Reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the racialized violence in Charlottesville VA and the fact that Charlottesville and other cities have pre-declared states of emergency in anticipation of repeat violence, I find uplift in juxtaposing the poetic words of Katherine Lee Bates in "America The Beautiful" (1895) and James Weldon Johnson in "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (1900). Click to listen to those poems sung powerfully and join me in this timeless poetic prayer written by Bates: "America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!" Uplifting to Google "Sacred Conversation on Race" and see that they have continued the conversation that they started in 2008 and now have a robust online presence with significant resources for other churches and institutions seeking to actively engage in connecting the dots between faith experience, church life and the justice issues at hand. Thanks to their work, we don't have to reinvent the wheel....
This is the 3rd in a series of compilations to generate thought and conversation about how our common ground in songs, poetry and rhetoric can become bridges to heal our politically/economically/socially/racially and religiously divided nation. Click on the following YouTube links to access a sampling of those compilations:
“Collaborative Freedom Speeches--Diverse Voices”-- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL5OlCz6Y0Um2N886Yhb8wr7SH2rYliYR
“Reuniting America--Diverse Voices”--https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL5OlCz6Y0Uksg6VKhPt9-dkyiLLfYuMS
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Contact DEI Facilitation & Consulting (386 473 1336) to discuss how Mr. Small can utilize our common ground in songs, poetry and rhetoric as bridges for facilitating honest dialogue, mutual understanding and a basis for true collaboration between stakeholders in your organization.