|
In this week’s SojoMail, Brandon Grafius writes about how he got past “shiny objects of outrage” and instead found a tangible way to support those threatened by the new administration:
After the election, I spent a few days walking around in a daze, as I’m sure many of you did. Then I started thinking about what I could do to help. So many of the ideas I had felt too daunting and unlikely to make much of a difference. But I started asking myself the following line of questions: What would it look like if I focused the next few years on figuring out how I could support the most vulnerable people among us? Who are the people most likely to find themselves under attack over the next few years? How can I aid people who are already doing justice work? I had some familiarity with a group called the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health through the work they’ve done in my kids’ schools. MOASH provides training and resources to schools in Michigan on supporting LGBTQ+ youth, helps workplaces create more supportive environments, and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights at the state level. It took me a few days to gather the courage, but eventually I got contact information from their website and reached out, asking what I could do as a person of faith to help their efforts. I was afraid I’d be dismissed as an unserious ally, someone trying to parachute into the middle of the work they’ve been doing for decades. Instead, they were thrilled to brainstorm with me about ways I could use my connections with the church to help them in their mission. One of the greatest dangers of this moment of chaos, disruption, and destruction is that we often feel isolated, doubtful that the world needs the time and talents we have to offer. A powerful way to put that feeling aside is to work to build connections, not just between individuals, but between organizations.
|
