Dear Friends,

Summer is upon us, officially and in all ways that we can note with our senses—heat and rain, blue skies full of fluffy white clouds, lush plant life, rhubarb and peaches galore. Yes, gnats and mosquitoes, too. Still, summer is delightful, and it offers much respite from busy and fraught lives, even when COVID-19 continues to press down on us.

For those of us who are white, summer could also be the perfect time to forget about the way the world is for Black people, regardless of the season. I encourage you to enjoy all that summer offers you and to keep educating yourself about the experiences of Black people in our country and community.

The protesting, rioting, and looting since George Floyd was killed by former officer Derek Chauvin has rattled many of us. We have become aware in visceral ways of what it is like to be a Black person in America. Some of us don’t like the injustice that we see. Some of us don’t like the violence. Some of us are confused. Perhaps some of us are afraid, thoughtful about what Langston Hughes wrote years ago: “Negroes/ Sweet and docile,/ Meek, humble, and kind:/ Beware the day/ They change their minds!
Wind/ In the cotton fields,/ Gentle breeze:/ Beware the hour/ It uproots trees!”

In this video of filmmaker, independent bookseller, and Young Adult novelist Kimberly Jones, you will get a taste of the pain and exhaustion, and , yes, the anger, of Black people in this moment. It can be hard to watch, and I encourage you to watch. Ms. Jones references TV social commentator Trevor Noah on the broken social contract in America. Again, I encourage you to watch and to know from the point of view of those who are living the experience.

And I pray you: open your heart to the spirit of connection. May you do this as a gesture of humility and solidarity, as you remember, today and every day, that you are loved, you are worthy, your welcome, and you are needed. May you feel it so, and may it be so.

Blessings, Rev. Rita