Last week, I traveled with a dozen other Vermonters to join clergy participating in the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Truth and Freedom which occurred on January 23. I traveled at the request of our Bishop, at the request of Faith in Minnesota, and as your Deacon to Vermont Interfaith Action. I want you to know that what I saw and experienced in Minneapolis was thousands of people peacefully resisting.
On Friday thousands and thousands were out in -20-degree weather, walking shoulder to shoulder. No law enforcement presence was needed. There was not a single broken window or act of violence. People were freezing cold and endlessly kind to each other.
Minnesotans are Americans in a free state now occupied by armed federal agents. The people are living in constant fear and with a righteous anger — something that I have never known. The element that we share is the moral courage it takes to stand up when your neighbor is threatened.
Many of us have been at protests. We must continue to protest AND we must know that effective resistance is not spontaneous and goes beyond street protests.
We must prepare for sustained resistance within our communities. The people of Minnesota have developed relationships – across typical divides – to care for and protect their neighbors. Last week, the action at the Minneapolis airport, the massive march, the day of no work / no school / no shopping, and the community showing up for each other in subzero weather — it was a living example of thousands of people working together, across old lines of discord. Labor unions, houses of worship, small businesses, student groups, LGBTQ organizations, parents and grandparents all standing side by side.
Even if you feel uncertain or frightened, know that there is a strength in moral courage. Even if you are shivering in the cold or your hands are shaking in fear. Tap into your moral courage.
‘Our souls are disturbed by the movement of God’s spirit and we will not be at peace until we respond.’ (From Faith Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World. Salvatierra & Heltzel 2104)
