O ye loved ones of God!
Be ye firm of foot, and fixed of heart, and through the power of the Blessed Beauty’s help, stand ye committed to your purpose. Serve ye the Cause of God. Face ye all nations of the world with the constancy and the endurance of the people of Bahá, that all men may be astounded and ask how this could be, that your hearts are as well-springs of confidence and faith, and as mines so rich in the love of God.
~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
On a related note, Friday night was the big night where I had organized a community forum and facilitated the dialogue. We decided that we needed to do this in response to recent hate crimes against the Native American community here in Rapid City. On the panel was Mayor Hanks; Elizabeth Cook-Lynn (Native Author & poet); Cindy Lloyd (civil rights activist); Andrew Iron Shell (Native community organizer); Captain of Rapid City Police, Doug Thrash; Josie Chase (Clinical Social worker); and Don Frakenfeld (former SD Legislator/Forensic Economist). It was a packed house with Native and White people present to address this issue. We had the media there and it went really well in my opinion. I am STILL exhausted from this event- it took everything out of me.
Here are the two links (this one is the one, where if you look closely, I am being introduced to the gathering, waving in the background) :
http://www.kotatv.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3640059&at1=News&h1=Addressing
Here is the other one, interviewing my boss:
http://www.kevn.com/NewsStories.aspx?StoryID=17128
The stories aren't the best, but atleast we go on the stations!!
So I believe I deserve this trip to LA to hang on the beach in Malibu with my man. PEACE!
3 comments:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
-Martin Luther King, Jr
"They came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
-Martin Niemoller
In case you don't know who Martin Niemoller was, he is amazing, a German pastor and theologian born in Lippstadt, Germany, in 1892. Hitler personally detested Niemoller and had him arrested and eventually confined in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. Niemoller was released in 1945 by the Allies. He continued his career in Germany as a clergyman and as a leading voice of penance and reconciliation for the German people after World War II. His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control.
A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.
-Tashunka Witko/Chief Crazy Horse
I know this is a huge comment, but I wanted to share with you a few quotes that I always hold close to my heart in times of devastating discrimination. I am so very proud to know that you are a part of the creative dedicated minority that strives to make the world better. Thank you for the follow up, and congratulations on what sounds like a very successful event. Are the schools addressing this issue? Do native american and white kids go to the same schools in Rapid?
Congratulations, it was fun to see you waving in the back!
All love,
Kye
responses like this to bad stuff are awesome, and it's even awesomer that you organized it. glad it turned out so well!
"Justice is what love looks like in public." I honestly don't remember who said it. some philosopher. I could google it but that would ruin the mystery.
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