Praying for Peace and Justice on February 16, 2025
Let us pray – Gracious and loving God, you filled Jesus with the Spirit
send your Spirit upon us too,
to listen to the voices of those living in sacrifice zones,
marginalized by corporations for the sake of profit;
to courageously act in solidarity with of those living in sacrifice zones.
God of liberation and wholeness, bless the environmental justice activists on the frontlines. May our prayers and actions be good news of solidarity for those in frontline communities who are fighting for their lives and ours.
We are all connected. AMEN
Background
I’m tired. Tired of witnessing the things I care deeply about are getting worse for people who have been already struggling for a very long time… People whose voices are either not heard or are drown out by the din of consumer culture.
Since this is a month of acknowledging the contrirbutions of Black heroes past and present, I want to lift up a few heroes: Dr. Robert Bullard, is often considered the father of environmental justice. He’s the founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice. Dr Bullard said, “There is no level playing field. Any time our society says that a powerful chemical company has the same right as a low income family that’s living next door, that playing field is not level, is not fair.” Even Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was aware of these inequities when he said, “Because no matter who we are or where we come from, we’re all entitled to the basic human rights of clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and healthy land to call home.” America is segregated and so is pollution. Race and class still matter and map closely with pollution, unequal protection, and vulnerability. Today, zip code is still the most potent predictor of an individual’s health and well-being.
Let’s hold in prayer other environmental justice activists fighting against environmental racism and defending frontline line, marginalized communities, people of color. Rev. Lenox Yearwood, advocating for a just climate solution for flooding of the historic black community in Norfolk, VA. Sharon LaVingne organizing in St. James Parish, known as cancer alley in LA, and Chase Iron Eyes fighting the fossil fuel pipeline across the Lakota reservation, would identify as “front line” communities.
All of these cases are examples of environmental racism, where decisions putting profit before the wellbeing of people, are fueled by powerful interests supported by corporations cozying up to Elon Musk who calls the poor “parasites”…. not the ones favored by God as Jesus says in our Gospel text today.
