strong cultural identification and support - we need to be strong in our own identities and equally strong in our willingness to work with people from all backgrounds. A grounded and diverse pluralism continues to be a key to making sure there is shared justice. We work towards a day when celebrating our past presidents also elevates all of our communities and the justice we bring to each other. Thank you Rev. Hughes for the excellent recommendation.

Please join VOICE Buffalo in our efforts to collaborate and mutually support justice efforts together. There are opportunities for connection with Faith in Action coming up and we are constantly meeting with legislators about initiatives that make a difference to directly impacted residents on the East Side of Buffalo, and thus to us all.

There is no justice for anyone as long as injustice persists anywhere.

Wishing you all a good week, Jonathan