I would like to give you an update from Beloved Conversations: Meditations on Race and Ethnicity, a program held here BUF in spring 2019. At the end of the twelve-week program, the group of 30 participants came up with a list of goals for BUF. One goal was creation of a rapid response network to mobilize congregants to boldly respond with actions for justice when racial justice issues arise in the community, the state and the nation.
Possible projects included vigils for momentous events, especially events affecting people of color. To this end, Henry Ohana and Genia Allen drew up a Rapid Response phone tree with 57 people from our congregation who said they wanted to be involved. Ten of the people on the list would call the others.
We recently used the BUF Rapid Response Phone Tree to alert congregants of a candlelight vigil held at Maritime Heritage Park on April 3 to recognize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders recently murdered. The vigil was organized by the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, Whatcom Focused Youth Movement, Whatcom CARE and Whatcom Human Rights Task Force.
A good—sized group of BUFsters assembled that evening at the vigil. We sat together, with our candles and listened to several local speakers of Asian American and Pacific Island heritage. They described their personal experiences of racism in Whatcom County. The vigil began and ended with songs by William John, from the Lummi Nation.
If you were not called for this vigil, and would like to be notified by phone of similar, future events, please let me, Genia or Henry know of your interest.
