Those Could Have Been My Neighbors; That Could Have Been My Child

These are the names of the people who were targeted and shot in a Buffalo Tops grocery store this past Saturday:

• Roberta A. Drury of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 32
• Margus D. Morrison of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 52
• Andre Mackneil of Auburn, N.Y. – age 53
• Aaron Salter of Lockport, N.Y. – age 55
• Geraldine Talley of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 62
• Celestine Chaney of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 65
• Heyward Patterson of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 67
• Katherine Massey of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 72
• Pearl Young of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 77
• Ruth Whitfield of Buffalo, N.Y. – age 86

That could have been my grocery store, my neighbors. I live in a neighborhood which is still one of the few places in Seattle that is minority white, in which a majority are Black folks and other people of color. But maybe more terrifyingly, the young man who perpetrated this act of terror could have been my child.

The teen who committed this horrifying violence - and live-streamed it for others to see! - was scarcely older than the children who live in many of our homes. He was influenced by the same social media and streaming platforms that many of our children use. How are we countering the influence of white nationalism and white supremacy with the white children in our homes? Especially the white boys.

I found Britt Hawthorne's comments in an Instagram Live video very inspiring and practical. She is an Anti-Racism educator who, in response to the Buffalo shooting, shared specifics tips about how to talk to children about this or any act of racist violence. It's about 15 minutes long and worth watching in its entirety, but she provides a brief written summary if you don't want to/have time to watch.

What I found particularly helpful was the way she shared the conversation she had with her 15-year-old son about her boundaries and expectations related to how he engages with this or other violent content he encounters on social media. She invited him to consider the way viewing this violence would affect him, how the families of victims would feel about having people viewing it and why the shooter might want others to see it. She also told him very clearly that if he did encounter this or other violent images like in in social media that he disclose it to her so that she could help process it.


Hawthorn's child is not white. He is not going to be a target on social media for the white nationalism that the Buffalo shooter was influenced by, but he will absolutely be harmed by it. For those of you who love children of color your conversation may sound more like hers. My child is in the demographic of young people who will be recruited to white nationalist. Many of our children are. They too need to know our boundaries and values. We need to give them the tools that they need to counter supremacist thinking. They may already know more than we think they do and our silence will not protect them.

Here are a few resources that I've found that I hope will help you (and me!) start or continue the conversation. I started with the first link at Embrace Race (where there are many other great resources) and found the next three there.Four Steps for helping kids push back against white supremacy

• Common beliefs and understanding of white nationalists, including how its spread online and in schools
• Dos and Don'ts of talking to kids about white supremacy - written after the attacks in Charlottesville, but extremely relevant to today
• How White Nationalism sneaks in through social media, calling out specific YouTubers and streamers.

Hawthorne starts her IG live with the encouragement to resist the ostrich effect, a strong temptation for those of us who are white and can easily give in to the overwhelm and stick our heads in the sand. But she ends with ideas for action and advocacy. This is where I find the most hope: taking action as an individual, as a family and in my community to identify and resist the ideas pit our differences against each other.

May God give us the strength and wisdom to be conspirators for love and justice.

Thank God for Abortion?

Maybe you, like me, have been talking in your households about the recent leaked draft opinion about overturning Roe v Wade. Maybe you've been talking with your partners and friends. Have you been talking with your church? There are people in your church who have had abortions. Maybe you are one of them.

We progressive Mennonites are not alone among progressive Christians who are vocal about many liberal leaning political issues but shy away from talking openly about abortion because of the shame and secrecy that surrounds our experiences of it. But one third of people who can bear children will have an abortion in their lifetime and the majority of those who receive abortion healthcare in the US are already mothers. We are not excluded.

My teen (whose most recent future career dream is OBGYN, incidentally) was listening in when her dad and I were discussing our disgust and disappointment about the likely SCOTUS ruling, asking questions about it, about the implications. We talked about some of the other likely outcomes: that this ruling will disproportionately affect people of color and those who are poor. That unwanted pregnancies increase poverty. That those who can afford to receive care will come to places like Washington to receive it, which will impact access for everyone. We shared our frustration that those who profess to be pro-life seem not to care much for the lives of the children and families affected.

Later, after some reflection she asked some more personal questions: Would I have an abortion if I got pregnant now. What should she do if she became pregnant? Yes, I said. Without hesitation, I would have an abortion. And while I would want the choice to be hers, I would support her in seeking an abortion. I believe all of our children who can or will be able to become pregnant and all of our children who might partner a pregnant person (ie. all of them!) should also hear this affirmation.

The God who created us cares deeply about us. About our children. God's love for us and for each human life is for the whole of our lives. I believe this means that I need to be sensitive to the ways that pregnancy and birth affect the whole lives of the people whose bodies carry a pregnancy and care for those who will be born. God wants us to thrive. That is the meaning of shalom. We are a shalom people.

The God who created us cares deeply for our freedom. God wants us to make choices that will care for our own health, the health and vibrancy of our communities and the health and flourishing of the earth. God gave us both this freedom and the responsibility to steward and care for the earth through the choices we make. God values our personhood and the ability we have to care for creation and for our own bodies.

I thank God for abortion. I thank God for abortion in the same way I thank God for birth control and for the miracle of medical science that can offer non-fertile people the ability to bear children. In the same way I'm thankful that after I miscarried, I was able to receive the surgical procedure that I needed to prevent abnormal cell growth in my body. I thank God for these interventions which give us the ability to create families (or not!) and have lives and children that can be healthy and whole and thriving in our and God's loving care.

If you are looking for more faith-based support for abortion care, I encourage you to check out the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. For scholarly Biblical understandings that counter the conservative Biblical narrative try the writing of Rev. Dr. Cheryl Anderson. And for a compassionate look at the balance between the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of freedom of conscience see the Salt Project. Please also learn more about Viva Ruiz, the artist whose work is pictured above at ThankGodforAbortion.com.

If you are advocating around abortion as healthcare, I encourage you to do so a person of faith. As a person who is seeking shalom in the world - God's vision for a Just Peace for all of creation. May we together grow into God's vision.