Our BelPresJustice.org website just got an update and an upgrade! We've upgraded the software version, and added all of the content from our newsletters since we first started sending them. Here's a little history about the site.
In mid-2018, we began work on a website dedicated to the J&RR Team at Bellevue Presbyterian Church (BelPres). The purpose of the site was to provide a place to post our team meetings, events sponsored by the J&RR Team, BelPres events, and local Community events in support of racial justice and reconciliation. We also posted links to the books we've studied, to movies and videos we've seen, and podcasts we've heard, along with other relevant articles.
Many are deeply troubled by the ongoing death and destruction in Gaza. If you are among those who long to see the horrific violence in the Holy Land come to an end, join people of all faiths – including friends from BelPres – for the Seattle Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage walk on Saturday, March 9.
The Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage walk is an event taking place in over 100 cities worldwide during the season of Lent. The Seattle walking route travels through both Seattle and the Eastside and covers 25 miles – the same length as the Gaza Strip. The route loops around the north end of Lake Washington and, for those walking the entire distance, you should allow 10-12 hours. Participants are welcome to walk as much or little as they want.
A few weeks ago, several members of the J&RR team went to Bethany Community Church to hear a keynote address on justice from Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra. The focus of her message was on "Familia Justice" — what would justice look like if we saw everyone around us as family?
This powerful message is now available on video. You can watch the whole event which includes a panel discussion, or if you'd just like to watch the keynote, it begins at minute 8 and ends at minute 40.
Link to Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra's Familia Justice Keynote
Looking for a local summer outing? Bellevue Arts Museum is hosting an exhibit called Strange Weather, featuring contemporary works of art spanning five decades.
Throughout the Just Neighbors sermon series, we learned about God's call to bring justice where we live and how to use our property and land for his purposes to heal the spiritual and physical effects of redlining and racially restrictive covenants in Seattle and the Eastside.
As you think about how to put this into practice in your own life, take advantage of the following opportunities to learn more.
Take time this month to learn from and about the Native American community.
Resources for Children
Read one of these picture books with your children. All are available at the King County Library System. Click on the covers to learn more about the books.
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September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month. This is a month celebrated nationwide to honor the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Set aside some time this month to learn from and about this community.
Learn about History
Watch the 6-part documentary series Latino Americans from PBS to learn about the history of Latinos over the last 500 years.
In his book How the Word Is Passed, Clint Smith travels to Galveston Island, the origin of the Juneteenth holiday, to observe their annual celebration. He watches as a local man, dressed as Union General Gordon Granger, reads the proclamation from June 19, 1865, declaring the end of slavery. Smith writes,
"All slaves are free. The four words circled the room like birds that had been separated from their flock. I watched people's faces as Stephen said these words. Some closed their eyes. Some were physically shaking. Some clasped hands with the person next to them. Some simply smiled, soaking in the words that their ancestors may have heard more than a century and a half ago. Being in this place, standing on the same small island where the freedom of a quarter million people was proclaimed, I felt the history pulse through my body."
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