This week I went to an anti-racism rally here in Lexington, Virginia in response to Ku Klux Klan fliers being dropped around town. It was such a remarkable experience. It was uplifting and awesome for a multitude of reasons. I got to hear people stand and repudiate the KKK. A black Washington and Lee professor stood up and called on us to examine more than just the clearly racist actions of a few; to be introspective in how we are complicit in structural oppression and white supremacy. We stood and listened to a student tell us about her fears as a black woman living in a city that contains the graves of both Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. It was a powerful event. One that truthfully felt as spiritual as the sacrament meetings I attend every week. This makes sense because the event was organized and led by a Lutheran pastor in the area and supported by other local churches.
But there was one major thing that really stood out to me that made me sad. Something I have long struggled with. I ache for ecclesiastical leaders who comment on serious moral issues. Leaders who call us from the comfortable complacency that is so easy to fall into.
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