Happy Pride, from Middle Church and Gospel Choir

Middle Church held a beautiful Pride service on Sunday, blessed by our extraordinary Rev. Jacqui Lewis. I’m so proud of my church for using its platform to boost LGBTQIA+ voices. It was great to hear real stories, some from my friends at Middle, Edna Benitez and Lee Hill, and to hear fellow choir brother, Ivan Anderson and Queer Black Men in the Middle, a Christian Men’s Chorus, deliver the restorative hymn. So many thoughtful and eloquent church members and clergymen shared their stories on Sunday. Preach!

I am proud to be a member of Middle Collegiate Church in downtown NYC. If you do watch the entire service to the end, you will hear the Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir singing, God Put A Rainbow in the Sky, directed by John Del Cueto. It was filmed a year ago at Middle. Who knew that in 2020, we would be watching church from home week after week on our computer screens. Anyway, I was lucky to be called to solo for this positive and powerfully visual song of faith and miraculous natural beauty.

Earlier in the month we gathered online to hear Rev. Jacqui Lewis speak in an Anti-Racism seminar. The learning curve’s arc is sometimes vast.

I intend to keep learning about racial oppression in America, to keep opening the doors of equality, and keep breaking down the walls of misinformation to help re-direct the ongoing story of racism in America. I have to ask myself, how do I want to live? What can I do to help my grandchildren understand that we were then and always will be a country in transition? Change is inevitable. With awareness and intention our country can and will heal after centuries of horrifically shameful practices. We will break down the habitually dysfunctional belief systems and introduce reform and policy. How? By raising our awareness collectively. Big changes can happen with a small group of like minded citizens. Organize. Your voice is your vote!

I am speaking from where I sit, which is as a white, straight woman. I was fortunate to be raised by kind, loving parents who opened my eyes early by resisting racism back in the 60s. I grew up knowing there was something amiss in the cultural fiber of our nation. As a Preachers kid we were exposed to the dichotomy of discrimination. My Dad preached about it and some church members were not happy with him for doing so and let him know. I love my family and friends dearly and know them to be good and true. I also see the collateral damage that political choices, made in the past, by white supremacists abusing power have caused and how those actions centuries ago have left permanent scars on the soul of our nation. For hundreds of years, the dignity of our Black brothers and sisters has been desecrated. We wonder why Black Lives Matter has its own handle. Through the centuries, time and time again, Black lives have been treated as though they are expendable. In this United States, their rights have been invisible not indivisible. Our country as a whole has a whole lotta healing to do.... but we knew that.

Thank you for hearing me. I would love to hear from you. This is an unusual post for me I know, but I feel compelled to speak out because the time has come for white people to do just that.

Peace out, Stay safe everyone, you are very precious to me!

xxx Deborah xxx