Having a new perspective in a changing world

 

We will be blogging individual articles from The League Line, our quarterly newsletter

Summer 2020 Issue: http://bredl.org/theleagueline/Summer2020.pdf

Index to this and other issues: http://bredl.org/theleagueline/index.htm

By Rev. Charles N. Utley, Associate Director

“It falls on all of us, regardless of our race or situation…to work together to create a new normal in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions and our hearts”                   

- Former President Barack Obama 

Now is the time for us to consider that our world is not just what we see, but it extends beyond our imagination. The movement across the globe has opened doors and closed doors, making a significant difference in the operation of our daily lives. We are grappling with the idea that things that offend others because of their historic significance may well divide a Nation. To witness the brutal assault against those whose complexion looks different from ours, or to judge an individual because of the community they live in, helps to spread injustice and inequality.

It has become obvious that there is movement taking place in our world today that affects everyone near and far. The spread of COVID-19 has raised issues of the injustice that plagues our world. It has made the point that those who are first responders and service personnel stand the greatest risk of becoming infected with the virus. It has awakened the conscience of the whole world to that injustice, while pointing to the discrimination of environmental injustice in its many forms. As we continue to strive for justice in the minority communities across the globe, it has become apparent that those who have the least are among the most affected. Those who have the responsibility of being a caretaker are among those most at risk.

Considering how the West Africa Saharan Desert Dust traveled across the Atlantic Ocean should remind us that there is such a thing as the Tradewinds. That is why, if we are to be a country that represents Justice and Equality and Equal Rights, we must have a mindset to change our perspective on all people regardless of where they may live in the world. We as Americans should become a Tradewind of these same principles. Because whatever happens in their world will eventually affect ours also. That is why we must have a change of perspective about our environment, because our neighbors are not the ones we see next door, but those who are across the globe.

Hearing individuals express that what has been an offence to others never crossed their mind makes all of us wonder how little we are connected to each other. And therefore, we all must have a change of perspective so that what offends you also should offend me. That is the same scenario as those who seek to forcedly invade our communities with facilities known to bring a range of potential life-threatening, long-lasting environmental effects. Let us keep in mind that all lives matter and we all need to be able to “breathe”.

Therefore, the work of BREDL should continue to focus on the empowering of our communities through Environmental Justice as our world is turned upside down.