When the pandemic hit back in March and so much death and uncertainty loomed over our region and then our country, I found myself asking “do I have anything worthwhile to say right now?” My heavy heart said “no” at the time and so this blog took a bit of a break. Yes, maternal mortality and morbidity matter. Our stories matter. It just didn’t feel like the right time to write when so much suffering was occurring on such a grand scale.
I’ve been listening to the news, to the protesters, to the mothers concerned for their black sons, to the pregnant mothers concerned about the black baby boys they are about to deliver, to faith-based and secular perspectives, to my black friends who affirm implicit biases and structural racism are very much alive and thriving in America, albeit more insidious and covert than in the past. As a white woman from New Jersey, discrimination based on skin color is not something I have ever experienced. It’s why it’s imperative I listen to the voices who have experienced it. How else would I know this is their reality?
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
“‘Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.’” – Exodus 22:21
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the
rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights
of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9
“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right.
Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong
or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed
innocent blood in this place.” – Jeremiah 22:3
“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the
hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the
Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord
watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he
frustrates the ways of the wicked.” – Psalm 146:7-9
“But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.” – Hosea 12:6
“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the
oppressed.” – Psalm 103:6
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” – Isaiah 30:18
‘For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.’” – Isaiah 61:8
“The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” – Psalm 9:7-9
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated so it may take a little while for your comment to show up.