Michael Brown – Sandhya Rani Jha

“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””

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”

A pastor’s lament: 60 years later, and we still don’t give a s*** about each other

Last night as we waited for the Darren Wilson verdict to return, I went to the right place: I went downtown, where faith leaders and anarchists and socialists and nonviolent youth movement leaders and queer activists of all races had convened because we needed to be a public witness but more than that, we neededContinue reading “A pastor’s lament: 60 years later, and we still don’t give a s*** about each other”

Michael Brown, Worship this Sunday, and Confusing Unity with Comfort

I am tired of my church breaking my family’s heart. I wasn’t going to write about Michael Brown. Many others have already done so, reflectively and powerfully, including writing about the role of the White church in the midst of this moment of pain. I wasn’t going to write about it because I’ve written on itContinue reading “Michael Brown, Worship this Sunday, and Confusing Unity with Comfort”