Choosing the Hard Path

Choosing the Hard Path, A Personal History and Memoir, my book, is published. It isn't just a story, it's a series of stories, one right after the other. It's the story of a young family in New Jersey looking for a better life, one different than the previous generation of immigrants and working class folks who had to fight for every inch of recognition and success. 

It's the story of those immigrants and early Americans from places like Ireland, Scotland and Germany. They were butchers and farmers, seamstresses, and bakers, working and living hard in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Michigan. 

It's the story of the 60s where change was coming at high speed. Where parents scratched their heads at new music, new fashion and new ideas. The cars were faster and sleeker. Polaroid cameras gave people what they considered near instant pictures and tape recorders and high fidelity record players were things every one wanted.

It's the story of the civil rights movement. White liberals and religious groups got involved in things like Freedom Summer, Selma and Freedom Rides.

It's the story of a young man looking for his place, his vocation, his calling and all of the people he met.

Along the way and woven through these stories, one gets a sense of conflicts and choices needing to be made by lots of people, lots of players. Families struggled to understand each other. Political movements and leaders learned about and utilized new tactics to bring about change.

John Lewis, Dorothy Day, Dan and Phil Berrigan are a few of the people you'll meet but there are so many more.

Writing this book has been exciting for me. There are people who needed to be written about and that has been a joy. There are records and stories that needed to be set straight or clarified. I hope it offers something to historians and inquiring minds. Perhaps to people who are faced with their own hard paths and choices.

So, go to Amazon.com, books and search for Choosing the Hard Path: A Personal History and Memoir by Jim Wilson. The book is $16.95 + shipping and handling. Enjoy!

 

Positively Chrystie Street

Positively Chrystie Street is a chapter from my memoir and autobiography that will be published in 2022. The chapter was published as an article in Today's American Catholic. The article appears here. Take some time and give it a read. It tells the story of a dedicated group of young people who worked and volunteered at the Catholic Worker in NYC in the mid-sixties. It provides some insight into life at the Catholic Worker and who these young people were in 1965.

The title of the article gives a nod to Bob Dylan and his song Positively 4th Street. That song expressed frustration and anger at someone who had wronged Dylan along the way.

The article had to be edited to meet the word count requirements of Today's American Catholic so it is in fact a bit shorter than the original chapter. Anyway as I said, take a look, give it a read and enjoy.

Labor Day and Dorothy Day

As I sit and ponder Labor Day, lots of things come to mind. As always, and especially in this time of a pandemic, I think of those many, many folks who will work this weekend, as they do every holiday and holiday weekend. Usually they're the people who keep us safe to some degree - nurses and other healthcare workers, firefighters, police. But there are others - grocery workers, food service workers, transit workers, people who help make sure the rest of us can enjoy the holiday, usually at low pay. Then there are the people who support and protect specific populations in places that always operate, 24 hours, 7 days a week. Employees in nursing homes and people who support people with disabilities in residential homes in communities all over the country.

These are the people who this holiday was meant to celebrate. Yet we tend to forget them as we make our plans for cookouts, times at the beach or the lake or camping in the woods. We also tend to forget their battles for fair wages and halfway decent working conditions. Battles that began over a hundred years ago. Battles where people were jailed and sometimes killed fighting for some level of fairness.

I also think about Dorothy Day, a woman I knew as a young man. Dorothy, like so many others, experienced the struggles of working men and women in the Depression. She saw young men, usually poor men, being sent to wars in Europe and Southeast Asia. She fought battles in the streets and told the stories of the poor with paper and pen. She traveled the country and spoke out about trying to find better ways of dealing with problems and each other. She understood the basics. The need for community, food and shelter, companionship and support. A House of Hospitality could be as simple as a guest room or as complex as an apartment building for people who needed it.

I was young (20) and she considered herself old (65) when I knew Dorothy. I wish I knew then what I know now. I would have spent different time with her, learning more from her or at least trying. Sadly, many of the battles of today are the same as yesterday. There are also new challenges. Things like technology, an even smaller wealth class, the speed of information and misinformation, 24 hour news cycles, a rise in hate speech and actions. Either the pendulum has swung or the underbelly of who we really are has been exposed. Somehow the basics become more appealing, at least to me, in times like these.

So what are the basics today on this Labor Day weekend? The same as they've been for ages - community, justice, freedom, working for peace, supporting people, relationships. This quote from Dorothy Day helps bring me back to all of those things:

“What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as ourselves.”

The Great Scandal of The Age - Dorothy Day's Word On The Eucharist

"The great scandal of the age is that those without the sacraments are so often superior in charity, courage, even laying down their lives for their brothers, to the 'practicing Catholic' who partakes of the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist and then stands by while his brother is exploited, starved, beaten, and goes on living his bourgeois life, his whole work being to maintain 'his standard of living,' and neglecting the one thing needful, love of God and brother." Dorothy Day March, 1954

Ah yes, Dorothy Day had something to say about the Eucharist and those who would like to put themselves above others, especially the poor. The poor who make us uncomfortable with their odor and filth. The poor who make us uncomfortable with their illnesses and put such a burden on the rest of us. The poor who have to work two jobs to make ends meet. Or those who finally realize that a government benefit pays more than a sevice job.

The US Catholic Bishops Conference is prepared to question who deserves the Eucharist. What hypocrites in fancy robes with rings, special hats and crosses around their necks. These are men who have overseen the abuse of children in the diocese that they lead. They have, for the most part, excluded gay, lesbian and transgender people from the sacraments and from their worship. These are men who really don't seem to know Christ or his teachings. They should study who and when Christ excluded people from his teaching.

As these sacramental policeman look for how to exclude people from the ranks of the church, they do so while living very well. Wonderful homes, gracious meals, making themselves comfortable before they comfort those who need it. Their behavior is shameful but not a surprise. Many people have left the church because of these so called leaders. Others accept the fact that the church left them. The church and leaders like this have left us on issues like war and peace, economic equality, racial justice, and so much more. Abortion has become the end all of their preaching with no recognition of a woman's role in her own life or the life of the church. 

I am not surprised that the US Catholic bishops have lost their way. Honestly they could never be depended on for the leadership that's necessary in an inclusive church. They have had their chance and have failed every time. 

God help poor Francis. Dorothy Day pray for us.

The Catholic Worker 1965

**I am in the process of writing a short Memoir. Not really for publication but more as a historical document for my two sons and granddaughters. It contains family history, upbringing, etc. Below is a chapter I've written about the Catholic Worker. This is only a portion of what I've written on that time frame but some readers may be interested in some of this history as I saw it.

I had recently returned to St. Anselm College from a few weeks in Selma, Alabama participating in the voter rights demonstrations. While there I knew I was ill, but nothing was diagnosed until I got back to the college campus. It turned out that I had pneumonia and I soon developed pleurisy which ultimately led to a collapsed lung. My illness in Manchester, NH led to other things. My parents had arrived while I was in the hospital. They had met with the president and Abbot at the college and my disappearance it seems had been forgiven by college officials. But other things were going on. My interest peaked in new ideas, nonviolence, social justice, the draft. The war in Vietnam was raging and students and professors were discussing how these things would be impacting the lives of everyone. I had already sent my 4D draft card back to my local draft board. I was classified as 4D, a religious deferment, due to my previous enrollment at Maryknoll Seminary. All of that would change soon enough.

While lying in my hospital bed, one of the priests from St. Anselm’s brought me a few copies of the Catholic Worker newspaper. I began reading things that I had never heard before from traditional church writings. I read articles by Dorothy Day about her travels, about the need for volunteers and workers, I met people in those pages, people like Thomas Merton, Dan Berrigan, Italian Mike, Mad Paul, Julia, Scotty. I saw people writing about the works of mercy in the here and now, about war and peace, about taking action, about going to jail.

There, in the hospital, I started talking to my mother and father about the Catholic Worker and my desire to see and work at a place like that. They tried to understand but clearly didn’t. They told the priest to stop bringing me all that material. They talked to the doctors and wondered if all of the medicine was affecting my thinking. After a week or so it was decided that it may be best for me to go home to New Jersey to rest and recuperate. The college would keep my spot open for the rest of the semester.

Conversations with my parents went nowhere on both sides. I decided at a certain point that I would go to the Catholic Worker in NYC for a visit in the early summer of 1965. A few old high school friends took me to the city and dropped me off. I was there for a visit but never left until FBI agents took me away close to two years later to serve a 3 year sentence in federal prison.

The Catholic Worker in 1965 had numerous young people at St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality located at 175 Chrystie St. in NYC. Young people who had come from various parts of the country. Some attracted by the overall philosophy of the Worker and others who came specifically around anti-war activities and pacifist beliefs. There were older, more experienced Catholic Workers like Walter Kerrell who was in charge of the office area, Ed Forand, who basically ran house operations and Marty Corbin, managing editor of the monthly newspaper. Walter and Ed lived in apartments in the city and Marty basically traveled between Tivoli, NY where the Catholic Worker operated Peter Maurin Farm, and NYC. Marty’s family lived at the farm and he would come to the city for about a week each month to pull the paper together and get the final copy to the printer. Chris Kerns was another operational person at Chrystie St. He was kind of a bridge between the older folks and the younger volunteers who were showing up. By that time, Tom Cornell had phased out of any operational aspects of the Worker and was working full time with Jim Forest at the newly formed Catholic Peace Fellowship. Chris basically showed me the ropes of driving the old CW van to the produce market where we begged for cases of vegetables and other food. He also showed me the process for getting flop house rooms for some of the folks from the Bowery who we couldn’t find sleeping space for at Chrystie St or at one of the apartments that the CW rented. You had to be a quick learner because as soon as someone showed you something, you were bound to be put in charge of that activity. 

At one point as an example, I became known as the ‘benign bouncer’, taking on responsibility at the front door during the soup line. The job required listening and observational skills along with negotiating and quick thinking. Things were not always pleasant. Alcohol and drugs could cause major personality changes in people who a few moments before were your best friend. The front window, a large plate glass affair, became a frequent target of stones, bricks, bottles or elbows. 

The essence of the Catholic Worker has always been the people who make it up and the sights and sounds of those people. The smells, some pleasant and others not very. Tobacco, coffee, potatoes and soup along with body orders and aged clothing were all part of life at the Catholic Worker. The lines between volunteers or staff and people supported or helped were easily blurred which was a good thing. Nicknames existed for almost everyone. None were meant to be insulting and some were chosen by the person named.

There certainly was a lot to learn. Making coffee in huge urns first thing in the morning and then soup for 150 to 200 people a day, setting tables, going to the clothing room and sorting through donated shoes, pants, shirts and coats for folks who needed them. There were other things that you kind of learned on the fly like answering the phone or breaking up fights in the dining area, at the door or in front of the building. Most importantly, learning also consisted of relationships with co-workers who could be a person who had lived on the Bowery for years or a young person like yourself from Oregon or Texas. Personalities galore, that was the Catholic Worker and you just became one of the many others who made up that voluntary community.

Dorothy Day, co-founder with Peter Maurin, of the Catholic Worker movement and newspaper was the star of the show however. To a young man feeling his way around the politics of war, peace and social justice, she was amazing as well as a bit scary. She was, in her own words, a benevolent dictator. When she arrived at the front door of St. Joseph’s, the House of Hospitality on Chrystie Street operated by the Catholic Worker, people would do one of two things, scatter or flock. I was part ignorant and very much in awe of this strong woman so I tried to melt into the background and just do the work that I had been doing before she showed up. Dorothy spent much of her time at that point in her life either at the Catholic Worker farm in Tivoli, NY or traveling. She had numerous speaking engagements as well as her daughter and her grandchildren living in Vermont.

Living in a community always has challenges. Dorothy experienced them as much as anyone else but she also had the burden of being the assumed leader and arbitrator. When she walked into St. Joe’s or the Farm, there was a reason for people to scatter or flock. Every grievance, no matter how small or how big would be brought to her attention. Should we provide margarine on the tables to go with the bread on the soup line everyday, or should we keep it just for the permanent people housed at the Worker? How many times should we replace the large pane glass window out front when Arthur or Mike will just come back after their next binge and break it again? What should we do about the increased prices at the flop houses on the Bowery where we housed some long time friends? Dorothy usually had much bigger problems to solve like paying the printer or fixing infrastructure at one of the Worker’s properties. Sometimes she would grow weary of what may have been important questions to someone but at the same time pretty trite to her. So she’d answer simply “butter for everyone” or “if it’s broken fix it” and then go upstairs to face some of the bigger issues or just to rest from her trip to or from or perhaps to pray for the poor souls she had just left downstairs unable to make simple decisions. 

It seemed to me that Dorothy, no matter where she was coming from or going to, was in fact, always escaping. Escaping from the farm, escaping from Vermont, escaping from NYC or escaping from a long and difficult journey, on pilgrimage as it were. But in her escaping from the pressures of one place, she was being welcomed at another, having a bit of recuperation and eventually facing new pressures and challenges of the present.

Friday Night Meetings, a cornerstone of the Catholic Worker, were or could be an intriguing and interesting experience. These were meant to be the place where scholars and workers could share thoughts and ideas, clarification of thought as Peter Maurin had preached. People would come from all over to hear ideas and to start or finish arguments. Always interesting to see who might show up. People like Norman Mailer, Jimmy Breslin, Ed Sanders founder of The Fugs, Malachy McCourt, Grace Paley, Paddy Chayefsky, Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman and more. Interesting folks sharing sassafras tea with people who called the Bowery home. These folks weren't present all the time or all at once but one or two may show up for a particular talk or topic, mixing with everyone else.

I didn’t spend lots of time personally with Dorothy but when I did it was usually about writing or on the prospect of prison. She enjoyed talking to young people (sometimes). She also felt very responsible for those she knew were facing hard decisions about the draft and war resistance. Where I really got to know Dorothy though was through observation. I watched her with visitors, with people from the soup line, with the famous and not so famous who would come to Friday Night Meetings. I saw her interact at conferences with people from other organizations. She and I even sat together for a radio interview on WBAI about draft resistance, conscientious objection and the War in Vietnam where I watched her take complex issues and turn them into clear and concise statements and ideas. I watched her at the farm in Tivoli interacting with her own family or the Corbin family. She was highly respected by other organizations in the peace movement and recognized for her judgement and opinions.

Having said that, It was not always easy to watch or interact with Dorothy. She, like every one else, had her flaws and rough spots. She could be very hard on people, some might say insensitive. Dorothy could speak in short, brief bullets that could sometimes be seen as too clear. She was quick to judge and was certainly opinionated. But she would also think things through and apologize when necessary. I didn’t give her a free pass on things either. I and other folks involved at the Worker often questioned her actions or inactions. Youthful exuberance sometimes had us doing things our own way, making sure that we waited for Dorothy to be off on another trip before we changed things back to the way we thought they should be done. Years later I realize Dorothy most likely knew all of this was happening as quickly as she got out the door.

But I certainly learned a lot from this woman who had seen so much in her own life. First, I learned to be strong and unafraid. To support others no matter who they were or how great their need. To be kind but also angry if necessary. To always speak up when you saw injustice. To realize that we can all be part of a community of saints, perhaps a bit ragged, bruised and imperfect but in the end, a community of saints. To laugh and to love writing, or cooking, or singing or whatever your talent may be.

The personalism and Christian anarchy of the Catholic Worker was what made everything work. These were also the values that helped me evolve into who I became over the years.

One of the last times I saw Dorothy was in a courtroom in New Jersey where I was being sentenced for refusal to report for induction. Dorothy had made the trip to Newark to support me in my decision and to let me know that the Catholic Worker community would support me and my family while I was in prison. We stole a glance at each other as I was led away, sentenced to three years in the custody of the Attorney General (Federal Prison). 

I went to visit Dorothy in 1980 at Maryhouse in NYC, right before she passed away, but we didn’t see each other due to her weakened condition.

An Open Letter To Mayor De Blasio & Cardinal Dolan

*It has been pointed out to me since the publication of this piece, that the Staten Island Ferry is a free service for passengers and has been for a good number of years. Fares were not really my point. The fact is that there are those who are treated differently due to the way they look or act, along with many other reasons. They are the vulnerable. They are often shunned and viewed by some as the disposable elements of society. Initially they're stared at, then talked about and in too many cases asked by or taken by authorities and removed from our sight. 

Dear Mayor De Blasio & Cardinal Dolan (both Your Eminences)

It was only a matter of days ago that your offices issued a press release concerning the naming of one of a trio of brand new ferries in honor of Dorothy Day, servant of God and servant of the poor as well as a spokesperson for peace and justice. It mentioned her love for Staten Island where she once lived in a humble cottage that has since been torn down to make room for economic development. It mentioned her love and passion for laborers and workers. It is good that her name will be associated with part of the transit system that gets people back and forth to work. I know you've had challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic, making sure subways are clean. Sadly, to do that you needed to clear and empty them each night of the homeless and down and outers who had also become bothersome over the years.

It also mentioned the cost of the project and how much the City and Staten Island needed to replace part of its fleet for the benefit of residents of the area. I'm sure project managers and infrastructure experts as well cost accountants and researchers, created many pages of documents supporting everything having to do with this project. And yes, the fact is, it's completed and done. There is little time for discussion now. The need is there, the boat is built, the money spent and she's on her way to the NY Harbor as I write.

There were others who were suggested for naming but you decided to honor Dorothy in this way. Thank you for providing this platform for people to learn about her and her work. Thank you for providing an opportunity for people to really talk about the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. Dorothy loved to speak and write about the contradictions between the works of mercy and the works of war. Perhaps more people will engage in those conversations with your help.

I have been accused in the past of being a constant critic. Never happy with solutions or possible solutions found by those in charge. Never stopping the wag of a critic's tongue and unable to be satisfied no matter what. But I've been working hard on this and to that end, I come to you both with a proposal for the good ship 'Dorothy Day'.

First let me say that I'm fearful that some poor soul, perhaps even I, will look for shelter on this ferry and quickly be told to be gone (off at the next stop of course), told to stop my begging or bothering the space of the other customers. So please consider this......Designate 5 spaces on each trip (5 by the way is an arbitrary number by me. You can go as high as you like) to the NYC Catholic Worker. They can set up whatever anarchistic method they choose to take care of these seats. In the end, they'll just make sure people can access them. Poor people or people down on their luck on a particular day. Perhaps someone who just needs a ride on the waves and wind in their hair. Maybe someone who just got a lousy diagnosis from their hospital stay or someone in a bad relationship or someone leaving or going to jail. If the seats aren't used on some trips, that's ok. The existence of these guest seats would be another reminder to people traveling on the ferry that Dorothy had a message for all of us about the poor and about injustice.

"We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it." Dorothy Day

Fifty Five Years Ago At Union Square

On Nov. 6, 2020, it will be fifty five years since five men stood together on a platform at Union Square in NYC and burned their draft cards celebrating free speech, opposing the draft and the war in Vietnam. They were joined on the platform by two giants of the peace and social justice movements, Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement and A.J. Muste, clergyman and political activist. The action took place in front of 1500 supporters as well as a large group of counter protesters. It was organized by a coalition of antiwar groups at the time. The lead was taken by the Committee for NonViolent Action. Other organizations involved included the War Resisters League, the Catholic Peace Fellowship and the Catholic Worker.

The five men were Tom Cornell of the Catholic Peace Fellowship, Marc Edelman a young draft resister, Roy Lisker, a writer and activist, David McReynolds of the War Resisters League and myself, Jim Wilson, a resister and Catholic Worker. As it happens I was the only participant who was actually classified as 1-A and eligible for the draft. 

In the first attempt at burning our cards, someone in the crowd shot a fire extinguisher at the flames associated with our burning cards. Due to earlier shouts by counter protesters that we should burn ourselves instead of our cards, we and others thought it may have been gasoline being sprayed and we all stepped back briefly. Regrouping, we relit the pieces of paper that symbolized thousands of young men being called upon to fight a war that many questioned.

There were three aspects to the draft card burning at Union Square. One was to protest the war in Vietnam that was becoming increasingly unpopular. It should be remembered that this was very early in protests against that war. The second was to protest the draft itself and the selective service system that was choosing who would fight in that and other wars, predominantly the poor and men of color. The third aspect was to speak up for the First Amendment and protect the right to free speech and protest. Earlier in the year, Congress had passed a law that specifically made it illegal to destroy a draft card. The penalty was five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. This legislation was a direct result of more and more people speaking out against the war and public demonstrations that included draft card burning. The legislation was meant to stop the protests and intimidate protestors. A month earlier, in October of '65, David Miller became the first person to publicly challenge the new law and he was quickly arrested and charged. 

On Nov. 6th, the five men mentioned above publicly burned their cards in solidarity and in support of Miller. Three, Cornell, Edelman and Lisker received sentences of six months in prison after a lengthy court battle. One, David McReynolds, wasn't charged due to his age. I plead guilty to the charge and received 2 years probation but I was quickly inducted as a direct result of the card burning. I refused induction and served two years of a three year sentence in Federal Prison.

Today there are many who don't know what draft cards were or what they symbolized. There are those who have no memory of the Selective Service System of that time, the lottery that many feared or the draft itself. Ultimately the draft ended, in no small part because of demonstrations and sacrifices made by many during this period of unrest and protest. Relative to the five protesters that day, Tom Cornell and I are the only participants of the demonstration who are still alive.

Three days after this event at Union Square, a young man and fellow Catholic Worker by the name of Roger LaPorte immolated himself on the sidewalk in front of the United Nations to protest this and every war. He died the following day.

Dorothy Day was one of many women who supported resisters and who worked against the war. Young men, women and families on both sides of the issue were impacted by the war in many different ways and there are still stories to be told. 

Some places to see or learn more:

The Boys Who Said No - website

City of Belief - a novel

Draft Card Burning Video

Dorothy Day's Union Square Speech - Nov. 6, 1965

Below is the text of the speech given by Dorothy Day at Union Square on Nov. 6 in 1965 when five men stood on the platform and in defiance of newly drafted legislation, burned their draft cards. This action along with David Miller's Draft Card Burning in October of 1965, planted the seed for other actions of property destruction vs the killing of children, women and men then and into the future. Miss Day's embrace of the young as leaders in the nonviolent social justice and antiwar movement along with her solidarity with the participants of this action was an important step on her part. She participated that day along with A.J. Muste, clergyman, pacifist and political activist. I was one of the men on the platform and I'll be posting other reflections on the actions that took place on that day fifty five years ago.

DOROTHY DAY, “UNION SQUARE SPEECH” (6 NOVEMBER 1965)

When Jesus walked this earth; True God and True man, and was talking to the multitudes, a woman in the crowd cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast that bore you and the breast that nourished you.” And he answered her, “Yes, but rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

And the word of God is the new commandment he gave us–to love our enemies, to overcome evil with good, to love others as he loved us–that is, to lay down our lives for our brothers throughout the world, not to take the lives of men, women, and children, young and old, by bombs and napalm and all the other instruments of war.

Instead he spoke of the instruments of peace, to be practiced by all nations–to feed the hungry of the world,–not to destroy their crops, not to spend billions on defense, which means instruments of destruction. He commanded us to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, to save lives, not to destroy them, these precious lives for whom he willingly sacrificed his own.

I speak today as one who is old, and who must uphold and endorse the courage of the young who themselves are willing to give up their freedom. I speak as one who is old, and whose whole lifetime has seen the cruelty and hysteria of war in this last half century. But who has also seen, praise God, the emerging nations of Africa and Asia, and Latin America, achieving in many instances their own freedom through non-violent struggles, side by side with violence. Our own country has through tens of thousand of the Negroe [sic] people, shown an example to the world of what a non-violent struggle can achieve. This very struggle, begun by students, by the young, by the seemingly helpless, have led the way in vision, in courage, even in a martyrdom, which has been shared by the little children, in the struggle for full freedom and for human dignity which means the right to health, education, and work which is a full development of man’s god-given talents.

We have seen the works of man’s genius and vision in the world today, in the conquering of space, in his struggle with plague and famine, and in each and every demonstration such as this one–there is evidence of his struggle against war.

I wish to place myself beside A. J. Muste speaking, if I am permitted, to show my solidarity of purpose with these young men, and to point out that we too are breaking the law, committing civil disobedience, in advocating and trying to encourage all those who are conscripted, to inform their conscience, to heed the still small voice, and to refuse to participate in the immorality of war. It is the most potent way to end war.

We too, by law, myself and all who signed the statement of conscience, should be arrested and we would esteem it an honour to share prison penalties with these others. I would like to conclude these few words with a prayer in the words of St. Francis, saint of poverty and peace, “O Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

An Undivided Heart - Dorothy Day Symposium

A few weeks ago, on Nov. 16th, a symposium on Dorothy Day titled An Undivided Heart was held at Maryknoll in NY. The speakers were all people who are or were involved in the Catholic Worker - Robert Ellsberg, Kathleen and Pat Jordon, Jackie Allen-Doucot, Amanda Dalosio and Kate Hennessy. It was, in my opinion, a great event. For those who know the Catholic Worker and Dorothy, it's a great reminder. For those wanting to find out, its a really a good way to learn from a number of different perspectives. A publisher, people who have worked and continue to work at Houses of Hospitality and a granddaughter and author who has written about Dorothy from a very special family perspective. The program was presented in four parts and has been made available on YouTube. The series begins with Ellsberg, followed by the Jordons and Allen-Doucot and Dalosio. Kate Hennessy finishes the series. So for anyone interested, I'm putting all of the links here. Something worthwhile to take a look at. Enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNRR4lHHZnE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYfNZzcmK0&t=9s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLWmbeGjKaY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eghD2D0vaI

There were also some items that people shared online relative to what these people and others had learned from Dorothy. I want to share some things I learned from her when I knew her in the mid 60's: 

First, to be strong and unafraid. To support others no matter who they were or how great their need. To be kind but also angry if necessary. To realize that we can all be part of a community of saints, perhaps a bit ragged, bruised and imperfect but in the end, a community of saints. To laugh and to love writing. Those are just a few of the things I learned by being with her and watching her interact with the world as she knew it.

Nov. 6, 1965 Dorothy Day's Words

It's important to remember and celebrate history and especially the words of leaders who make us think about what's important. Here are the words of Dorothy Day speaking about resistance to war and violence.

DOROTHY DAY, “UNION SQUARE SPEECH” (6 NOVEMBER 1965)

When Jesus walked this earth; True God and True man, and was talking to the multitudes, a woman in the crowd cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast that bore you and the breast that nourished you.” And he answered her, “Yes, but rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

And the word of God is the new commandment he gave us–to love our enemies, to overcome evil with good, to love others as he loved us–that is, to lay down our lives for our brothers throughout the world, not to take the lives of men, women, and children, young and old, by bombs and napalm and all the other instruments of war.

Instead he spoke of the instruments of peace, to be practiced by all nations–to feed the hungry of the world,–not to destroy their crops, not to spend billions on defense, which means instruments of destruction. He commanded us to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, to save lives, not to destroy them, these precious lives for whom he willingly sacrificed his own.

I speak today as one who is old, and who must uphold and endorse the courage of the young who themselves are willing to give up their freedom. I speak as one who is old, and whose whole lifetime has seen the cruelty and hysteria of war in this last half century. But who has also seen, praise God, the emerging nations of Africa and Asia, and Latin America, achieving in many instances their own freedom through non-violent struggles, side by side with violence. Our own country has through tens of thousand of the Negroe [sic] people, shown an example to the world of what a non-violent struggle can achieve. This very struggle, begun by students, by the young, by the seemingly helpless, have led the way in vision, in courage, even in a martyrdom, which has been shared by the little children, in the struggle for full freedom and for human dignity which means the right to health, education, and work which is a full development of man’s god-given talents.

We have seen the works of man’s genius and vision in the world today, in the conquering of space, in his struggle with plague and famine, and in each and every demonstration such as this one–there is evidence of his struggle against war.

I wish to place myself beside A. J. Muste speaking, if I am permitted, to show my solidarity of purpose with these young men, and to point out that we too are breaking the law, committing civil disobedience, in advocating and trying to encourage all those who are conscripted, to inform their conscience, to heed the still small voice, and to refuse to participate in the immorality of war. It is the most potent way to end war.

We too, by law, myself and all who signed the statement of conscience, should be arrested and we would esteem it an honour to share prison penalties with these others. I would like to conclude these few words with a prayer in the words of St. Francis, saint of poverty and peace, “O Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

The Contemporary Words of Dorothy Day

For those who may not be aware, Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was an activist, a journalist and an editor, who worked for social causes that included women's suffrage, pacifism, peace and economic justice. Intrigued by the Catholic faith, she converted in 1927. In 1933, she co-founded The Catholic Worker with Peter Maurin, a French peasant and Christian Brother, who preached brotherhood and personal responsibility on the streets of NYC. Initially the Worker was a newspaper promoting social and economic justice based on Christian principles and teachings. It evolved into a movement of Houses of Hospitality around the world where the poor, the impoverished and the hungry could find some needed support without question.

I spent time at The Catholic Worker and with Dorothy in the mid 60's. Dorothy was very active during that period as she was through most of her life. She was involved in the Second Vatican Council and meetings in Rome, anti-war demonstrations in NYC and around the country, fighting for farm workers in California and so many other things that were going on in the world related to social justice. That period of time and Dorothy herself had a great influence on my life. 

Recently, I've found myself revisiting many of Dorothy's writings and audio tapes of some of her talks. Mostly this was the result of my recent marriage and wedding. When Jeannette and I met with Father Michael Hartney who officiated at our wedding, he asked us about our vision for the celebration. We told him we wanted it to say something about our lives and beliefs, about peace, justice and vulnerable people. A few readings from Dorothy made some sense. The witnesses to our marriage and our friends, Kay and Henry Thomas, agreed to read some words of Dorothy that we would find. In addition, Father Hartney presented quotes from Dorothy as his homily.

As I searched for appropriate words, I rediscovered a number of resources on my shelves that I hadn't looked at recently. Those included All The Way To Heaven and Duty of Delight writings by Dorothy edited by Robert Ellsberg. Also All Is Grace Jim Forest's Biography of Day. I also found myself searching back through Jim & Nancy Forest's online site (Click Here) that has sections about Dorothy, Dorothy and Thomas Merton and organized quotes of Dorothy's. Of course The Catholic Worker itself (Click Here) and the Dorothy Day Guild (Click Here) were also full of information.

But the goldmine was when I found a site called American Voices. American Voices is housed at Michigan State University and it includes audio tapes of many important American Voices, including Dorothy Day. These are tapes of Dorothy and her talks from the 50's, 60's and 70's that were presented to a variety of audiences. Some are of a better quality than others but they are all interesting. (Click here for American Voices - Dorothy Day Tapes)

In listening to these tapes I'm struck by a couple of things. Obviously, Dorothy uses language and colloquialisms of the time. A few may make you wince especially relative to racial terms. But those were the words of the times. More importantly, what strikes me is how contemporary her words really are for the times we are living in today. War and peace, struggles with leadership in the church and in government, poverty, inequality all continue to face us. To me it seems like I'm listening to a contemporary talk on where we are at today. Dorothy is consistent and repetitious as she describes the founding and early days of The Catholic Worker. She's consistent and repetitious as she discusses the Works of Mercy vs the Works of War.

Dorothy's world and time consisted of men, usually white men in power. They controlled property, banks, the law and the church (as they still do), as well as other institutions that Dorothy had to interact with at times. To me, Dorothy was the epitome of a strong woman. Her voice was always strong but soft. She would make her point without the complexity of long arguments. She would never back down on a belief. All of this made many a man uncomfortable and yes, back down. I think there are examples of this in the voice that I hear in those tapes. 

In many of her talks, Dorothy loved to point out the contradictions between The Works of Mercy as described in Matthew 25: 31-46 and what she described, vividly, as The Works of War as described by mankind. Sometime in '65 or '66 I wrote an article for The Catholic Worker about this topic. Dorothy loved the article and suggested that I continue writing about issues of the day. Soon after that, Dorothy named me as an Associate Editor of the paper.  It seems appropriate that I end this piece with artwork created by Rita Corbin. It is also as contemporary as so many of Dorothy's words.

Dorothy Day's Anniversary

Today ( Nov. 29, 2018) is the memorial of Dorothy Day's death in 1980. I am not an enthusiastic promoter of her canonization but I believe her values and many of her actions for social justice and peace and the poor are a beacon for people to contemplate and follow. Dorothy supported me and many others who were associated with the Catholic Worker over the years. We all learn from each other and I learned a great deal from Dorothy and others at the Catholic Worker. Anyway, here is a little clip for folks who may not have known of her.

Seeing the pictures of Dorothy below, sitting in vineyards in California in 1973, surrounded by California Highway Patrolmen, supporting farmworkers, reminds me of her strength and commitment. She carried her three legged portable stool due to her arthritis making it difficult for her to stand for long periods. I think I know how Dorothy would be responding to the issues we see today on our southern boarder.

                                                                 

Stan Lee, Denny O'Neil, Batman and Dorothy Day

Stan Lee, the genius and leader behind Marvel Comics died on Nov. 12, 2018 at 95. When I heard about his passing in the news it brought back some memories from the 60's in my head. I began to remember a visit to the Marvel Comics office in Manhattan. Colorful posters of comic book characters hanging on walls popped into my head. Why was I there? To visit a friend at the time by the name of Denny O'Neil.

But Stan Lee's passing forced me to do some searching and some memory poking. I needed to fill in the gaps. Lots of information between comic book posters and Denny O'Neil. I have thought of Denny in the ensuing years and had already done some research on him in the past few years but now I needed to know and remember more. You see there was a connection between Denny and the Catholic Worker in NYC where I spent some time in my youth. I remembered going to parties at Denny's apartment where he and his wife lived, somewhere in the East Village. A group of young Catholic Workers would gather, perhaps after a Friday Night Meeting (a tradition at many Catholic Worker Houses of Hospitality, an opportunity for clarification of thought) or after a day of demonstrating against the draft or the war in Vietnam. Denny was supportive of our activities and his wife, Ann, had been involved at the Catholic Worker.

My research found video interviews and articles about and by Denny. In many, he talked about his growing up in Missouri, his Catholic upbringing, his military service, his marriage to Ann and his connection to the Worker. He started at Marvel Comics after taking the 4 page writers test in his early to mid 20's. He eventually moved to DC comics and took on the authorship of Batman and many other characters including Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Wonder Woman. Denny has had a brilliant writing and editing career at both DC and Marvel.

But I still wasn't sure about all of those memories swishing around in my head so I reached out to some of my old friends from that time period to see if we were remembering any of the same things or if my memory could be jogged a bit. Nicole remembered Denny's wedding to Ann. It turns out she was a witness at the wedding which did take place at the neighborhood church frequented by folks from the Worker. She can recall Denny's makeshift ring at the wedding and the parties we attended at the O'Neil's apartment. Paul sent me information on a book Denny authored with some fictional characters telling the story of Denny's comic book life. So he also had some memories too.

The most amazing thing I found though was some writing from Denny himself where he talks about a character he created in the Batman series, Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Denny explains that his character of Leslie was based on Dorothy Day who co-founded the Catholic Worker movement. Here are Denny's own words in an excerpt from an article in 2015:

"I had a real person in mind when I was writing Detective #457, someone I’d once met named Dorothy Day. Dorothy began her professional life as a journalist, wrote a novel, lived the Greenwich Village life. In 1939, she cofounded The Catholic Worker, an organization located in a section of lower Manhattan not much frequented by the white shoe crowd. The Worker had three missions: to serve the poor by providing food, shelter and clothing; to help drunks get sober; and to protest war – all war, any war, and any violence.

We incorporated Dorothy’s pacifism into Leslie. There wasn’t much; I can’t recall any particular story in which it was a major element. But look for it and you could find it."

So yes, Dr. Leslie Thompkins is a pacifist doctor who works in the toughest part of Gotham's criminal slums. She was an old friend of Batman's mother and father. The character appears in 200+ Batman comics.

Yup, that's the same Dorothy Day arrested over the years in protests over war and social justice. The same Dorothy Day proposed for sainthood in the Catholic Church. Funny and appropriate. Now that it's been brought to light can you imagine all of the prelates in Rome, cardinals and priests, perhaps even Pope Francis, pouring over copies of Batman comics and trying to find references to Dorothy and determining if she should be named a saint. Good luck folks and thank you Denny for helping to confuse the confused. Ah, memories!

Two Part Series On Dorothy Day - Dec. 14th & 21st

I will be presenting a two part series on Dorothy Day, her life and influence, on Dec 14th & 21st, 2015 from 11am to Noon at the Penn Yan Public Library. The series is part of the Classics In Religion series sponsored by Cobblestone Springs in Himrod, NY.

In Part One, I will be presenting a brief overview of Dorothy's early life and her co-founding of the Catholic Worker Movement with Peter Maurin in the 1930's. Part Two of the series will cover the period from the 1960's to her death in 1980. I will include some of my own personal expierience and knowledge of Dorothy during the period that I was involved at the Catholic Worker in the mid 60's.

There will be time for interaction and discussion during both sessions.

Cobblestone Springs is an interdenominational retreat/renewal center located in the Finger Lakes Region of rural Upstate New York. Housed in an historic 1840's cobblestone mansion, it overlooks the Seneca Lake valley. Well-kept Mennonite farms surround the property, and horse and buggies regularly pass by the house.  More about Cobblestone Springs here.

Fifty Years Ago - Draft Cards - Protest & Free Speech

Fifty years ago on Nov. 6, 1965, five men stood on a platform and burned their draft cards in front of a crowd of about 1500 people at Union Square in NYC. Peace activists A.J. Muste and Dorothy Day both spoke at the event. Counter demonstrators yelled that the men should burn themselves and not their draft cards. In the first attempt, someone in the crowd shot a fire extinguisher at the flames from the protestor's lighters. The men and others thought it may have been gasoline and stepped back briefly. Regrouping, they relit the pieces of paper that symbolized hundreds of thousands of young men being called upon to fight a war that many questioned.

There were three aspects to the draft card burning at Union Square. One was to protest the war in Vietnam that was becoming increasingly unpopular. The second was to protest the draft itself and the selective service system that was choosing who would fight in that and other wars. The third aspect was to speak up for the First Amendment and protect the right to free speech and protest. Earlier in the year, Congress had passed a law that specifically made it illegal to destroy a draft card. This legislation was a direct result of more and more people speaking out against the war and public demonstrations that included draft card burning. The legislation was meant to stop the protests and intimidate the protestors. In October of '65, David Miller became the first person to publicly challenge the new law and he was quickly arrested and charged. On Nov. 6th, these five men publicly burned their cards in solidarity and in support of Miller. Three received sentences of six months in prison. One wasn't charged due to his age. The last received 2 years probation but was then inducted, refused induction and served two years of a three year sentence in Federal Prison.

There are many today who don't know what draft cards were or what they symbolized. There are those who have no memory of the Selective Service System of that time, the lottery or the draft. Ultimately the draft ended, in no small part because of demonstrations and sacrifices made by many during this period of unrest and protest.

There is much more to the story of these five men and others but I'll leave that for another day.

Tom Cornell, Marc Edelman, Roy Lisker, Dave McReynolds, Jim Wilson, Nov. 6, 1965 at Union Square, NYC

The Challenges We Face With Our Environment - Seneca Lake

Here's a topic that is way too big for a simple writer like me so I'm going to add some articles and quotes by others. I write this as the battle between Crestwood Midstream, a movement called We Are Seneca Lake, another called Gas Free Seneca and political as well as economic development leaders in the Schuyler County community continues and escalates. There are also other developments that play into all of this discussion. An out of service coal fired power plant in Yates County on Seneca Lake just north of Schuyler County is being reopened by a new operator (Greenidge) who has committed to using natural gas and bio mass vs coal. This is being presented as the clean alternative. In addition, within the past few weeks toxic blue-green algae has been discovered on the northeast shores of Seneca Lake and on other lakes in the Finger Lakes region.

With that back drop, the challenges are clear. Seneca Lake provides drinking water to over 100,000 people. It also adds about a billion dollars to the economy through recreation, tourism and agriculture. There is push and pull that occurs between the public, elected officials and economic developers. Corporations and businesses of many sizes also enter the mix. Economic growth is quickly part of any discussion. The idle power plant is one example. When it closed, millions of dollars were lost in tax revenue along with jobs in a community that needs them. So now, as a new owner steps up, many just look at the return of revenue and jobs without asking some critical questions about business plans, sustainability and environmental issues. That tends to happen a lot I think.

Then there's the storage of methane and liquid propane gas in abandoned, unlined salt caverns on the shores of Seneca Lake near Watkins Glen, NY. Those who support it talk about revenue and jobs. They dislike the 'outsiders' who protest the project and point to decades of similar use of the caverns, seemingly not able to recognize that the volume being proposed far exceeds any historical quantities. Those who oppose it point out risks related to both the storage and the transport of the products and point to the winery and tourist industries as the clean, safe industries that could be adversely affected by the gas storage and transport project. There are some contradictory issues that surface in the whole debate. On the one hand the politicians and developers express a desire for 'clean', 'light industrial' operations that are compatible with the rural nature of the area. They promote tourism and bringing people in from outside the region to visit, buy and consume. Yet when people come from neighboring communities or counties on or around the lake to protest or question they are rebuked as 'outsiders'. Now you just can't have it both ways. Tourists are most likely outsiders. Some will move here. They will have new and different ideas. That's the way it works.

The defenders of the lake also have some issues that need to be thought about and talked about and some of them are more urgent due to the appearance of the blue-green algae mentioned above. Farming and agricultural practices all around the lake add to the problem of algae growth and development. Much of that comes from the cultivation of the crops that people are promoting as the alternative and way of life they want to see in the area. The grape growing and wine industry has some major responsibility in helping to maintain the health of Seneca Lake through environmentally sound agricultural practices. The reality is that the environment of Seneca Lake is challenged by gas storage and agricultural practices that place nutrients in the water. A recent opinion piece by Rich Reiben in the Finger Lakes Times speaks to this issue and also offers good information on the blue-green algae. Take a look here Love Not In This Bloom.

The folks from We Are Seneca Lake have been utilizing and promoting Pope Francis' latest encyclical, Laudato Si', as an informational and directional learning tool. They are right to do so. There are critical important pieces to the document for water keepers, farmers, politicians, economic developers and yes, all of us. Catholic Workers have joined the We Are Seneca Lake defenders. There is a strong historical commitment by the Catholic Worker toward peace, nonviolence, economic and social justice along with environmental concerns. I am proud that I myself am affiliated with the Catholic Worker and someone who knew and worked with Dorothy Day in the '60's. She was a mentor and a strong leader with much wisdom. She was non violent and tolerant but she also had the right amount of anger at injustice. She was arrested numerous times in the cause of peace. She sat in the vineyards and was arrested with Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers in California. She was inducted and is a member of the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls and has been proposed as a saint in the Catholic Church. So We Are Seneca Lake is in good company with the Catholic Worker and its traditions.

Thomas Reese has written an article in the National Catholic Reporter titled "Saving The Environment Through Dialogue and Transparency" about Pope Francis' Laudato Si'. Here is an important quote from the article by Reese:

Transparency is an essential element in the dialogue to find better ways of preserving the environment, according to the pope, especially transparency in the assessment of the environmental impact of business ventures and projects. Corruption, on the other hand, conceals “the actual environmental impact of a given project” and produces “specious agreements which fail to inform adequately and to allow for full debate.”

What is needed is environmental impact assessments that are “interdisciplinary, transparent and free of all economic or political pressure.” Only when scientific and political discussions are imbued with honesty and truth can all the different stakeholders reach a consensus on the alternatives available. “The culture of consumerism which prioritizes short-term gain and private interest, can make it easy to rubber-stamp authorizations or to conceal information.”

Pope Francis calls for a thorough investigation and discussion of any proposed venture. “What will it accomplish? Why? Where? When? How? For whom? What are the risks? What are the costs? Who will pay those costs and how?”

If a study finds that “serious and irreversible damage may result, a project should be halted or modified.” He recognizes that sometimes the evidence is disputable. In such cases, the burden of proof should be on the projects promoters “to demonstrate that the proposed activity will not cause serious harm to the environment or to those who inhabit it.”

The full article can be accessed here Thomas Reese Article.

So yes “What will it accomplish? Why? Where? When? How? For whom? What are the risks? What are the costs? Who will pay those costs and how?” These are the questions we have to be able to ask about the Crestwood Midstream project, the Greenridge plant and the blue-green algae problem. Experts and regulators like DEC and EPA should be asked to review and recommend but we should not abdicate to 'experts' where our environment is concerned. - JW

How We Treat Marginalized & Devalued People

The New York Times has published an investigative report about the treatment, or more correctly, the mistreatment of prisoners that occurred after the escape of two inmates that clearly embarrassed the NYS Department of Corrections, Correction Officers and Governor Andrew Cuomo. The article reports on allegations by prisoners of beatings, threats and the use of solitary confinement, all used to try to solicit information on the escape. The full article can be viewed here and should be read to get a better understanding of how power and control works.

Sadly this is only one example. We can view pictures of the Watts uprising, Ferguson, read the report on what happened at Attica or review the history of the mistreatment and abuse of people with developmental disabilities from Willowbrook to today. The examples are everywhere and are international in scope. The common theme through all of this are the victims themselves. They are all people who are marginalized and devalued by people in power. Sadly, the people in power seem to believe they are unseen and unaccountable and in many cases are their own victims of abuse, bullying, etc.

Prisoners don't tend to generate large amounts of sympathy. There's an assumption that if you're behind bars, you're not only guilty but probably violent, bad and the symbol of evil. The Correction Officer's Union is currently responding by asking the question "you're going to believe convicted felons?".

Then there are those whose lot or place in our world is established by chance more than anything else. These are people of color, the poor, people with disabilities and many others. They have had no choice in their life circumstances and yet people treat them as inferior or worse. Why would we believe them?

Many of us are naive about the treatment of the people I'm speaking about. We need stories like the one that appears in the NY Times or a TV report showing actual abuse and mistreatment. Perhaps a historic video from 50 years ago in Watts showing the police response alongside a current nightly news broadcast of policing in Ferguson, Mo. The juxtaposition of these scenes may help some understand the frustration and yes the rage that people in those circumstances feel as they continue to seek justice. Old broadcasts of people with developmental disabilities at Willowbrook State School could educate some people about how society reacts to hidden and devalued populations.

I am not naive. I have experienced and seen the control, the power and the abuse and mistreatment. I have been arrested and incarcerated in local and federal prisons as a civil rights and anti war activist. It's amazing what happens when doors close behind you. There are good people and some very, very bad people who work in prisons and other institutional settings. Sometimes when doors close, accountability is left on the other side. Too often these are closed systems. People are given control over other human beings. People are able to shred you of every sense of privacy or dignity from body searches to open bathrooms and showers. Mail and visitations are monitored and information used to punish and intimidate. Solitary confinement is an easily used punishment along with holding back clothing, food or contact. Physical abuse can and does happen in corners and shadows. Psychological abuse can be rampant and extremely harmful.

We've moved to community settings vs institutional settings for people with developmental disabilities. I helped develop some of these settings and supports and yet even now things don't always work out in the best interest of the person supported. The constant in all of this are some of the people who want to control others and who seem to be comfortable with abuse and mistreatment.

I learned many years ago that it is absolutely imperative that we learn to share in the experiences of the poor and those who are treated unjustly. If we don't, our solutions, our answers, our assistance and support will be next to useless. Much of what I learned came from people like Dorothy Day. Dorothy knew the importance of sharing poverty and injustice. She also knew that the experience itself would assist in speaking up and taking action against the things that were wrong. Here is a link to an article that explains much better then I why these beliefs and actions are so important - Where Are The Missing Mystics Of The Revolution?

Many people try to make a difference in the lives of the poor, the imprisoned, people with disabilities and so many more but it's important to realize that there are others who want to treat these people poorly and who are quite willing to abuse and mistreat. It begins with a joke, some disrespect and ultimately control over decision making. Good people need to be on the alert, share the stories and share the experiences of people who may not be seen as important. Systems like filling out forms, checking boxes, etc. become bureaucratic responses that become ineffective quickly. Real solutions come from the heart, come from experiences and come from people not tolerating mistreatment.

Ultimately though it is a recognition of our common humanity, our value as equals that we need to focus on. We can all find ourselves in circumstances that are uncomfortable and unjust. We can all find ways to help people who are in those circumstances now. How we treat marginalized and devalued people is really important to all of us.