What lingers in the air
At the end of May and into June, as news outlets reported on demonstrations in cities across North America, we witnessed something more powerful than tear gas hanging in the air. Demonstrators were angry at recent events in which individuals had experienced death at the hands of the police. But the size of the crowds…
‘My place is right here’
It was all about working together for the good of the local Cambridge community when Preston and Wanner Mennonite churches partnered with a local theatre group to support the work of the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. The two churches hosted a performance of My Place is Right Here: Hugh Burnett and the Fight for a…
Workshop challenges participants to move from multiculturalism to antiracism
There were two Lego sets and two groups of participants. The first group to assemble its toy would be the winner, but it quickly became apparent that the playing field was not level. Group 1 made the rules, and the rules stated there was to be no talking and that the men in the group…
The racism around us
I like to think Canada is a progressive country, and discrimination is on the decline, but I’ve had a reality check. Recently, a group home caregiver, a Liberian woman, told me of her challenges with a difficult client who often wanders from the home. She has had to run after this client to keep her…
Scholars uncover hidden stories of the Holocaust
In 2004, Joachim Wieler of Weimar, Germany, opened a small wooden box he inherited after his mother’s death. To his surprise and horror, it contained letters his late father wrote while serving as an officer in the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany. “I almost fell off the chair,” Wieler said, speaking to more…
Ally or accomplice: What does the Lord require of us?
There is a popular language arising in the church when it comes to justice work, that of “being an ally.” It means to align yourself with whoever your “other” is, so to love your neighbour and serve the Lord. But what happens when words are not enough, and when having only words of an ally…
I can’t breathe
After a recent experience in New York comes this reflection on racism and the social context of our faith. I can’t breathe. At this moment, this is one of the most politically charged statements you can say in the United States. It drudges up a social context where racism and state brutality are killing innocent…
