“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”

                  Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

King’s words rang out this morning at the MLK Holiday Breakfast. The windchill was -27 and yet well over 100 people gathered at the Coppertop Church in Duluth to listen to the livestream from Minneapolis. Soledad O’Brien, renowned journalist, was one of the keynote speakers. She acknowledged that this critical moment in history is filled with anxiety and exhaustion, but also that this is not a time to give up. She reminded us that the nation is watching Minnesota as we withstand this attack on justice.

We are in this together, part of that “inescapable network of mutuality.” And Minnesotans have risen up in peaceful protest. Neighbors are watching out for neighbors, blowing whistles, sharing food and homes. Students all over Minnesota have walked out in peaceful protest of ICE following the shooting of Renee Good. My niece participated in her northeast Minneapolis school, Edison’s, walkout. She felt empowered after days of fear.

The Duluth Denfeld Highschool walkout was spearheaded by Cesi Giron, a senior. I know Cesi’s mom as she is also a school para like me. Cesi told the local paper, “My family came here from El Salvador in the eighties and were seeking asylum. It means so much to me because my father has passed now and I know that in times like this, this is something he would want me to do.” Students held signs that read things like “ICE out of Minnesota” and “Make Empathy Great Again.” 

We do need empathy for one another because we are all “tied in a single garment of destiny.” Our lives are so connected. I am often reminded of this as I look at the beautiful quilt that hangs in my office. The quilt was a gift from my friend Susan and Peace Church at my retirement. It is called “Lupin” and was designed by my friend Alane. I met Alane through a young survivor’s breast cancer support group. We both had young children and she helped me navigate through those first rough months of treatment. Her laughter could fill a room, and she buoyed you up even in the darkest days.

The quilt was made by my friend Denise. Denise was an avid quilter but also held our church community together so many times when she served as moderator or chair of human resources. She faced conflict with compassion and empathy.

Both Denise and Alane died from metastatic breast cancer, but when I look at the quilt, I remember how they lived. They both fully embraced the time they had and filled it with light and love. They both were about making empathy great again.  And the quilt reminds me of how connected we all are.

At the breakfast this morning the host challenged us to do one thing each day to live out the theme of this year’s breakfast. The theme, a quote from Dr. King, is “make a career of humanity.”  In many ways working as a paraprofessional in an elementary school makes this career of humanity easier for me than it ever was before. My days are spent helping kids with reading and math, playing cards, pushing swings, grabbing lunches and helping to put on coats and boots.

I am often reminded how connected we all are. For instance, last week I was helping a student with his reading. He looked at my nametag and said, “Nelson, my mom’s last name is Nelson.”  “Who’s your mom I asked?”  When he said her name, I said, “I know her, and I knew you when you were a baby.” He asked if I remembered his dark curly hair. I sure did.

This student had lived with his great grandmother who was a long-time member of the church I had served. I would often go to her home and bring lunch when she could no longer go out. She had been an avid reader even when she was well past 100 years of age. She kept a log with every book she had ever read and she also wrote something about each book. She often cut out articles for me to read. And now here I was helping her great grandson practice his reading, clapping out syllables and learning morphology together.

I also remembered that his great grandmother was an incredible seamstress. She was part of the Duluth Heights Sewing Guild for over 50 years. Oh, yes, we are all “tied in a single garment of destiny”. May we continue to make together something of beauty and strength.  A quilt of love that warms those who have been iced out in these frigid January days.