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45, christianity, Equality, Football, NFL, Protest, Racism, Religion, Social Justice, TakeAKnee
In 1963 a minister that most Americans today respect and praise as a man of social change 
and justice was imprisoned because of peaceful protests that he helped lead in Birmingham, Alabama. Of course, that man was Martin Luther King Jr. Once in in jail he shared his reflections about non-violent resistance as a way to defeat racism in a powerful open letter known as a Letter from a Birmingham Jail. It seems that now is a good time for all of us to read that letter.
“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
In August 2016, then San Fransico 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the singing of the National Anthem. He did so to protest the growing epidemic of people of color being killed by people in authority. Colin explained that “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Continue reading
potentially diverse body in the wake of the election and also the balance to make sure I didn’t get “partisan” but still addressed the social justice message of Christ, weighed heavily on me as I prepared and experienced my own depth of sadness, loss, and fear. My concerns about the message I was to bring started to dissipate though as the congregation began to sing “We Shall Overcome”. I am so proud that this protest song that has served as an anthem for the African-American civil rights movement is also in the Community of Christ hymnal. My Sunday Morning ended up serving as a great foundation for what I was to experience later that day. 