An Alabama judge just declared a mistrial in the police assault case filed by Indian citizen Sureshbhai Patel. There are a few reasons this case matters to me. The court system has twice been unable to decide whether Mr. Patel’s constitutional rights were violated when he was paralyzed after a leg sweep by a policeContinue reading “Sureshbhai Patel, police brutality and us”
Tag Archives: Black Lives Matter
A litany on resurrection and Demouria Hogg
At the Wild Goose Festival in Charlotte, NC two weeks ago, I presented a workshop called “Who Killed Demouria Hogg: On race, faith and not seeking the ‘perfect victim.’” I talked about the respectability politics of the church that stops the church from publicly mourning losses that are complicated. I only know Demouria Hogg throughContinue reading “A litany on resurrection and Demouria Hogg”
Nonviolence, privilege and grief. Thoughts on South Carolina and a child I love.
This morning I sat down to write a letter to a beloved recent teen in my life, a newly minted thirteen-year-old. We go to protests a lot, and museums where we learn about farm workers and the Black Panthers and the American Indian Movement. This beloved recent teen has been to hell and back, andContinue reading “Nonviolence, privilege and grief. Thoughts on South Carolina and a child I love.”
“An Obnoxious Peace”
Preached April 26, 2015 at Rockefeller Chapel, Chicago IL, dedicated to the people of Baltimore. In the days following the Michael Brown verdict, that cold Thanksgiving week, there emerged a debate among my friends regarding the uprisings happening in my hometown and around the country. I called it the debate of the Kings. That is,Continue reading ““An Obnoxious Peace””
Upon receiving the Christian Church of Northern CA-NV’s annual MLK Award
This award was given to me on January 11, 2015 at Lafayette Christian Church during the CCNC-N’s annual MLK service. Following are my remarks upon receiving the award. I find myself thinking a lot about the previous recipients of this award, because they have all deeply shaped me. I’m in the land of Pacific SchoolContinue reading “Upon receiving the Christian Church of Northern CA-NV’s annual MLK Award”
Oklahoma Pastors give me hope when Oklahoma legislators don’t
My chaplain friend Vinson said it best: A picture is worth a thousand words. But if you haven’t heard the controversy, here’s the basic rundown: An Oklahoma legislator has decided that the current laws on the books about wearing hoods during crimes are not sufficient. (That law, by the way goes back to the 1920sContinue reading “Oklahoma Pastors give me hope when Oklahoma legislators don’t”
The Ballad of Harry Moore
Preached at First Congregational Church of Oakland, December 14, 2014.I’ve had the story of one of our forebears on my heart recently on this Black Lives Matter Sunday. So while I was supposed to preach “People Get Ready,” my sermon this morning is actually “The Ballad of Harry Moore,” as written by Langston Hughes andContinue reading “The Ballad of Harry Moore”
Things said and left unsaid at #MillionsMarchOAK
Thousands gathered in Oakland yesterday, joining with marchers in San Francisco, New York and Washington, DC. I marched with them, as part of the API solidarity contingent. And I found myself reflecting on what my solidarity looks like with this movement. What I did say: Black Lives Matter. Sometimes I want to clarify, “Black livesContinue reading “Things said and left unsaid at #MillionsMarchOAK”
Sandhya Rani Jha 