Is Christian Privilege killing the church? At what some of my colleagues saw as the breaking point of Occupy Oakland, January 28, 2012, one of my friends said, “Ah, Occupy Oakland, now you’re just somebody that I used to know.” For a lot of folks committed to seeing a justice-filled peace in Oakland, Occupy wasContinue reading “Ekklesia: Are you just somebody that I used to know?”
Category Archives: justice
A Tale of Two Cities: Redemption and gentrification in a “transitioning” neighborhood and a pop-up middle class neighborhood
When I was pastor at First Christian Church of Oakland, a couple of our regular members were homeless. They made most of their income by recycling. They could tell you where to go on Saturdays when the regular recycling center was closed, and how to get money for the wine bottles that don’t have theContinue reading “A Tale of Two Cities: Redemption and gentrification in a “transitioning” neighborhood and a pop-up middle class neighborhood”
A Family Divided: the hard part of the immigrant story (a reflection on seeing “Documented”)
I was making small talk with one of my cousins on a visit to India maybe 10 years ago. “Did you ever think about moving to the West?” I asked him. He’s a doctor in a very remote, very poor village where snakebites are the most common cause of death. “Never,” he answered promptly andContinue reading “A Family Divided: the hard part of the immigrant story (a reflection on seeing “Documented”)”
RIP, 5’10” caucasian male
Allen got a call at 4:45pm yesterday, and he contacted the police. By the time I was aware of the situation, the coroner had come and gone. Our neighbor, Stevens, who knows some of the regulars who hang around the building, didn’t recognize the man. 5’10” Caucasian male. That’s all I know. Under a blanket,Continue reading “RIP, 5’10” caucasian male”
Community care is self care is community care
On solidarity and not burning out and doing movement work well I’m going to make a confession: I’m not awesome at yoga or meditation. I don’t care much for silence in general. I tried being a Quaker for a month in college because on paper it was the perfect match, but after about ten minutesContinue reading “Community care is self care is community care”
Culture Clash: Why We (People of Color) Get Stuck At “They’re Bad.”
note: I’m doing a different one on POC and White people later. If you’re White, you’re welcome to eavesdrop, but let me get schooled by people of color this time around. You’ll get your turn to school me later. 🙂 I walked into my sophomore dorm room to see my college roommate sitting onContinue reading “Culture Clash: Why We (People of Color) Get Stuck At “They’re Bad.””
Sometimes you’re the restaurant worker; sometimes you’re the hipster: Thoughts on gentrification
I hung out at the intersection of La Mission and the Mission. I was hanging out at the intersection of the past and the future. A couple of months ago I went to a fundraiser with a good friend of mine at a Mexican restaurant in the Mission District of San Francisco. The organization wasContinue reading “Sometimes you’re the restaurant worker; sometimes you’re the hipster: Thoughts on gentrification”
On Disciples of Christ Resolution No. 0319 (Sense-of-th e-Assembly), “ON ASSURING CIVIL LIBERTIES AND EQUAL JUSTICE TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES”
Martha stood all of 4’11”. This was twelve years back, but she already trembled slightly with age. I was in my 20s and prone to histrionics which looked like righteous indignation to the casual observer. Well, I was in my 20s and more prone to histrionics which may have been righteous indignation inContinue reading “On Disciples of Christ Resolution No. 0319 (Sense-of-th e-Assembly), “ON ASSURING CIVIL LIBERTIES AND EQUAL JUSTICE TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES””
On colds and neighbors and unsheltered people in Oakland
I woke up with a hacking cough at about 3AM this morning. I focused solely on my own misery until I heard an accompanying cough through the wall; my neighbor in the next apartment in my fancy Jack London Square building must have the same cold. So we coughed away in solidarity until we bothContinue reading “On colds and neighbors and unsheltered people in Oakland”
Sibling rivalry–hiccups in my ordination process and being a pain-in-the-butt sister
The great thing about hanging out with people who think just like you is that you don’t have to think about the people who don’t think just like you. The problem with hanging out with people who think just like you is that you forget that other people don’t think just like you. The intersectionContinue reading “Sibling rivalry–hiccups in my ordination process and being a pain-in-the-butt sister”
Sandhya Rani Jha 