From the Social Justice Ministry
Racism: the assertion of superiority by one racial group over another. It is the exercising of power that abuses or disadvantages people on the basis of their perceived racial difference, while the dominant group maintains privileges and advantages through racist and discriminatory practices.
Racism is perpetuated at the individual level, but the accumulated effect of centuries of white racism have left it deeply entrenched at the systemic and institutional levels.
Racism cannot be reduced to an individual psychological phenomenon. It is a historical development.
Racism had a beginning and it can have an end.
S. Kardash and S. Lamble, 2003
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Hogwarts Halloween Party
Get into your wizardy best costume and come to Pilgrim's Hogwarts Halloween party! Make your own wand, take in a session of the potions class, visit the joke shoppe, relax in the Three Broomsticks Tavern, compete in a sock relay--It all happens on Sunday, October 25th from 6:30-8:00 at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 2310 E. 4th Street, Duluth
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday School Begins September 13; New Music Program for Kids
Along with the beginning of the school year, Pilgrim's educational activities for children and youth are starting up. September 13 is Gathering Sunday when Sunday School classes begin. This year we have two classes: one for children ages 4-2nd grade and the other for children 3rd-6th grade. Both classes encourage children to learn stories from the Bible. The younger class uses Godly Play and the older class focuses its attention on Jesus and His Kingdom of Equals. These curricula were chosen because they teach Biblical stories, engage children in age appropriate critical thinking, and emphasize issues of social justice as well as personal spirituality. Classes meet during the worship service.
Make a Joyful Noise is a new program at Pilgrim designed for children ages 5-10. Not a church choir, this weekday program is an integrated approach to music using songs, percussion, movement and stories. The class meets on Wednesdays at 6:00.
Sunday School and Make a Joyful Noise is open to Pilgrim members and non-members. For more information, contact the church office at 724-8503 or pilgrimdlh@msn.com.
Make a Joyful Noise is a new program at Pilgrim designed for children ages 5-10. Not a church choir, this weekday program is an integrated approach to music using songs, percussion, movement and stories. The class meets on Wednesdays at 6:00.
Sunday School and Make a Joyful Noise is open to Pilgrim members and non-members. For more information, contact the church office at 724-8503 or pilgrimdlh@msn.com.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Channel 6 newscast
We all made it safely back to Duluth on August 10--some of us in the very wee hours of the morning. We're back to work and play and thinking about school beginning again. Channel 6 in Duluth is doing a story of our trip using footage from a videographer who was at Common Hope the same time we were. Deb and Morgan Mitchell were interviewed by one of the local reporters. Check out the news broadcasts tonight (August 20) or check Channel 6's website.
Our group will be making a report to the congregation, including pictures and commentary on our trip, probably on October 4. If you've enjoyed our blog, plan to be with us that Sunday morning.
Our group will be making a report to the congregation, including pictures and commentary on our trip, probably on October 4. If you've enjoyed our blog, plan to be with us that Sunday morning.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Y Tambien
y tambien. . . .and also. . . Saturday we had the opportunity to learn more about Guatemala{s people, culture and heritage. We spent the morning with Don Filiberto and his family. They live in San Miguel Escobar, just beyond San Pedro las Huertas. The story is that the town was once flooded by waters that overflowed from the top of Volcan Agua and then was reestablished by a rich man whose name was Miguel Escobar---and to honor him after his death, the villagers used his name. Officially, the community is a zone of Cuidad Vieja.
We arrived at Filiberto{s home where we were greeted by him, his wife and five of their eleven children. They served us hot chocolate--a traditional drink served on holidays or when special guests arrive. We climbed with them up the volcano to their cornfield. Occasionally we{d stop along the way for explanation of the fields through which we were walking. Jocote grows as a fruit from which liquor or jam can be made. Beans (friolijes) are planted between corn stalks where they can climb. Coffee is grown under taller trees because they need the shade. We saw avocado and quave trees.
Occasionally we just stopped to catch our breath and/or survey the beauty of the scenery. The climb was strenuous and the altitude got to some of us--but we all made it to the cornfield. There Filiberto told us about his family{s life during the years 1990-1992 when 14 guerrillas took up residence in his field. He and his neighbors were required to feed them and bring them water against orders from the army. Like many others, he and his family only wanted to live their lives peacefully and were caught in the middle of the conflict.
Maria Elena, his wife, made tortillas for us while his three sons mixed up fresh guacamole. Alex perfected his skill at making small tortillas and helped! We ate until we were full and then headed down the trail. We spent some time at Filiberto{s home, purchasing aprons made by one of the daughters and then saying goodbye to Felix, of Common Hope{s construction crew. Felix was delivering coffee he had promised some of us. And then there were ducks, chickens and other household animals to entertain us as well. Filiberto{s family is affiliated with Common Hope--what an example of the way a family works together. The eleven children range in age from 24 to 9--one of the older is now a teacher and another is a bilingual secretary.
We came back to Common Hope for quick showers and clean up and went into Antigua for lunch at Condesa Cafe--great soups and sandwiches on the menu, breakfast served all day, and yummy desserts. Then it was back into a van for the trip to Santiago Zamora (25 minutes from Antigua). In Santiago Zamora, a Ketchiquil community, the women formed a weaving cooperative. Money they raise has made it possible for them to send their children to school and to start a medical clinic in the village. In addition to selling textiles, they welcome visitors with demonstrations of their work and traditional Guatemalan food. So we ate again--chicken pepian, tortillas, lemonade or jicama drink.
The rains came while we were at Santiage Zamora--for about 20 minutes it poured and the rain on the tin roof made it impossible to hear our hostess{ story, but in typical Guatemala style, our hostesses waited patiently until the uproar ceased and then resumed their presentations.
Back to Common Hope--then Morgan and Deb, Nan, Stacey, Joanie, Sarah, and Bridget went out to dinner at La Pena de Sol Latino--good food, slow service. Katie, Claire, and Alex decided they were worn out from the day{s activities, so they stayed at Common Hope and relaxed while Charlotte and Abbie, our Common Hope hospitality person, finished up some work.
Today we head home--we{ll leave Antigua about 11:00, fly through Houston, and get back to Minneapolis about midnight. It{s been a full week, rich in all sorts of experiences. It{s been a great group--folks worked together well, took care of each other, and learned a lot. It{s been fun to share our week via this blog. Common Hope{s web site isn{t quite up to date, but check back next week--we are leaving pictures behind which they will post. Among our group we are sponsoring 7 Common Hope children--so the relationships we{ve made here in Guatemala are likely to continue.
Take care.
We arrived at Filiberto{s home where we were greeted by him, his wife and five of their eleven children. They served us hot chocolate--a traditional drink served on holidays or when special guests arrive. We climbed with them up the volcano to their cornfield. Occasionally we{d stop along the way for explanation of the fields through which we were walking. Jocote grows as a fruit from which liquor or jam can be made. Beans (friolijes) are planted between corn stalks where they can climb. Coffee is grown under taller trees because they need the shade. We saw avocado and quave trees.
Occasionally we just stopped to catch our breath and/or survey the beauty of the scenery. The climb was strenuous and the altitude got to some of us--but we all made it to the cornfield. There Filiberto told us about his family{s life during the years 1990-1992 when 14 guerrillas took up residence in his field. He and his neighbors were required to feed them and bring them water against orders from the army. Like many others, he and his family only wanted to live their lives peacefully and were caught in the middle of the conflict.
Maria Elena, his wife, made tortillas for us while his three sons mixed up fresh guacamole. Alex perfected his skill at making small tortillas and helped! We ate until we were full and then headed down the trail. We spent some time at Filiberto{s home, purchasing aprons made by one of the daughters and then saying goodbye to Felix, of Common Hope{s construction crew. Felix was delivering coffee he had promised some of us. And then there were ducks, chickens and other household animals to entertain us as well. Filiberto{s family is affiliated with Common Hope--what an example of the way a family works together. The eleven children range in age from 24 to 9--one of the older is now a teacher and another is a bilingual secretary.
We came back to Common Hope for quick showers and clean up and went into Antigua for lunch at Condesa Cafe--great soups and sandwiches on the menu, breakfast served all day, and yummy desserts. Then it was back into a van for the trip to Santiago Zamora (25 minutes from Antigua). In Santiago Zamora, a Ketchiquil community, the women formed a weaving cooperative. Money they raise has made it possible for them to send their children to school and to start a medical clinic in the village. In addition to selling textiles, they welcome visitors with demonstrations of their work and traditional Guatemalan food. So we ate again--chicken pepian, tortillas, lemonade or jicama drink.
The rains came while we were at Santiage Zamora--for about 20 minutes it poured and the rain on the tin roof made it impossible to hear our hostess{ story, but in typical Guatemala style, our hostesses waited patiently until the uproar ceased and then resumed their presentations.
Back to Common Hope--then Morgan and Deb, Nan, Stacey, Joanie, Sarah, and Bridget went out to dinner at La Pena de Sol Latino--good food, slow service. Katie, Claire, and Alex decided they were worn out from the day{s activities, so they stayed at Common Hope and relaxed while Charlotte and Abbie, our Common Hope hospitality person, finished up some work.
Today we head home--we{ll leave Antigua about 11:00, fly through Houston, and get back to Minneapolis about midnight. It{s been a full week, rich in all sorts of experiences. It{s been a great group--folks worked together well, took care of each other, and learned a lot. It{s been fun to share our week via this blog. Common Hope{s web site isn{t quite up to date, but check back next week--we are leaving pictures behind which they will post. Among our group we are sponsoring 7 Common Hope children--so the relationships we{ve made here in Guatemala are likely to continue.
Take care.
Friday, August 7, 2009
End of the work week
It{s another Guatemalan experience--waiting for a food order that somehow got lost. We{re hanging out in the common area of the dormitory, playing cards, doing crossword puzzles, washing and drying clothes, telling stories, etc. and waiting for a pizza delivery.
The construction crew thought they were in for a light morning laying out the forms for the foundation of the house to be built in San Rafael. This house will have a poured concrete floor rather than tiles. BUT. . .Joanie, Claire, Deb and Charlotte put in a day that equaled any other day this week. The problem was that the site for the house wasn{t quite large enough, nor was the site as level as it appeared. We had to build up one side of the site by several inches and we watched as the experienced crew from Common Hope solved the problems posed by the size of the house. The site is elevated a good 36 inches (at least) from the ground immediately in front of it. There wasn{t enought loose soil available to build up to the height of the site. But there were some old concrete pilings on the property and the construction crew decided they could be used to fill in the area. More scraping and excavating to make the space fit the concrete pilings. We never would have gotten the job done without Joanie. She and a long term volunteer moved the wheelbarrow, sometimes need to lift it over the already-positioned forms. The rest of us scraped, shoveled, pick axed and tamped dirt until our arms wouldn{t move any longer.
Nan, Bridget, Stacey and Sarah each oberserved classes in a pilot school run by Common Hope. The children who go to school here have emotional or behavioral problems or have some other learning challenges. Classes tend to be noisy with a lot of disruptions. No IEPs and learning goals that educators in the US are used to.
Alex, Morgan and Katie spent the morning at the warehouse sorting school supplies and doing inventory.
After a lunch of chicken pepin (almost a national dish in Guatemala) we had the opportunity to buy goods produced by vendors who are part of a group called As Green as it Gets. The founders of the group spoke to us and helped us appreciate the creativity and initiative that are prerequesites to belonging to this particular group. As Green As it Gets has a website and some of their products can be ordered stateside.
Sometime after 2:00 our team and a few others gathered at the home completed this week to have a house blessing and celebration. Luis, the young man of the family who worked with us all week, was there along with a brother. We exchanged thanks, wished his family well, prayed for their wellbeing in their new home, said the Lord{s prayer together in Spanish, and ate chocolate Tres Leches cake provided by Common Hope.
Then there were goodbyes with the staff with whom we{d worked all week--members of the various departments helped bid us goodbye. Again, there were many expressions of thanks, tears, hugs, laughs, and each of us were presented with a banner from Familias de Esperanza, as Common Hope is known here.
The pizzas just arrived, and there{s not too much more to report. Take care. We{ll be home in another two days.
The construction crew thought they were in for a light morning laying out the forms for the foundation of the house to be built in San Rafael. This house will have a poured concrete floor rather than tiles. BUT. . .Joanie, Claire, Deb and Charlotte put in a day that equaled any other day this week. The problem was that the site for the house wasn{t quite large enough, nor was the site as level as it appeared. We had to build up one side of the site by several inches and we watched as the experienced crew from Common Hope solved the problems posed by the size of the house. The site is elevated a good 36 inches (at least) from the ground immediately in front of it. There wasn{t enought loose soil available to build up to the height of the site. But there were some old concrete pilings on the property and the construction crew decided they could be used to fill in the area. More scraping and excavating to make the space fit the concrete pilings. We never would have gotten the job done without Joanie. She and a long term volunteer moved the wheelbarrow, sometimes need to lift it over the already-positioned forms. The rest of us scraped, shoveled, pick axed and tamped dirt until our arms wouldn{t move any longer.
Nan, Bridget, Stacey and Sarah each oberserved classes in a pilot school run by Common Hope. The children who go to school here have emotional or behavioral problems or have some other learning challenges. Classes tend to be noisy with a lot of disruptions. No IEPs and learning goals that educators in the US are used to.
Alex, Morgan and Katie spent the morning at the warehouse sorting school supplies and doing inventory.
After a lunch of chicken pepin (almost a national dish in Guatemala) we had the opportunity to buy goods produced by vendors who are part of a group called As Green as it Gets. The founders of the group spoke to us and helped us appreciate the creativity and initiative that are prerequesites to belonging to this particular group. As Green As it Gets has a website and some of their products can be ordered stateside.
Sometime after 2:00 our team and a few others gathered at the home completed this week to have a house blessing and celebration. Luis, the young man of the family who worked with us all week, was there along with a brother. We exchanged thanks, wished his family well, prayed for their wellbeing in their new home, said the Lord{s prayer together in Spanish, and ate chocolate Tres Leches cake provided by Common Hope.
Then there were goodbyes with the staff with whom we{d worked all week--members of the various departments helped bid us goodbye. Again, there were many expressions of thanks, tears, hugs, laughs, and each of us were presented with a banner from Familias de Esperanza, as Common Hope is known here.
The pizzas just arrived, and there{s not too much more to report. Take care. We{ll be home in another two days.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The house is done!
Today{s construction crew put in a long morning--but when they left the site, the house was up and roofed with corrugated tin. Nan, Claire, Bridgit, Katie, Deb and Morgan were all part of the construction crew. They had help from the family who will live in the house--a grown son worked with us all week, the dad was there today, and one of the youngest members of the family tried to help. He wanted to keep the waterbottles filled--but didn{t know we drink agua pura instead of water from the village{s supply!
Alex and Charlotte made three home visits with a social worker. They had fun at one home where the family makes tortillas to sell by the basketful. They asked if they could watch the tortilla makers, a grandmother and her teen-aged or young adult granddaughter. Before long, Alex and Charlotte were slapping a tortilla each into shape. The family cooked them and enjoyed watching them eat them. Sarah was in the daycare rooms playing with pre-schoolers.
Joanie and Stacey were in San Rafael all day. Fortunately, Stacey took along arts and crafts ideas and supplies with which to engage children who were waiting to be seen in the clinic. Eventually Stacey got to visit with the child she is sponsoring, Joanie{s child{s family was working in the fields all day and that meeting didn{t take place. What a disappointment!
During the afternoon, a much smaller construction crew--Bridget, Sarah and Charlotte--delivered materials to San Rafael so that next week another team will be able to build a house for a family there. We thought they{d have to continue levelling the site, but the family had worked hard and there was no need to get the pick axes going again. (Correction to the previous post--the crew broke 5 of the 6 pick axes they{d used to break up the soil.)
Nan and Claire and Deb and Morgan were off on home visits with social workers and Katie visited a girl she and her grandmother have sponsored throughout Katie{s high school years. Conversation was a little slow, but they both enjoy soccer and discovered some other similar interests.
After supper, it seemed good to take a little time off and go into town--Charlotte and Abby arranged it so we could go to Antigua (2.5 km) for ice cream cones at Marco Polo{s and some shopping at Nim Pot. Most of us came home with at least a few souvenirs or gifts for folks at home.
The weather{s been great! It{s cool enough in the early morning and evening that we{re glad to have fleece jackets or sweatshirts. It{s the rainy season but we haven{t had rain since Sunday. Afternoons are hot and sunny. In Guatemala, temperatures tend to depend on elevation. Because we are close to the equator, it gets dark much sooner than in Duluth--it{s quite dark by 7:00 or so. Take care.
Alex and Charlotte made three home visits with a social worker. They had fun at one home where the family makes tortillas to sell by the basketful. They asked if they could watch the tortilla makers, a grandmother and her teen-aged or young adult granddaughter. Before long, Alex and Charlotte were slapping a tortilla each into shape. The family cooked them and enjoyed watching them eat them. Sarah was in the daycare rooms playing with pre-schoolers.
Joanie and Stacey were in San Rafael all day. Fortunately, Stacey took along arts and crafts ideas and supplies with which to engage children who were waiting to be seen in the clinic. Eventually Stacey got to visit with the child she is sponsoring, Joanie{s child{s family was working in the fields all day and that meeting didn{t take place. What a disappointment!
During the afternoon, a much smaller construction crew--Bridget, Sarah and Charlotte--delivered materials to San Rafael so that next week another team will be able to build a house for a family there. We thought they{d have to continue levelling the site, but the family had worked hard and there was no need to get the pick axes going again. (Correction to the previous post--the crew broke 5 of the 6 pick axes they{d used to break up the soil.)
Nan and Claire and Deb and Morgan were off on home visits with social workers and Katie visited a girl she and her grandmother have sponsored throughout Katie{s high school years. Conversation was a little slow, but they both enjoy soccer and discovered some other similar interests.
After supper, it seemed good to take a little time off and go into town--Charlotte and Abby arranged it so we could go to Antigua (2.5 km) for ice cream cones at Marco Polo{s and some shopping at Nim Pot. Most of us came home with at least a few souvenirs or gifts for folks at home.
The weather{s been great! It{s cool enough in the early morning and evening that we{re glad to have fleece jackets or sweatshirts. It{s the rainy season but we haven{t had rain since Sunday. Afternoons are hot and sunny. In Guatemala, temperatures tend to depend on elevation. Because we are close to the equator, it gets dark much sooner than in Duluth--it{s quite dark by 7:00 or so. Take care.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)