Big Ideas, Small Steps

I must begin by confessing that I have never been much of a crusader for women’s rights. Equal treatment of women and men was something I too often took for granted, especially as I grew up in an environment where both girls and boys were encouraged to become the best students in the pursuit of big dreams. I was also the one in a college Spanish composition class to write about improved social and economic recognition for stay-at-home dads when asked to examine a “women’s issue.” Indirectly, I suppose, this issue does have a measurable impact on women with children and ambitious career aspirations but I don’t think that it was exactly what the assignment was getting at. For this and many other reasons, attending the United Nation’s 58th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was eye-opening, overwhelming, inspiring, exhausting, informative, and probably one hundred other descriptors. Now separated from the experience by a few weeks I am beginning to see small ways in which my worldview has been changed and I have been challenged to think bigger. I hope that in sharing these lessons, one or two of the ideas might stretch the way you see the world as well.

1)     “Women’s Issues”: I guess I sort-of always saw these as a narrow set of principles about which a handful of women complained rather loudly. This was a poor assumption for many reasons, not least because every group has a few loud voices that often come from the farthest extremes. My oversimplification of the realities and questions of issues affecting women failed to recognize a vast number of characteristics of the daily struggles facing women all over the world. Because the theme of this year’s CSW was “Challenges and Achievements in the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for Women and Girls,” there was a lot of discussion of “gender mainstreaming.” This is a fancy way of saying yes, in the next group of development goals there should be a goal specific to women such as reducing maternal mortality. However we also need to think much more broadly about the particular impact of every goal on women and girls.

Take current goal number six, for example, “Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.” From a health lens one might ask what is causing the disease and how can we slow or stop the spread? From an economic perspective one might ask what are the costs of this disease, who is getting richer, and who is getting poorer because of it? For a social understanding one might ask why some groups are disproportionately affected by this disease and for a political analysis one might examine why other groups are gaining or losing power as a result. The gender perspective, which is still too often ignored, enriches the discussion by raising the question: how are women and men, girls and boys, affected differently and why? This type of question is what is meant by “gender mainstreaming” and brings to light important issues, such as the fact that women are disproportionately affected by global poverty and carry the majority of the burden for sustaining those living in poverty.

2)     Specific Topics: As I was challenged to think bigger about sweeping global phenomena like the Millennium Development Goals, my understanding of the nuances of particular issues was greatly deepened in panel presentations known as “side events” that were offered on a wide range of specific topics. For example, I attended a side event entitled “Addressing Widowhood as a Root Cause of Poverty Across the Generations.” Beforehand I knew that in many countries there are legal and cultural barriers for women to own property, sign for loans, and run a business when they lose their husbands. However, the picture in my mind of a widow was an elderly grandma who would be devastated by the loss of her home but would have the option of living with one of her children. The widows that this limited understanding completely overlooks are those girls who are married early in their teenage years and before they turn 20 they have several children. Suddenly a war or epidemic breaks out and they find themselves without a husband. Not only do they lose a member of their family but also their homes if women are not allowed to own property and a steady income if there is gender discrimination in local hiring practices. Again a number of other MDGs are involved such as securing access to education for young mothers of several children or eradicating extreme hunger when the primary breadwinner is gone. In order to reach families facing very specific challenges such as young widowhood we must again move beyond narrow understandings and seemingly simple solutions such as my own incomplete perceptions of the face of global widowhood.

3)     God: In addition to consideration of the wider themes in pre-reading and orientation as well as specific topics covered in side events, a third dimension of my CSW experience was daily conversation with the Lutheran young adult cohort. This was a group of about a dozen ELCA young people from across the U.S. who came together at this event to learn and to bring the lesson back to the various places we encounter the church in the world. Each afternoon we gathered for some lively and moving discussions about the intersections of faith, God, and gender justice. As humans with finite abilities to perceive and comprehend, God is always something or someone that we can reach for broader ways of understanding. From a week of discussion and reflection with the young adult cohort I have concluded that there is something deeply important and yet something inherently futile about debating gender inclusive names for God. God is just so much bigger than our limited ability to perceive and describe God and God’s creation all around us; our labels always are and will be insufficient. Describing God as both Father and Mother helps our finite brains imagine such an infinite idea, but in debating inclusive language we must not lose sight of the fact that at the end of the day all of our words fall short. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was moving among us at CSW in the women who witnessed to ongoing injustice and have devoted their lives to bringing about justice; in the energy, pain, and frustration that surfaced in various discussions; and in fleeting moments of silence to attempt to breathe it all in. It was disheartening to hear from multiple presenters that faith-based groups often present obstacles to promising initiatives, a reflection of our imperfect abilities to understand God, our neighbor, and the world around us. The fact that progress, albeit slow, continues despite our many failures is all the more reason to believe that God’s hands continue to work in our midst.

So you have come to learn and discuss, which is nice, but what are you going to do about it? This was the call to action, in so many words, of Leymah Gbowee, a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her leadership of Liberian women in their relentless movement to end their country’s decade-long civil war. How can we say we are doing good work in Manhattan, she asked, when maternal mortality is still far too high in Brooklyn? How can we turn these days of listening and learning into actions in our own backyards? We can start by remembering to ask how are women and girls disproportionately affected by the decisions we make individually and collectively each day. We can take small steps in the places we each have influence as in the Austrian Foreign Ministry cracking down on visas issued to domestic workers who are exploited in the homes of some foreign diplomats. And we can take a few extra minutes to listen for the challenges we might help our neighbors overcome, neighbors both male and female who are made in the image of an indescribable God.

Kristen

More Stories of Women Around the World

As a Young Adults in Global Mission volunteer I served in the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, where I lived and worked at a women's vocational center, ILOFAV, where women come and learn a trade. M and S are two sisters who took classes in sewing and cooking. Their hometown was a 3 day bus ride away and they had lived at ILOFAV for a year. At the end of the year, they didn't know what to do or where to go. They were able to earn a little money as seamstresses, but needed something else for income. They couldn't go back to their small hometown and they weren't finding any work in the capital. Their friend told them about an agency that would send them abroad to work. They found out they could leave for Kuwait within just a couple of months of applying for the program. To them, it was a full time job that would pay them $200 a month. It was an opportunity. To me and to other expats, it was an example of human trafficking. M and S kept it a secret for a while, not telling anyone their plans of leaving. They told me that they knew people wouldn't think Kuwait was a safe place for them to go, but to them they had no other option. They told me they were leaving 5 days before they got on the airplane. This is an example of what happens in a poor country where the government is corrupt. M is 26 and S is 23. There are other women like this in Madagascar who think that it's exciting to be able to work abroad in a new country and get so much money. But what they (and we) don't know is that when they get there, it doesn't matter what the contract says - they are at the mercy of their employer. And that's what's terrifying. People around the world need to know that human trafficking is a real thing and that it happens frequently. And sometimes the victims are willing to go, but they just don't know what they're getting themselves into. I hope and pray that people can become aware of the gravity of these situations and that we are able to find ways to stop it. 

R.H. (aka Mama): Mama is the director of ILOFAV, the women's center in which I lived and worked in Madagascar. Not only that, but she had so many other jobs and titles and leadership roles that I could never keep up with. She was a woman of humility and love and worked countless hours every day, hardly getting a break. Every day she would wake up at 5am. Sometimes even earlier. She would often fall asleep at the dining room table because she was so exhausted and sleep deprived. This woman is a powerful women yet never sought attention or recognition. I believe there are women like this all over the world. Women who work so hard for their family and their careers and their community and hardly are able to catch a break for themselves. These women ought to be recognized and thanked for all of their selflessness. 

Sarah

He for She

For the 58th time The United Nations hosted one of its largest annual events, the Commission on the Status of Women. 5000+ feminists, womanists, mothers, daughters, and sisters, from all over the world gathered in solidarity to uplift critical issues regarding women and girl's rights. And then there was me…a he.

As a male attendee I found myself in a unique position, and I had a few questions: What was my role at CSW? Moreover, what is my role as a man in the fight for women and girl's rights? Do men even have a role? One week after the start of the 58th Commission on the Status of Women, I now have a few answers to accompany those questions, following careful thought and reflection.

My role at CSW was to not only hear what was being said, but to also listen intently, because hearing and listening are very different. Hearing is simply the perception of sound; if you aren't hearing-impaired, hearing just happens. Listening on the other hand, is something you consciously choose to do. It's concentration on processing meaning from what you are hearing. Listening, then...leads to learning. By listening, I learned about the successes and the failures of the millennium develop goals as it relates to gender equality, and I learned that in order to sustain those goals, she for she won't suffice. But she for she + he for she makes for a formidable opponent to the opposition of gender justice, and together we for she can make a difference. My role at CSW was to listen, then learn, then use what I'd learned to speak up and speak out against the denial of the human rights of women and girls.

It's my role as a man to not only be an ally for women and girl's rights, but to also be an advocate, because being an ally and being an advocate are very different. In this context, an ally is one who simply supports women. Alliance however, is an inactive gesture. *Thumbs up!* "Hang in there!" "I'm rooting for you!" An ally is essentially a cheerleader standing on the sideline. But an advocate is an active partner cheering women on by accompanying them in the race; running along side she because he realizes his liberation is bound to hers. Even when she has not fully embraced he as a partner in seeking gender justice, a male advocate still fights for she, in-spite of her resistance. Many times during the 58th Commission on the Status of Women did it feel more like the omission of the participation of men. In retrospect I understand the burden carried by the women present at CSW and how that weight often manifested into tension toward components of patriarchy. Nonetheless, I was not discouraged or deterred in my role. I am not simply a male ally. I'm an advocate; and as an advocate I'm committed to he for she even when we don't see eye to eye.

In fact, men not only have a role but we have a responsibility to defend the rights of women and girls if we consider ourselves partners with she in the pilgrimage of gender justice. It’s our mandate to recognize our male privilege and utilize it in the arenas that women are not present, to ensure they have a seat at the table. It's the only way to dismantle the pillars of gender injustice, inequality, and inequity in board rooms, court rooms, operation rooms, and church pulpits. No structure of marginalizing power has ever been overcome without active support from a dissenting member of that very same power structure. American slavery could not have been overcome if not for the active support of white abolitionists. The Holocaust would have been far worse if it were not for German allies to oppressed Jews. The LGBTQ movement for equal rights under the law would not be an ongoing reality if not for hetero-normative partners. South African apartheid would not have ended if not for the unapologetic voices of white South Africans. The Israeli occupation in Palestine will not cease without Israeli disobedience to Zionism, misguided nationalism and the politics of fear. Likewise, demolishing the oppressive and suppressive paradigm of patriarchy CANNOT and WILL NOT happen without the active advocacy of members of the very power structure we for she seek to conquer: patriarchs.

For the 58th time The United Nations hosted one of its largest annual events, the Commission on the Status of Women. 5000+ feminists, womanists, mothers, daughters, and sisters, from all over the world gathered in solidarity to uplift critical issues regarding women and girl's rights. And then there was me…a he for she. Won't you join us?  http://www.heforshe.org/

U.B.

Where's the Faith?

Five days at the 58th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women were both too much and not enough.  Panel after panel, speaker after speaker, our brains were filled with the wide range of topics that can fall under the heading of "women's issues".  Yet I still feel like there was so much I missed, even within the sessions I attended.  I often wished there had been time to say "Excuse me - can you repeat that? I can't keep up!".

However, to balance this overwhelming act of stuffing the brain, our cohort of ELCA young adults came together each night to debrief and discuss.  It is this part of the past week for which I am most grateful.  I need to process things out loud, to hear other's thoughts and reflections, so having the opportunity to say "This is what I've been thinking all day and what the heck do I do with that?!" is of the utmost importance for my whole understanding.

The wonderful Rozella White, Director of ELCA Young Adult ministries, led our talks during the week with a few simple questions. We worked through a few of our senses - seeing, hearing, and feeling/thinking. Since I'm still having trouble organizing my thoughts, I think that I will follow her model and boil it down to these simple questions.

What did I see?

I saw the United Nations. I saw the director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlgamo-Ngcuka, speak not once, but twice! She made an appearance at our Ecumenical Women orientation, speaking her support for our work. I saw panelists who inspired and panelists who disappointed.  I saw many rooms so full of people that there was not even any standing room. The thousands who came to New York for CSW 58 were eager to listen and learn, so we packed every event for a chance to hear hope or learn solutions.

What did I hear?

I heard how important these next two years are for discussing development; the Millennium Development Goals were set to be completed by 2015, but they are not even close to being met.  What do the next set of development markers look like?  Why were the MDGs unsuccessful?  What are the most important aspects of gender equality that need to be a part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?  I heard a clear call from member nations and NGOs for a stand-alone goal on gender equality and women's rights. What I also heard less loudly, but just as consistently, was a call for normalizing discussions about gender. We cannot just create a gender justice goal and think that it is enough - each SDG must include intentional language about gender.

From our cohort, I heard a desperate desire to hear positive words from and about faith-based communities and organizations.  Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, that desire was not always met.  Faith-based organizations are doing major development work all over the world - they are often some of the only help in rural communities.  However, their messaging and their services can do more harm than good. This leads to frustration on the part of secular organizations who will then try to leave faith out of their programs. The reality is that many turn to faith in times of crises and we need to be clearer and louder about being an inclusive, caring community in order to affect the change we want to see.

What do I feel?

I feel that as Lutherans, we can be a place of faithful hope and healing for those experiencing oppression due to gender issues. But we are constantly asking ourselves, "How do we get this message out to the people who need it?". We must be clear in our words and we must be willing to reach out to those groups who we may have pushed away in the past. We must be truthful about our faults and explicit in our assertion that we are all made in God's image. Secular organizations need to know that we can be a resource, too. We cannot continue to operate in separate spheres when the reality is that everyone has varying needs which may or may not include spiritual guidance at any given time.

I also feel that we need to speak to the problems we see in our own country at an event so focused on worldwide issues. The United States and the rest of West are clearly not immune from poverty, sexism, health issues, and beyond, so why are there only a few voices speaking this at such an important event? The ELCA is a global church, but our main context is the United States. If other major entities are not going to say "We have development issues, too!", then who is? Again, our faith allows us to be confessional. We can be a model in admitting that we have also overlooked our neighbors right here. We cannot rely on other organizations, including the UN, to hold our own country accountable, so we must do so.


Just as the UN has much work to do on creating development goals that create equality for all, we as church have much to do as well.  My time at the CSW58 may have been short, but I've come back with a clearer understanding of the gaps that still need covered.  Most of all, I've been reminded of the power of community and relationships thanks to my lovely cohort members, and I think that that power is the key to changing our world.


Molly Kestner, Assistant for ELCA Justice for Women

The Theological Work To Be Done

Language and words are important to me. I am a writer and a speaker. The articulation and presentation of thoughts is something that I take very seriously because it provides the foundation for how ideas are transmitted and relationships are formed. I often start by defining words, phrases and concepts so that a common understanding exist and that there is clarity in the exchange of information.

That being said, let me begin with a word about who I am. I am a self identified womanist theologian. This means nothing to you if you don't know what a womanist is and how that forms a theological framework. Womanist is a term coined by the venerable Alice Walker in her work In Search of our Mothers Gardens: Womanist Prose. She defines womanist in the following ways:

1. From womanish. (Opp. of “girlish,” i.e. frivolous, irresponsible, not serious.) A black feminist or feminist of color. From the black folk expression of mothers to female children, “you acting womanish,” i.e., like a woman. Usually referring to outrageous, audacious, courageous or willful behavior. Wanting to know more and in greater depth than is considered “good” for one. Interested in grown up doings. Acting grown up. Being grown up. Interchangeable with another black folk expression: “You trying to be grown.” Responsible. In charge. Serious.
2. A woman who loves other women, sexually and/or nonsexually. Appreciates and prefers women’s culture, women’s emotional flexibility (values tears as natural counterbalance of laughter), and women’s strength. Sometimes loves individual men, sexually and/or nonsexually. Committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically, for health. Traditionally a universalist, as in: “Mama, why are we brown, pink, and yellow, and our cousins are white, beige and black?” Ans. “Well, you know the colored race is just like a flower garden, with every color flower represented.” Traditionally capable, as in: “Mama, I’m walking to Canada and I’m taking you and a bunch of other slaves with me.” Reply: “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
3. Loves music. Loves dance. Loves the moon. Loves the Spirit. Loves love and food and roundness. Loves struggle. Loves the Folk. Loves herself. Regardless. 
4. Womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender.

I am a theologian - one who studies God and concepts of God. I operate from a practical framework, one that is pastoral in nature. This means that I understand who God is through a pastoral care lens, one that takes seriously the care of, compassion for and fundamental humanity of God's creation. 

So as a womanist theologian, I draw on my experience and the larger experience of black women and their context of experiencing interlocking systems of oppression to understand who God is and how God moves in a caring relationship with God's people. The purpose of this study is to uncover a fuller understanding of what it means to experience abundant life and ultimately liberation. This does not end with the black woman's lived experience, it only begins there. A key aspect of womanist theology is that the liberation and wholeness of all of humanity is lifted up. Did you get that?

This was my second experience attending the United Nation's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This event and what it stands for is soul stirring. I cannot enter into the space and NOT feel like I am standing on holy ground. The CSW, for me, is an exercise in uncovering the thousands of untold stories of women and girls across the globe. It is a time for women to unite their voices, lament in their struggles, bond together in their joys and continue the work that is required to understand women's rights as human rights.

Because of my dual identity as womanist AND theologian, I also enter this space with a critical faith lens. While the event is largely secular in nature, there are side events and opportunities hosted by the faith community. I find that these events, while helpful in beginning a conversation about faith and women's rights, are often lacking in a prophetic witness and deeper theological deconstruction that is needed to re-imagine a God who has created women in the Divine image. For me it's not enough for faith communities to be service providers for women who have experienced trauma. Faith communities must be about the work of educating communities of faith to think critically about gendered biases and norms that are a direct reflection of bad theology, which has been life taking rather than life giving.

As a theologian, I miss deeper conversations and space to do the work of reconstructing a faith narrative that takes into account the totality of women's' experiences in order to create a theological framework that challenges the status quo. I believe that the services and immediate support that many communities of faith provide are essential. I believe that the clarion call to justice and the dismantling of systems that would seek to perpetuate violence against women is necessary. I also believe that there is academic work to be done. We have to do the work of the head and the heart in order to provide a prophetic witness and life-giving service.

One of my favorite quotes is by the Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune, founder of the FaithTrust Institute. She says that "Women of faith must be about deconstructing patriarchal misuse of religion that is used to justify violence against women." I would like to expand this quote to say that women AND men of faith must be about this work and that we need to think about violence against women and girls as not just physical, but as mental, emotional and spiritual as well. If we are not taking seriously our theological frameworks and if we are not constantly measuring them against issues of injustice, violence and dis-ease in our world, then we are failing as people faith. 

God has endowed each of us with a mind, with a heart, with a body and with a soul. These parts of our selves have been crafted in God's holy image and we have been given the ultimate gift - to be a co-creator alongside God in order to see the Beloved Community come to pass. We must not neglect this gift.

It is my hope to continue to be engaged in the CSW but also to do the work of expanding theologies and helping the faith community reclaim a prophetic voice and witness in the fight for women's rights, gender justice and the eradication of all forms of violence that would threaten to thwart the Kingdom of heaven here on earth. I hope you consider joining us in this fight.

Peace + Blessings,

Rozella

Where do I start?

To be honest, I'm not really sure where to start. My mind is still reeling from the hours upon hours of panel discussions, forum meetings, cohort processing time, and the newness of being surrounded by the high profile dialogue that occurs on an international scale at the United Nations. I knew it was going to be an intense week before I arrived, but I'm not sure I really understood HOW intense. Try to picture this:

Thousands of women (and some male allies) gathered in NYC for a 2 week conference on the Status of Women. Each woman is carrying her own story of the injustices she or someone she knows has faced as a result of being born a woman. Each woman is carrying hopes and dreams for the world she wants to see and is holding an agenda for how she will share that information with the policy makers and high profile delegates of the UN. Every day, and ALL day, she sits as a witness to panel discussion after panel discussion focusing on any number of topics (maternal health, violence against women, women and education, women's spirituality, women in government, women as peacemakers, etc) which all have one thing in common.....how will we move forward and create gender equality and continued development within our world. The presentations are beautiful, intense, frustrating, inspiring, and dismal all at the same time. But still, each woman (and male ally) sits and listens intently trying to absorb as much of the information as possible. If there was one thing that all these women from different parts of the world, and our male allies present (including two from our own ELCA cohort), had in common, it was this....we all want to be torch bearers to create change for our world. We all are seekers of justice and hungry to make this world a better place....for ALL God's creation. We may have different ways of going about that or different ideas of what 'human rights' looks like, but I can promise you this, we were all here to learn how we can make a difference in our world....both locally and globally.

I want to share with you 3 take home points that really stick out to me from my time at this conference in an effort to try to put this experience into some kind of verbal form:

1). It's not just about equality, it's about equity. The presenters at the conference made it very clear that it's not just about ensuring equal access to resources and service for men/boys and women/girls, it's about ensuring that men and women are on equal footing so that the resources that are being offered truly can be accessed equally. Here's an example: after the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, many laws were created in member countries ensuring that girls were allowed to attend school. Great. But, what most of these countries didn't take into consideration were the many structural barriers that were still preventing the girls from accessing this newly established resource (education). Many rural schools did not have bathrooms which meant that girls were missing 1-2 weeks of class every month while they were having their periods because of lack of adequate availability for sanitation. Also, many of these schools were located at the end of dangerous roads and paths, so even though the girls technically had the 'freedom' to attend school now, they still weren't able to access this resource because it was too dangerous for them to get there. So, in order to truly ensure equal access to education (this is just one example), structural barriers within the system need to be addressed in order to ensure that boy/men and girls/women are on equal footing. I found this very interesting and something that I had never considered before. We must be aware of the difference between 'equality' and equity and must advocate for our fellow sisters to be provided with opportunities to stand on equal footing as men.

2). Violence against women is a HEALTH epidemic. Being a nurse, I feel silly that I never realized this before. I went to a presentation by the World Health Organization, and they described violence against women as being among the world's top epidemics right now. Violence as a health epidemic? Of course. Violence afflicts not only physical harm (42% of the time) to a woman (requiring medical treatment many times), but violence also afflicts severe emotional harm to a woman leading to a significant rise in mental health ailments like depression and substance abuse. Violence against pregnant women affects maternal health significantly and leads to greater instances of HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, pre-term deliveries and low birth weight babies. Violence against women is a HEALTH epidemic, and it affects greater than 20% of the world's population. We must raise our voices and protect ourselves and one another from sexual and physical violence by raising awareness and standing in solidarity with one another.

3). What's God got to do with this? EVERYTHING. It is amazing how many times we went to panel discussions and the topic of religious based communities was raised.....unfortunately, most of the time it was in a very negative light:
          -Faith based communities just get in the way. They should just step back and let other NGOs
                 take over
          -Religious based communities are too focused on their own agenda
          -Sexual/Reproductive Health Rights became a religious debate and not a human rights issue
It actually broke our hearts to realize how detrimental so-called 'faith-based communities' can be in the fight for human rights. We are so broken and have created broken religious based institutions. But, for me to think that the best thing for faith communities to do is to just 'step back' and stay quiet instead of advocating for human rights issues is impossible. To me, if God HERSELF isn't found within the debate of human rights, then we will never know true freedom from oppression or true equality with one another. We were ALL created in God's image....NO EXCEPTIONS. Somehow we have lost sight of this along the way...in the midst of our brokenness. BUT, it was really refreshing to hear an Islamic Imam (Shamsi Ali) speak truth to the audience when he said 'religions without human rights are DEAD' and a quote from Kofi Annan that says that 'religious leaders are the conscience of the government'. Religions should never back away from the conversation regarding human rights, for we have a responsibility to seek justice and truth through the lens of the Divine. Instead of backing away, according to Imam Shamsi, religions SHOULD: 1). Give freedom to her people, 2). Promote human dignity, and 3). Promote human equality. So what does God have to do with any of this? EVERYTHING. God is love. God is peace. God seeks justice. God is an advocate. And we were ALL created in the image of God.

There is so much more to share and process regarding the information presented at the conference...and that will continue to develop and unfold as we move forward from here. But, if I can leave you with one more piece for sharing, it's this....change starts with US. Don't think globally right now. First think, how can you change your own attitudes toward justice and equality that includes ALL of God's creation and how can you live this out in every interaction and every decision you make? According to Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, 'I'm a believer in local community. I'm a believer of practical solutions. It doesn't take a lot to do what we're being asked to do.' But it does take courage. And it does take hope. Have faith and take heart....we're here to do God's work, and SHE will never abandon us.

Hannah

Within Our Lifetime

"...within our lifetime." I awoke from a trance. The absence of coffee, the dim lights, and the distance between me and the speaker had allowed my mind to wander from the cavernous auditorium, but those words snapped me back to the present. I had spent hours reading documents that spoke of post 2015 goals, MDGs, SDGs, and other acronyms that stood for progress but progress that would be slow to come and was wound up in the political webs of member states, excellencies, and plenary sessions. It seemed it would take forever. Here, however, in these words "within our lifetime" was a sense of urgency.

The rest of the week proved just how urgent improving the conditions of girls and women must be if we wish to move forward morally, economically, and civilly. I heard alarming statistics, deriding speeches about the place of faith in gender equity, and troubling discussions of reproductive rights and the sexualization of youth. As a young man of faith it would have been easy to see in these speeches an element of guilt and blame, but there was another side to what I was hearing. There was also a clear and loud call for immediate and decisive action from the faith community and from men and boys. In panel after panel I heard success stories of involving men in the improvement of their sister's situations.  Similarly I heard and felt a need for the voice and comfort of the church. In almost every discussion the church's voice that was heard was an adversarial one, offering only criticism rather than support and a place of understanding.

The means to realizing gender justice in all its forms are within our grasp. However, the realization of this in our lifetime without the involvement of men and of our church is unlikely. We are called as a community of faith to respond the cries of those that are marginalized. They are crying. We are called to answer. We can no longer afford to be quiet or absent from these conversations. We must carry through this sense of urgency as individuals to develop a conviction to resolve this issue now.

As the week progressed the momentum building around me seemed to coalesce into a single quote from Martin Luther King Jr.  that was drawing out from the back of my mind: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Across the road from the UN general assembly, in the shadows of countless flags this reminded me that the question is not if we will achieve gender equality but rather when. That the question we must face as individuals is not whether we wish to be a part of this struggle, but rather on what side of arc of moral history we wish to find ourselves.

Best,
AJ