Alka's Angle

Some of you, who are involved at the Annual Conference or denominational level, know that one of the ways I serve our connectional church is by serving on the Board of Directors of the UM General Commission on Religion and Race - a commission that was established in 1968, in the newly formed United Methodist Church, to hold the denomination “accountable in its commitment to reject the sin of racism in every aspect of the life of the church.”  And while our primary focus continues to be the racial disparity with the church and beyond, our work now extends to a broader context - nationalism, homophobia, disability awareness, gender bias - because we know that all oppression is connected, and therefore cannot be dismantled in isolation. 

Dear Broadway Family,

(Trigger warning - the first paragraph is about church and homosexuality. Feel free to skip this paragraph, if this might be difficult for you)

 This Sunday will be the first Sunday of May and the beginning of Asian Heritage Month. Asia is a huge continent with many countries and cultures- reflecting also in the 22 million people that identify as Asian American in the United States. According to pew research, the people identified as Asian Americans in the US come from more than 20 countries in East and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, each with unique histories, cultures, languages and other characteristics. A few facts about Asian Americans:

Today. April 22nd is observed as Earth Day, every year by people around the globe, in an effort to promote awareness for the environment’s health. We all know the damage we have done to our planet and will continue if we do not try to change our ways of being and do what we can lower our footprint. Did you know -

As I write this, I am also watching the Historic Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female justice to the Supreme Court. I am reminded that last year Kamala Harris, of Black and Asian heritage was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America. Thirteen years ago Barack Obama became the President of this country and made history as the first Black person to be elected to this office.