Journey

I began this journey over three years ago.

I felt like a sail boat tossed on the sea towards a horizon of possibilities.

I was finally getting a chance to make a human wrong….right.

Sometimes the road seems long,

The journey endless;

As the case load increases;

Stories from different clients coincide and collide,

So many questions,

Fewer answers,

It seems unfair that she has to decide between food and medicine.

That her rent is high and her wages low.

Resources few, the demand great,

From seeking pro bono attorneys,

To low cost medical clinics,

More and more tales of inhumanity,

Anger burns within me like a flame,

Sometimes, it leaves me feeling numb.

From systems that seem so powerful,

To laws that seem more unjust than just,

While politicians indulge in their own projects, and cut essential services

While safe havens often shut their doors to those whose immigration status is a blur

I wonder if my voice has abandoned me.

Am I really being helpful?

Am I really making a difference?

I don’t want to be a band aid

Real change is what I want

For my clients, the system and even me

So I keep going.

I see her resilience and she passes a citizenship exam entirely on her own, despite speaking only a little English.

I see her strength as she takes on the sole responsibility of raising her three young children.

I even see her advocate for others in similar struggles.

I see communities rise up in partnership to meet their needs.

I discover and rediscover that I still have my heart that listens and my voice that speaks.

I pray and I hope that I will keep them through every journey.

The sail boat sets sail again.

This time safeguarded against the wind and the waves,  

Protected by memories and successes that sustains me.

We are Troy Davis

May we never forget the day- September 21 2011. May we never forget that cold and soul-less hour 11:08pm. Jackson, Georgia a small town in "Beautiful Butts" county, witnessed a major travesty of justice in the 21st Century. Troy Anthony Davis, a man on death row, was "legally lynched" by the state of GA, the Supreme Court, the bigwig politicians from the Governor to the President, and every one else who decided to keep silent or remain indifferent about this issue. Mr. Davis's guilt was not proven, seven out of nine witnesses recanted testimony, there was no physical evidence, and reports of police coercion, simply stated there was just "Too Much Doubt!". Yet a possibly innocent man was murdered by the state! Where is the justice in this world?

Will and I were in Jackson yesterday. There were around 500 protestors (maybe more or less). We went to the little church (Towaliga County Line Baptist Church), where messages of hope, solidarity and a call to action were emphasized as the need of the hour. It reminded me of watching some of the "Eyes on the Prize" videos. Leaders in the church told activists to be disciplined, not to carry signs with sticks and not to antagonize the police because they would tear gas us! I never heard a media report about how we were trying to organize non violently but I did hear one report call us an "unruly crowd".

Jackson,GA looked like what I think a police state may look like. There were armored guards, SAWT teams (whatever you call them) dressed in full gear, carrying batons, guns and tear gas. They looked imposing and intimidating. They would ever so often shuffle a few steps closer to the protestors. Oh and did I mention, there were two helicopters circling the area. What a waste of money, did any one of those crony capitalists remember that we are in a recession. People stated that a young man was beaten, kicked and tazed. At one time, they told our group that we were flashing a light at them, and that we were sitting too close to the street. Also on a couple of occasions, there was a true show of force as about 20 cops cars blazed down the road with their bright blue lights flickering and sirens raging. Was the state expecting a riot? Why was the state expecting a riot? Racism? Did the state forget that Martin Luther King Jr led a non violent movement?

People have been calling out for Truth, people have been demanding justice, people have been trying to participate in democracy. A pastor chained himself to a post near the GA State Capitol in Downtown Atlanta only to be arrested three hours later by the police. People raised their voices in chants, some cried tears, some read from the Bible, some prayed, some sangs hymns- such as "Amazing Grace", "This little light of mine", "Kumbaya", "We Shall Overcome", some played the drums and some lit candles, some carried signs which said "Not in My Name" or "I am Troy Davis" or "God is Watching"  or "Injustice anywhere threatens Justice everywhere" We were a scary sight in comparison to the SWAT team . Ridiculous! Just seemed like there was a travesty of justice everywhere. Not to forget the media, who did a decent enough analysis but only picked and chose what they decided to be newsworthy. For instance when we first got to Jackson, we and a small group were trying to stand on the GA right of way and hold up our signs, only to be shooed away like cattle by the SWAT team who wanted us to keep walking. Will told one of the media guys about this and he said that if this were a larger group he would cover the story. How many true stories are not reported in the media because they have to make way for "fluff news".

Needless to say, I am really sad and a little bit disillusioned as well. An innocent man has been murdered, people who have power like the Governor or the President decided to act like Pontius Pilate. They wiped their hands off the matter, but guess what they have blood on their hands, we all have blood on our hands.  Imagine for instance how cool it would have been, if Mr. Deal had shown come courage and tried to cross over to the other side and if the police arrested him. Well, he did not do any of that- so I guess he just remains a shameful coward.

Shame on Georgia and Shame on the United States. We have let an innocent man die. Are we so blind that we do not realize that this could happen to any one us?  As we were reminded by movement leaders in Jackson, Troy may be dead physically, but his spirit soars and is alive. We have to honor his memory, honor his courage. It is imperative that we continue to work relentlessly against the injustices in our legal system and all the other systems in general. God is watching our every action. We know He is the ultimate judge. Now is the time for all of us to pick up our crosses and listen to our conscience. We have to provide witness that there can be a society where Truth, Justice, Democracy and Love reign supreme. We are all Troy Davis!

 

Active Faith

You moved amidst the sick in slippery dirty streets

The mob hurled stones at you, you endured

Frail in body but your spirit was forever strong

Lepers, untouchables, society’s outcast were touched by your love

A hypocritical city was suddenly blessed

Love was what you forever stressed

Faith, sustained you- led you on

From a prison cell you wrote a letter

A call of action you dictated

You wanted community to become beloved

Barriers of race and creed stripped down

Peace, non violence were you constant mantra’s

For that you were shot from a window across town

Faith, sustained you – led you on

You were just a little child

Mired by a disease so scary to comprehend

You found the voice to inform the world

That cure and medicine were the need of the hour

Faith, sustained you- led you on

From a vantage position in front of the house

Engaging thousands – you served as a moral compass

Building bridges between rock n roll- God and politics

Your voice became the definition of the conscience

Urging us to take control,to move away from our comfort zone

Faith, sustains you- leads  you on

Faith without works is dead

That's what the Book of James has said

So raise your voice, reach out in love

Question injustice everywhere
Do what you can, they best way you can

May faith sustain you and lead you on..........