American oppression

Some friends of mine live in the "ghetto". Each time I make the short two mile drive between their house and my yuppie neighborhood, it strikes me that I am a visitor in a foreign land.

I often debate with myself about whether I want to work locally or internationally. I obviously do not have to go far to find need. I could serve here, in what to me is a foreign culture of poverty.

Sometimes I think I would be more comfortable abroad. Abroad, my privilege is assumed. I'm an American after all. We have lots of money, are well educated, and fly all over the world whenever we want.

Here, my privilege is not so easily labeled. Face to face with someone who is experiencing poverty, the differences are not a matter of stereotypes about country of origin, but are so much more complex. We're all Americans. We're all supposed to have the same opportunity. And that's what makes me uncomfortable. In the "land of opportunity" there are so many systemic flaws that allow these multiple income/wealth-bases cultures to exist, and breaking down the walls that divide them is quite a challenge.

It does seem easier to go feed hungry babies in Africa than to try to restructure systems of American oppression...

election grief

So...Mayor Peterson did not get reelected. What saddens me the most is the majority did not vote for Ballard, but rather against Peterson. It would be better if he had lost to a strong candidate. I am afraid of what this means for our city. I'm not the most knowledgeable on city government and don't know the history and the full story of what Bart has done for this city in the past 8 years...but my impressions are that he did a good job. He wasn't afraid of the big issues. He wasn't afraid to raise the taxes that provide support for the services the city needs to really become a world class city. And that caused him to lose votes.

In 2002 Peterson introduced The Blueprint to End Homelessness. The plan has it's flaws, and the city is a little behind on the steps it laid out, but it was a plan that acknowledged some of the flawed systems that cause homelessness and supported service providers by saying "yes this is a problem and we are working together to fix it!"

I don't know much about the new guy, but was told that in a debate he failed to demonstrate a real understanding of homelessness. So I don't know what will happen with the plan, or if the city will continue to provide the funds that service providers desperately need.

I know, I know, homelessness is not an issue that most people think of when they go to vote. There are bigger issues, like taxes. I think many voters failed to make the connection...no property tax = less funds for IPS = bad school system = bad kids = more crime! Critics of Peterson said he did not do enough to fight crime...I'd like to see what ideas the new guy has, because I think Bart was on the right track. Change takes time. It takes even longer when you have to turn the boat around and adjust to a new administration with new priorities.

Tonight I gathered for tea with a minister, a homeless coalition employee, and a city planner. The last 2 had a lot of interaction with the mayor and his staff, and had nothing but good things to say about them. We just sat there and grieved over the loss, and wondered what the next four years will bring.

So goodbye Bart (what a classy guy).

i love my nalgene

I just found this out, there is a proposal in to
tax bottled water in Chicago! It is pretty awesome, I think. Will hopefully cut down on the wasteful beverage, and also drum up some revenue for the city.

I've been studying tax policy in school and it is pretty fascinating. Perhaps later I will post some interesting charts. The United States is overall pretty ridiculous when it comes to taxes, and by that I mean we don't tax enough! The bottle water tax seems like one of many needed solutions.

School is using up all my critical thinking and writing skills. So here, literally, are fragments.

jena 6

Today during my lunch break I came across a demonstration in support of the Jena 6 (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14574972) so I sat down and listened for awhile. I was one of a handful of pale faces in the crowd, and it was a pretty small crowd, considering the size of the university. Another white woman approached me and said something like "if we ever had a white rally, they'd say it was discrimination!" She clearly did not understand that this was not a "black rally", but a gathering of people concerned about the injustice going on in Jena, LA. I was shocked, and just shook my head and tried to say something about the issue behind the rally, and she saw I didn't agree with her and walked away mumbling about white males being the people who are most discriminated against. arg! As always I found all the right things to say after she was gone. Or I should have just thrown my social work book at her, turned to the chapter I just read on white privilege.

inattentive

Tonight it was revealed to me that I have become very apathetic. Like the bumper sticker says, I haven't been outraged because I haven't been paying attention. The grad program I'm in has a huge emphasis on social justice, and it has gotten me riled up a little the past few weeks, but Jesus has been missing.

I went to a prayer/worship event in support of ServLife International and my passion was renewed. The Lord showed me again the things that began breaking my heart years ago. Back then I did not have a grasp on how Jesus and social justice fit together. It was not talked about at church or in college ministries. Now I can't see them apart. I am broken, encouraged, hopeful, and ready to go.

indpls

Recently I have been really enjoying this fine city and the things it has to offer.

From last weekend's celebration of all things meat (and redneck- the Rib America Festival)...

(forget the ribs...i just like hootie & the blowfish)

to Thursday's NFL kickoff Colts celebration...

(yay colts for giving $ to Horizon House, and being pretty good at football too)

to the IDADA First Friday Art tour- of which I have no pictures...but could have spent thousands of dollars on great local art.

At the last art center we visited, there was a great band playing songs about "death, Jesus, and Indianapolis". Unfortunatly it was their last show, and I'm bummed that I just now found about about them. Yay for a fun band that sang about the city.

we're all immigrants...

It's the Norweigian Minnesotan settlers against the new German immigrants. The 1920's = a lot of anti-German sentiments, and even those with German heiritage deny it a bit.

"No, no, no. I'm an American. My mother's mother was German, my mother's father was Irish, my father has Ojibwa blood. But I, I'm an American"

It was interesting to see prejudice played out between white europeans. It seems so silly now. Hopefully future generations the prejudice think the same of the prejudices we see now...

equality & change in IN

So there's a new report out about the gender pay gap. Hoosier women aren't doing so hot...our salaries are only 67% of mens! Only three other states are at or below this level. For me it's just another reminder of things that aren't so great about my beloved home state.

People always ask me if I'm going to stay in Indiana my whole life. It's sort of a ridiculous question. Who plans where they will live their whole life? (Ok, I may have just facilitated a life planning workshop this week...but thats different) Maybe I will be here my whole life, maybe I won't. I'm gonna go where the spirit leads.

Most often the people who ask me this want me to know that they're getting out of here as soon as possible, as if there are better places to live. Ok, there are probably better places to live. But if we all leave, what will this state become? There are plenty of opportunities here, but you might have to look harder to find them (and get paid less, apparently).

I hope that with my generation more people will make a commitment to be the change they want to see here- instead of just moving away to somewhere with more/better ___________ (fill in the blank). I think that people are generally the same wherever you go. Maybe elsewhere you will find more like-minded progressive people, maybe you will have more options for nightlife/outdoor activities/employment, or maybe you will have a better view. But there will still be people and events that make you mad. There will still be crime, close mindedness, inequality, corporate greed, and systems that don't function as they should. There will still be nights where you can't find anything to do, and days when you are too busy to appreciate the good things you are surrounded by. So for now I am staying put, and we'll work to turn our communities into the communities we dream about living in.

Amazing Grace

So my last post about Uganda was not optimistic, but today the glass is looking half full.

Last night I was reminded that change takes time. Sometimes a long long time.

Some friends and I saw the movie Amazing Grace. I was encouraged. William Wilberforce spent his whole life advocating to end the slave trade- something that was a hot topic in British society at the time but nowadays seems so obviously evil and unjust and wrong. It took so long to change that... how much longer will it take us to fight against all the injustices that go unnoticed by most of the world (for example, 27 million people still bound by slavery)?

It will take a little while. It has already taken a little while, and there is still plenty of work to be done. But we'll press on and our small steps will add up and get us there eventually. We will, like Wilburforce, keep doing the work of the God who gives grace while we go about our careers and everyday lives. And we'll get discouraged and want give up but there will be people to pick us up and we'll keep fighting together...

humility

sometimes it seems like the world boils down to two types of people:

• those who feel they deserve everything

• those who feel they deserve nothing

it is a beautiful thing when the former becomes the latter.

uganda uganda

So the peace talks in Northern Uganda are not going so hot. It is discouraging and I have failed to keep up with the headlines, because I can tell they aren't good news. I find myself questioning pacifism. Wouldn't a military solution be quicker? Nevermind the "military solution" that has not worked for the past 2o years...

In other Uganda related news, Forest Whitaker won Best Actor for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

It was a crazy and unsettling movie. As usual I found myself getting confused about fiction and history and wondering what was really true. It was a reminder of how the people of Uganda are still suffering for the sins of their fathers and grandfathers. Every leader leaves a legacy...

Houses of God

It is hard not to notice the booming condo industry around here. A couple have recently caught my eye and broke my heart.







Old churches. Buildings that slowly grew emptier as members of congregations aged and/or moved to the suburbs. Remnants of an old concept- the neighborhood church. Breaks my heart for 2 reasons: At one point these churchs ceased being relevant to the communities in which they are located- and they will not have a second chance at housing a congregation who would seek to make it relevant.

I know that the building is not what matters...but they hold so much history and tradition that it is a shame to see them being used for something other than worship. The church I now attend, although it's a 7-year-old contemporary church, was lucky be given a beautiful old church building that spent most of its years being the neighborhood Baptist church. The buildings above weren't lucky enough to have a new community of believers who were ready to (or could afford to) move in.

If churches do seek to relocate downtown, to get one of these precious buildings they would have to buy back the 5-8 units at $300,000-$800,000 each and then reverse all the remodeling done to divide them. I don't think that will happen to any of them anytime soon...but one can dream.



I guess it is just a challenge. The church (believers, not buildings) must change to fit the needs of a new demographic, with or without a neighborhood congregation.

when will it end?

Last night my heart broke (and was inspired at the same time) as the hero and heroine fought for justice, fought to protect the rights of a people. Although battles were won there was no happy ending. It’s a fictionalized account of one heart-breaking history that represents many around the world. There will always be people to perpetuate injustice, and always people to fight against it. There will never - as long as we are a fallen people separated from God – be peace.

At the end of the episode…

Heroine: He did it, he brought peace
Hero: For how long?
Heroine: Now. We have peace now.

For now. I guess that’s all we can fight for.