Make the Choice for Good – Building the Beloved Community
2 Peter 1:3-4
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
We have everything we need to live a godly life that gives God glory. Certainly, we’ve been given each other and the power to participate. I love that the word ‘participate’ is in the scriptures and it’s there often. It’s a reminder that we aren’t merely spectators in this life – neither in the natural or spiritual.
Our faith, like our democracy, requires our participation. That’s an important fact.
We get to make choices about how we live and who we live for. Yes, there is evil in the world. We see it daily and we witness the ways that it corrupts our neighbors, family and communities. We saw it at the country’s Capitol last Wednesday. BUT we get to choose. So as we make the choice to continue to fight for what’s right, we must choose love. When we choose love, we make space for liberation, justice, goodness, care, and godliness for all of us – not just the few.
All of this will require God’s divine power. How fitting, then, that we are already promised that God’s divine power has given us everything we need? Blessings.
Qu’ran Reflection
“On the authority of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree (ra) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say, ‘Whoso-ever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.’”
In the presence of evil and injustice, our faith teaches us that we must stand up. The Prophet tells us exactly what we must do. First, we must enact change with our actions. If we are unable to do that, next we must try to create change by speaking out against it, using our tongue. If we are in a situation where we cannot even do that, then we must reject the injustice and evil within our hearts. Nevertheless, we must understand that having the option to solely reject it within our hearts is not an excuse to stand by and keep quiet. The act of rejecting just with our hearts is in fact the weakest manifestation of our faith.
In our political context, we have to use our hands and our tongues. We must enact change with action, by educating our neighbors, attending legislative sessions, organizing town halls, and door knocking. We enact change with our speech by posting on social media and writing letters to the editor. As for our hearts, we all know the dangers of white supremacy and we believe that together, we will create a fair democracy and a caring economy. But as we all know now, that is the least we could do.
With our hands, tongues, and hearts, we will make sure that together we create a Minnesota that works for all of us. We are agents of change and our faith compels us to be so.
ISAIAH’s We Make Minnesota Virtual Launch!
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 | 2-5pm
Join us for our bi-annual ISAIAH-wide event! You and a few thousand of your closest and most powerful friends will get clear about how we will create the state we need to thrive and the steps we are taking in 2021 to get there!
ISAIAH’s We Make Minnesota Virtual Launch is your chance to build power with our elected leaders and provide your vision of a government #WhoCaresForUs.
Minnesota Legislative Session Has Begun!
It’s that time of year again – legislative session! And this year is a budget year. That means that we as a state will be crafting our moral document (The State Budget) that illustrates how we plan to tangibly take care of one another for the next two years. Especially in a pandemic, this is a big opportunity to have major positive impact in the day to day lives of families and make it possible to thrive in both the near and far future.
This will be different in year’s past because of the pandemic. We’ll likely be “showing up” to virtual hearings to testify instead of in-person ones at the Capitol. We’ll be sending more emails and letters and making more phone calls and social media posts that every before.
But some things will be the same – we won’t have a ton of advance notice when we need to boldly show up for one another and ourselves and you don’t need to be an expert to make your voice heard.
Stay tuned for more information as we march on to get all the good things our families deserve!
We Are #GreaterThanFear
In both the triumph and horror, we can see clearly that ORGANIZING WORKS. Years of organizing for racial justice and building a multiracial democracy are what made it possible for the people of Georgia to elect leaders who have plans for expanding voting rights and healthcare, caring for the planet so it can care for us, raising wages and providing sick time—policies that benefit everyone while eclipsing previous leadership’s centuries-long work to benefit the very wealthy to the detriment of everyone else.
On Wednesday we also witnessed the organized opposition to that change. Incited by the president and other elected officials who routinely attempt to divide us, provoke violence, and undermine our democracy, insurrectionists at the Capitol leveraged police forces, skin tone and gender, to induce fear, panic, and violence. This has been the opposition’s tactic since the inception of America.
But the true fear felt now is their own. They know that the era of their oppressive reign is coming to an end. Because organizing works. We the People—across race, region, and religion—have created a promised era of possibilities and the ability for us all to thrive. We have the power, courage, and tenacity to keep moving forward—we just need to make the choice to do it.
Georgia Organizing Wins!
This summer, we marched to #DefendBlackLives. Then Georgia organizers, leaders and residents organized to #DeliverBlackDreams. Georgians showed up in record numbers both in November AND this month to vote to build a multiracial democracy where everyone can thrive. In order for a democracy to work for all of us, it must include all of us and that is what the powerful organizing in the south is proving!
Justice for Dolal Idd – Killed by MPD
“So many of us are in pain and we keep feeling it over and over again. We have offered condolences to the family. But that’s not where it ends. We must organize. We must change the trajectory for our communities and for our youth. It’s time to stand up. It’s time to get involved. It’s time to claim our voices. How long are we going to wait around while police forces kill us?” Abdulahi Farah, lead organizer with Muslim Coalition of ISAIAH.
Childcare Week Of Action
It’s our moment to powerfully share our stories as parents, teachers, and providers to finally get the resources we have needed for years. Our legislators are currently in session and childcare is one of the top 10 priorities in the Minnesota House. We need to push the House to continue to lead boldly and to push the Senate to lead for all Minnesotan families.
Please lift up your voices now to let legislators know that we are watching and that our kids and families need them to lead.
Justice for Myon Burrell
It’s always the right time to do the right thing.
Without a weapon, fingerprints or hard evidence, and with countless witnesses vouching that he wasn’t even there, a teenage Myon Burrell was still sentenced to life in prison 18 years ago. There have been countless cases that illustrate the unjust nature of our criminal punishment system, and this one is yet another.
BUT GOD! Myon was released from imprisonment after a pardons board commuted his sentence.? Let us continue to push so that justice can truly be served for the Burrell family, the many lives impacted by the layers of this tragedy, and for the many more people in America with similar stories.
Equitable COVID19 Vaccine Distribution
All Minnesotans deserve the opportunity to be healthy regardless of incarceration or immigration status—that means people living in high-risk facilities need access to the vaccine to save lives and stop the outbreak in our state.
ISAIAH along with partners across the state are pushing for equitable vaccine distribution.
Executive Director Doran Schrantz Piece Selected Top 10 of 2020
“Our invitation to people is to be a co-creator and a protagonist in an extraordinary political project, to make the world and to make our future.”
ISAIAH Executive Director Doran Schrantz’s piece on building a multiracial democracy is one of The Forge: Organizing Strategy and Practice’s top 10 contributions of 2020. Check it out!
We’re Hiring! Join Our Team
We are seeking a financial management leader who can help scale ISAIAH’s accounting practices with our growth while carrying out our values around racial justice and equity. We are also seeking a southern Minnesota associate organizer to energize and grow our base. Join us!
