Remembering Hurricane Katrina

Flashback to flag draped on my grandmother
Flashback to my sons and daughters waiting and crying for those who would never come
Flashback to my mothers' hunger, not just for food but for justice
Flashback to my fathers' empty hands and searching, angry eyes

Waters not washing but flooding
Waters revealing the systematic dehumanization of a people
again
of my people
again

troubled waters stirring up historical traumas
met with invisibility and dehumanization

this time, they say it will be different
have we not heard it before
never again, they cry
never again, we cry

to the people of the Sudan, never again
to the raped girls on college campuses, on school buses, in back rooms, in their homes, never again
to the young boys gang raped in prison, never again
to the people of New Orleans, never again

I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away
but what happens when your wings are weighed down by oil, by greed, by racism, by sexism, by poverty

we are looking for the blessing in the storm
we are uncovering the truth that the only blessing is if we are stunned into, shamed into, inspired into laying down our dysfunction, our fear, our hatred
tic toc
time will tell
if we are learning to be one nation, if we are learning to be global citizens, if we are learning to unlearn our complacency, learning to confront the miseducation of our minds, learning to let hearts beat with compassion and the urgency of NOW!

Research by Underrepresented Scholars

It is critical that research is conducted and supported by those who have a heart for and understanding of the people they study. There is an urgent need for qualitative and quantitive studies of the issues facing marginalized peoples as well as the potential solutions.

Ignoring the role, voice, and experiences of the marginalized is not good science nor objectivity. It is systematic oppression and silencing even when it is unconscious by those doing the work.

There are literally lives at stake. Invisibility and minimization of identity markers such as gender, race, and economic status are not acceptable and fall short of the ethical standards of quality scholarship.

The academcy has to be open to diverse voices to create a true breadth of knowledge.

"Are we there yet?" - Steps to higher ground

It is past time for us to move forward as invididuals, and as a community, a nation, and as global citizens. This sermon teaches principles that can help us get to the next level.