Masking and Unmasking

The Coronavirus Pandemic has triggered a global health crisis, as countries - rich and poor - seek to respond as the disease rolls through their population. The pandemic has also triggered a global economic crisis as companies and individuals, governments and municipalities seek to put responsible restrictions in place and limit economic and social action. This response has triggered social unrest as left and right clash, responding to different narratives about the pandemic, about it’s unequal impact, about the science, and about the meaning of truth itself. 

In the wake of this chaos, the killing of George Floyd triggered a massive international outpouring of righteous indignation. The killing of George Floyd came on the heels of the killings of black people including Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery and so, so many others at the hands of the police and armed white nationalists. The sustained and largely peaceful protests against police brutality have been met sometimes with fair and even-handed policing, and at other times protesters have been met with harsh treatment by local police and by federal agents who unleash military-style weapons on unarmed Americans, on US soil, in our city streets. 

At the same time, our ecological crisis is deepening as environmental protections are rolled back. 

And US policy and US agents are holding vulnerable immigrants in inhumane conditions at our borders, violating their human rights and violating our own highest ideals as an American people.

This is the dark picture that we see unfolding around us and we weep. 

Yet it is not all dark: In this time of Masks, we see a lot that is Unmasked.

This current constellation of crises UNMASKS many things - 

    • It UNMASKS deep inequities that already existed in our society, 

    • It UNMASKS deep division that already existed in our politics, 

    • It UNMASKS deep fragility that already existed in our economy, 

    • It UNMASKS the gross negligence of our society that deepens the environmental crisis – it is this cavalier attitude that is in part responsible for this pandemic.

At the same time this current constellation of crises 

UNMASKS our deep interconnection: Fauci and public health professionals have become prophets of community health, prophets of the deep connections that we have, one with another. We must care for one another because we hold each others well-being in our hands.

It UNMASKS - the global nature of our society, politics, economy, ecological system

It UNMASKS the beloved community called for by Dr. King and being birthed on our streets and in our hospitals and across the country. 

Never has it been more important to lean in to our unity as a human community and as a CSJ community. 

We are called to inner healing, hope and conversion. 

And we are called to turn outward in solidarity with POC, immigrants, and the LGBT community. 

We are called to build the beloved community, reach out to the dear neighbor, to learn and to live the economics of the golden rule.

Stay safe, stay connected, and stay active!

Amy