Some people are born leaders. Some train for years. Others, by way of the particularities of life experience, rise to accept a challenge and meet their greatness almost haphazardly. I was one of the latter group and now that I have some distance from the initial stages of becoming socially engaged, I can recognize my early acts of activism for what they were – self-serving. I took a reactionary rather than a proactive stance. I fought for myself and the respect that I knew I deserved. It was happenstance that there were a lot of people like me, both black Americans and women, who shared my right to be treated fairly and benefited from my efforts demanding my own respect.
I’d like to draw your attention to a critical distinction: the difference between fighting for justice and working for peace. These terms, while not mutually exclusive, can represent two very different perspectives on similar actions. In the former, one concentrates on a particular injustice, perhaps one you’ve experienced, and struggle for what is right. The latter requires a selfless kind of leadership, one that values the rights of all humanity. The question remains: Will you stand up for just yourself or will you be an advocate for peace?
In retrospect, my defining moments as a peace worker continue to be those that profit my personal causes the least. My opinion piece discussing the former U.S. radio “shock jock” Imus’ misogynistic and racist comments is dwarfed by my family’s choice to stand in solidarity with the gay and lesbian community at DC Pride. Funny how the actions seemingly removed from our own experiences are the ones that truly define us as peacemakers.
This is a challenge, for all who accept it, to upgrade your status as world citizens. Will you stand in solidarity with all peacemakers or only with other peaceful people like yourself? Will you attend a vigil for the Virginia Tech massacre with school alums and grieve with residents in Seoul, Korea about our shared loss of human life? Can you actively confront anti-Semitism and simultaneously support the rights of the Palestinian people? Could you worship among parishioners in your own church and visit a mosque to do the same? You found love and wed your husband. Will you support the rights of a same-sex couple to marry as well? Activism will take us places but it is universal humanitarianism that begets sustainable peace. Coretta did it. Nelson Mandela and Noam Chomsky do it. Peace X Peace is doing it. So what are YOU going to do about it?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Kristen, thank you so much for clearly including gay/lesbian solidarity. I'm sure I'm not the only lesbian in the PeacexPeace community but sometimes it's painful to have that part of identity so cloaked. I'm in a Circle communicating with a culture that is deeply homophobic and I do understand that other issues such as survival and genocide loom larger. Sometimes it's confusing, because we wouldn't tend to remain silent if confronted by blatant racism or classism. Confronting deep-seated cultural beliefs about homophobia feels more complex, necessitating the right time, circumstances and level of trust. Women in some cultures might be ostrasized for even being in communication with lesbian women. So for now I am able to focus on the "universal humanitarianism" in our Circle and use other forums to address GLBT dignity and human rights. But meanwhile, it was so affirming to read your blog, to have you make visible our struggle and its place in working toward the world envisioned by PeaceXPeace.
Stand and Be Counted is a ringing bell to be applauded and heeded! The timing of this piece is amazing. In our peace circle, I posed a question to us all: "What what we each "sacrifice" at the altar of global peace for the sake of us all? My answer is: We must sacrifice our Western, radical individualism and all the greed and righteousness and entitlement that goes with it for the sake of the common good of humanity.
Like my sister said in her post...she has been putting to off to the side her "right" to share at will her lesbian identity in some of our conversations for the sake of what "looms larger--survival and genocide" or keeping in the dialogue, not alienating or offending a deep culural belief system...this to me, painful and wrong as it seems, is what she has "sacrificed" without denying her identity with us...it's hard and doesn't feel fair....but, it is a price she is choosing to pay for the moment. I stand with her and pray we are not wrong to do this!
In peace and solidarity with all oppressed peoples,
Sharon
Post a Comment