Seven Last Words

Witnessing to what must change through art

After watching the film Rustin on Netflix, I got to thinking about something I learned a long time ago from the Poor People’s Campaign. At that time, nearly twenty years ago, they were busy recruiting artists and musicians to create for the movement for poor people because they had observed that one of the things that really strengthened and sustained the Civil Rights Movement was the art.

There were new songs that gave them courage to march and images that captured their imaginations enough to realize that hope another day. I might be remembering it wrong but it was something I remembered as I heard those familiar freedom songs sung through my television.

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

It is a truth that is unfolding again in Palestine as poetry fuels the resistance. As the powers of this world try to extinguish all that is beautiful, images ignite new hope. They fly above the bombs and expand our imaginations of what could be. As war persists in Ukraine and the situation in Israel and Palestine only seems to grow worse by the day, we need that thing that ignites our spirits and dares us to to believe what our faith dares to dream. Hope will come but on Good Friday, we give space to our grief and there is so much to grieve right now.