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28.8.09

Religion in the Revolution

Classes began this week, monopolizing my time and making it easy for me to forget about the important things while I'm caught up in the mire of attendance sheets, student emails, and making sure I'm not royally screwing up a lecture on logos, pathos and ethos.

In the midst of all of that, however, it seems that my reading for class has dovetailed neatly with my interests in this trip to India, and with stopping the regime of modern day slavery that affects so many.

For my Monday class - Women in Rhetoric - we had to read a book entitled "Women Called to Witness," about the religious beginnings of the movements that eventually lead to the institution of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, and which began the spirit of abolition and the Civil Rights movement. Many of the early reformers were religious, and were fighting first and foremost for the right to speak and prophesy in church assemblies, which in those days, was scandalous. Once the right to that was won, they coupled the woman's rights movements with those of temperance, moral reform and abolition. In fighting for others, they saw how they could free themselves. Most of those involved in the social justice movement realized that massive reforms were needed if we were going to recognize our fellow human beings as the humans that they are, and fulfill the gospel call to "love your neighbor as yourself." Many of the women involved in the abolitionist movement urged their fellow religious men and women within the abolitionist movement to support the suffragist movement because freedom for one group without freedom for the other was no freedom at all.

See the connection? Everything involving human rights is interconnected: I cannot be truly free while my brothers and sisters in India, in Europe, in Singapore, in North Korea, in Cambodia, in Austin, TX, Pierre, SD, Los Angeles, CA, Queens Borough in NYC and places across the globe, whom Christ dearly loves and died for just as he died for all of our American church-goers, are still in bondage to evil masters. God calls us first and foremost to go to the poor, to the hurting, and to love them as we love ourselves and as we reflect the love of God in our lives.

In the midst of the beginning of this school, do not forget that simple fact.

Angelina Grimke, one of the big names in the woman's suffragist movement of the late 19th century, writes this: "I am sure that the poor and oppressed ... can never be benefited without mingling with them on terms of equality."

They are our brothers and sisters. Let's start behaving that way.

20.8.09

The TX Gov'r is doing his job.

With the advent of teaching and the beginning of the school year, I don't have a whole lot of time to spend writing up a whole new blog post, but I will say this: There have been several instance of human trafficking cases in Texas in the past few years, mainly due to our close proximity to Mexico. Seeing this news story then was quite heartening.

14.8.09

China's Sweatshops in My Backyard.

The Not For Sale Campaign's twitter pointed me to this blog entry by someone in Queens, which I found interesting and informative. I thought I would share that in lieu of a Thursday blog post.

Find it linked here.

6.8.09

The Trip

This last week, I got some update emails from Sarah, the girl at Faceless International who is organizing our trip. She sent us a rough itinerary, and some information about the people who are going.

There are 20 of us - 18 Americans, one Australian, and one New Zealander (Kiwi). Two of the people on the trip are moms coming along with their teenagers, which will definitely throw a different dynamic into the group, but it should be a good one. They will probably end up acting as de facto leaders or something, which would be good for such a large group.

Our Itinerary is as follows:

December 26th - Orientation in NYC

December 27th - Departure flight to Kolkata, India (it's approximately a 21 hour trip, so it will be about 2 days traveling).

December 29th: Arrive and tour Kolkata - see the red light district, Mother Theresa's Order, and visit schools that work with high risk children living in the red light district.

December 30-31st: We'll travel to Vizag, a coastal fishing town in southwest India, where we will visit a school dedicated to helping girls who have been rescued out of the sex trade. This school teaches girls how to make bags and other fun crafts that are then sold online so they can support themselves and keep from having to return to the trade. These are the items sold through the Emancipation Network - www.madebysurvivors.com.

January 1st - 5th: We'll travel to Nellore, a village that is further inland, and here visit a school and work with some of the children who attend it. The school is for the children of widows who would otherwise receive no education - India is still a very patriarchal society, where, in some areas, a widow is expected to throw herself on the funeral pyre of her dead husband. Many have foregone this practice for the sake of their children, but it doesn't mean that the children are able to receive a good education. That's why this school exists. We will host some programs and be shown programs by the children. The email also says that here I can plan on playing lots of soccer and cricket.

January 5th: Return to the United States.

Sarah also writes that: There is a possibility of us participating in some building and painting projects as well for the schools that we will be visiting. However, alot of time will be spent touring villages in India and seeing first hand where trafficking victims come from and the poverty they are trying to hard to escape. Sadly, we will see how natural slavery is in the culture of India. We will drive by workers making bricks on the side of the road. We will see children picking rice with their parents in rice fields. We know its slavery, yet to many in India, its a way of life.

As you can see, this will be quite the whirlwind tour, but well worth it. Your prayer and support are always welcome, especially during the days that we will be traveling. I would urge you to check out Made by Survivors, run by the Emancipation Network, and see what these girls are producing. There's some very cool stuff, and hopefully I'll be able to pick some up while I'm over there.

Thanks very much for reading and for your support.