I wrote this piece to the discordant music of police helicopters circling above. Monday night my friends and colleagues marched through the streets of Berkeley, CA, protesting the killing of unarmed black men in the United States. While many of them went home after awhile, some stayed to shut down Interstate 80 for a time. Those dozen or so folks were part of a group that were cordoned off, surrounded by the police. While they awaited arrest, the chaplains and ministers I spend my days with here at the Pacific School of Religion led the two hundred or so activists in Christmas carols, pop songs, and hymns. Our Professor of Worship served a communion of almonds and tea to anyone who wanted to partake. The group sang to the police for hours and the peaceful presence of the religious leaders kept things calm on both sides. It is the kind of work that I think religious leaders are well suited for. I was with them many hours before, offering energy-based activist training and my loving support as they prepared for this action. I've shed many tears this last week, filled with anguish for the injustice I see happening in my country and frustrated with my body's inability to march in the streets.
-
This brings back memories of my past protesting at Lawrence Livermore Lab when I, too, was a student at PSR. Though it's been deca -
Thank you for all the work you did readying the group and supporting in the long hours that followed. -
THANK YOU, Lizann, for your gentle invitations and unwavering support. You are a gem.
