Blog alert, South Africa

My old and dear friend Jim (not old in years, he's younger than I - but we have been friends forever) and his spouse Randy are far from their original home of Massachusetts and on an extended stay in Johannesburg, South Africa. Jim began a blog not long ago and his most recent post is on protests at the university where he and Randy are in Jo'burg - against the xenophobic violence about which you may have heard on the radio. He also writes about wanderings in this new landscape, in and outside the city.

A few of the photos in the most recent post don't show up (at least w/my browser), but make sure you look in the right hand column of the blog for slide shows with excellent photos of animals and other marvels.

Acts of Hope says "highly recommended blog!" Have a look.

Dith Pran, RIP

Paul, the Byzigenous Buddhapalian, has posted a tribute to Cambodian journalist Dith Pran, survivor of the killing fields, who died this past weekend.

May we never forget.

Basic rights for immigrant domestic workers: ¡ Si se puede !

Well, hurrah. Domestic workers --the mostly immigrant women who clean your houses, diaper your babies, take care of your children, cook your dinner, serve as companions to your elders, and much, much more-- want dignity, decent wages, benefits... in other words, concrete, public, legal, and financial recognition of the value of their work.

Janinsanfran has the scoop on the newly-formed alliance of domestic workers here. Labor Day isn't just for barbecue. (With all due respect to bbq makers and eaters nationwide.) I am pondering why and how I find this a lot more worthy of attention and energy than the latest shenanigans in the Anglican Communion. A lot more worthy of my attention and energy in general and a lot more worthy of my attention and energy as an Anglican Christian.

Take away the immigrant domestic workers holding up the daily lives of all the people in this country who are currently embroiled in various Episcopal/Anglican tugs-of-war and see what happens.

Labor links

Janinsanfran has posted some good Labor Day images (with song) and updates. Have a look and a listen.

Solidarity forever.

Which reminds me, I need to re-up my membership in the National Writers' Union (NWU - UAW Local 1981, AFL-CIO).

The New Sanctuary Movement

The Simple Village Organist's church has become a sanctuary in the New Sanctuary Movement. Blessings on them and on those whom they shelter. There is a link to the New Sanctuary Movement's website in SVO's post.

For a glimpse of the "old" Sanctuary Movement, have a look at:

A moving (2001, National Catholic Reporter)
obituary to movement co-founder Jim Corbett, a Quaker. His co-founders were a Presbyterian minister and a Catholic priest, so the movement was ecumenical from the start. In fact, it was interfaith, as is the New Sanctuary Movement. *

And another moving story (from 2002, Tucson Weekly), that of Luisa Orellana, who fled El Salvador to the U.S. over two decades ago with her family and lived in a church basement in Spokane.

* Recent sermon by rabbi Laurie Coskey, in Spanish!

June 20: World Refugee Day

I am deeper and deeper in my summer writing and blogging about feasts and saints' days is going by the wayside (though in non-blog life I honor the days), but others among our distinguished visitors are writing about them.

Here is something to remember for today about the unsung ones: Today is World Refugee Day.


Refugees in Albania, 1999. Photo by the great Sebastião Salgado.

And now, a word from Granny D

Older women rock.

Seems like this week we are paying particular attention to them here at Acts of Hope (here and here) but we ought to listen to them more often. Speaking of marginalized people... (You think older women are not marginalized? Look at statistics on income and at pictures of the halls of government -- or at any magazine or newspaper.)

Today, a word from the inimitable Granny D. Thanks to Truthout for her remarks. What do immigration and campaign finance have to do with each other? Read what Granny D (Doris Haddock) says about this.

Note: Bishop Nerva Cot, age 69, is a spring chicken compared to Granny D, who is 96.