After a morning marked by rather traditional classroom based pedagogy, this afternoon Faith & Justice’s Fall Gathering: The Way of Jesus for Today moved to the streets. More specifically, the afternoon schedule included two hours at the George Floyd Memorial.
Say Their Names
As I exited an Uber and stepped out I was shocked to see a field of gravestones: the Say Their Names Cemetery. This initial experience set the tone for all that was ahead.
Walking on Sacred Ground
Our time at the Memorial was made more meaningful thanks to Rise & Remember. After a short orientation from the organization’s Executive Director, we were split up into groups of 10-12 and each group was assigned Kia Bible as our pilgrimage guide.
After spending time walking through the cemetery in silence reflecting on both the stories of some of the people marked by tombstones (as the sole Texas participant, for example, I spent time at Botham Jean’s tombstone), we were invited to journey to the square.
Our group was intentional about taking up space, including on the road. And, aided by our guide’s lived experience, were invited to more deeply understand much of what has transpired in this neighborhood leading up to George Floyd’s murder and in the years since.
As we walked we listened and learned. We also met people from the neighborhood in the neighborhood and took time to listen to their stories.
And, we paused at the historic George Floyd Memorial.
Finally, we heard more of our guide’s story before returning to the cemetery. Once there we met up with the other groups and participated in a debriefing exercise to help us reflect on our experience.
So What?
While it is somewhat easy to provide a basic account of the streets we walked, it is impossible to explain the impact the experience had on our group. I can, however, tell you that this was an experience that pushed me beyond my comfort zone and invited me to think about the world as it is and to compare that to the world as I know God intends. Journeying alongside a diverse cohort, I became well aware of how our differences impacted our pilgrimage experience.
I’m continuing to reflect on what this means for me as a follower of the Way of Jesus and as one who seeks to faithfully do my part to make more real God’s kin-dom on earth for all of God’s people.
I’d welcome hearing your story. How is God leading you to get involved?