4/26/2024

April 26, 2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Yesterday, I made sure my students were aware that at campuses around the country students are getting arrested for interrupting business as usual. I showed them photos of Kent State, 1970, Dartmouth College, 1980 & UC-Davis, 2011, so they’d know that student protest is nothing new. I shared with them my view that when things are happening in the world that are weighing on students, teachers should acknowledge them & provide space for discussion if students want that.

Since I have embraced the idea that God is change, I believe we must observe disruptive events with curiosity & decide how to respond. Pretending that nothing is happening may preserve our sanity, for the moment, but if we embrace Corinthians 12:26, that we all suffer when one suffers, we must witness tragedy & heartache. So, I choose to see the woman whose face is distorted in anguish, standing in the rubble & absorb some of her sorrow. While I cannot stop her pain, I can witness it & in so doing I am changed. I am reminded to be grateful for the security I have, cognizant of its fragility & prepared to address the pain of those I love.

You are in a position to do more than I can. In particular, you can insist that Bibi stop using the weapons we gave him to attack Gaza.

The angry students aren’t going away. Each time one gets arrested, thousands see the moment on Instagram & become enraged. The more they feel oppressed, the louder they will get. The generals in Burma are still trying to figure out how to quell the outrage of the youth in their country. Some day they will figure out that WINTA. I hope you do, too.

BYBS,

 RCA