A racial justice learning + action invitation
For the past 3+ years, The Well has hosted a Racial Justice Learning + Action Group. This group has gathered monthly for conversation, learning & mutual support in our efforts to confront racism in & around us, and has had a deep impact on our life together. Mae Beth Ragland, one of this group's facilitators was asked to share some reflections and an invitation.
Good morning friends!
I am so grateful to be part of The Well at Springfield. It has been a place of support and friendship and welcome and love and learning for me. The beauty of our gatherings is rich in love and generosity and hope and empathy and grace for one another and I am grateful to have been a recipient of the ways we seek to live our lives in community in our city.
Recently, a few of us met to talk about the next steps for The Well's Racial Justice Learning and Action Group. We wondered together ... how can we integrate our racial justice learning deeper into the life of The Well? what does deeper community engagement look like? As we wrestled with these questions, a timely invitation arrived.
This weekend we have a great opportunity on Sat., Dec. 2 to join with others in our city to learn from and be trained by Bishop William Barber and others on "Faith in the Public Square" and the need for a Ministry and Movement of Justice and Love in Action.
For more information and the day’s schedule, you can go to JLAMM.org to rsvp. There is also a virtual opportunity if you are unable to be there in person. This will be a pilot training and conversation symposium. I am planning to be there and others have said they hope to be as well. If you need more info, feel free to contact me at maebethragland@gmail.com or 904.806.5618.
When I heard about this opportunity, I immediately felt the desire and need to go and learn from those who are walking this walk and doing the work. I know for me, that I need to push forward to another level of activity and discomfort and discovering how I have been complicit and silent, even while learning.
I recently saw a poster that was held up in a rally in San Francisco a few weeks ago, and it really “hit me hard”. I want to share it with you and how it resonated with me. The sign read, “If you ever wondered what you’d do during Slavery, the Holocaust or the Civil Rights Movement, You are doing it right now.” What I have been doing is a lot of reading and listening the past 5 years to learn the real history of our nation, and to pay attention to BIPOC authors and leaders and follow their words and ideas. But what hit me when I read that poster was this, “it is not enough.” I want to move towards action and a voice that speaks loudly against injustice. And I need help to do this.
We are all on this journey whether we know it or not, and we are all here to do it together as we learn and act in the ways of Jesus to do justice, love mercy and walk in humility with God. And I believe The Well is walking this way. Let’s help one another continue the ways we already are doing this and let the ripple effects grow stronger and deeper.
Grateful for each of you!
Mae Beth Ragland