Minister’s Message

Dear Ones,

This week, I went to the theater to see Origin, the new movie directed by Ava duVernay, based on the book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. The film follows Wilkerson as she develops her theory of the parallels between racism in the U.S., the subjugation of the Dalits at the bottom of India’s caste system, and the execution of Jews in Nazi Germany. Like the book, the film is educational, devastating, and beautiful. Some of the visuals are difficult to watch, which is appropriate for a film that investigates the ways groups of people, including Black people in the U.S., are dehumanized and painted as inferior to maintain power structures. Yet the film is also a study of love, character, and grief, and a glimpse into the writing process. If you haven’t read the book yet, the movie is a fine introduction to the material.

February is Black History Month. It is a good time (though by no means the only time) to pay attention to Black voices, like Wilkerson’s. There are so many books to choose from, and some great films, too. Next week, I plan to see the new Oscar-nominated film American Fiction, and I just checked out the young people’s novel Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson, about a community of runaway slaves in the South. I hear it is terrific. I hope you will attend some of the many Black History Month events on offer, like the one at Crosswalk Community Church this Saturday.

I know that the amount of work needed to dismantle the deeply-rooted structure of racism in this country can feel overwhelming. To do it, every one of us must push back, every day, on the system we are entrenched in *and* our own assumptions. Yet it is essential that we remain dedicated to the cause. As Wilkerson writes, “A world without caste would set everyone free.” I have faith that a caste-free world – a world of justice, respect, dignity, and plenty for all – is achievable, if we keep on working for it together.

In faith,

Rev. Susan