by Dr. Judith Martinez
Dr. Martínez has been at Missouri State University since the fall of 2002 and is responsible for the development of infrastructure for selected academic diversity programs within the Division for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Provost for Student Development and Public Affairs (APSDPA). More info about Dr. Martínez is here.
Moment of Perspective – AJ Fox
The opening words are Do Not Be Alone Right Now, by Rev Karen G Johnston.
Do not be alone right now. Gather together.
Gathering together grows courage: in ourselves and in others who see the numbers swelling. It is a small thing, but right now it is an important thing.
Great sources of wisdom remind us: just because you cannot stem the tide of all hate, it is still right to do the thing you can do. These things add up: your one thing & my one thing; his one thing & their one thing & her one thing. Together it becomes a BIG thing.
Do not be alone right now. Any liberation—all liberation—is collective liberation. My freedom is bound with yours and yours with mine. Inextricably.
Let us together cast our lots doing this BIG thing: bending the moral arc of the universe towards justice.
The Sun That Shines
Lyrics by Dimitri S. Bortniansky and John Andrew Storey
Music by David Dawson
Performed by Eva Riebold
Used with Permission
Building Bridges
Words by The Women of the Greenham Common peace occupation in England, 1983
Music: Contemporary English Quaker Round
Performed by the First UU Virtual Choir
Used with permission
Do Not Walk Behind Me
Music by Bradley Maxim
Words by Camus (adapted)
Performed by the First UU Virtual Choir
Meditation on Loving Kindness
Words and Music by Emily McKinney
Performed by the First UU Virtual Choir
The closing words are “Teachers Everywhere,” by Amy Zucker Morgenstern.
In every person we meet, especially those who cause us discomfort, we find an opportunity for us to grow, to learn, to go further along the path of transformation that is our purpose in life. Every single one is our teacher. May the next week bring you many such moments of meeting that help you become the person you want to be, and may you welcome them with joy.