Vessel

My case dismissal has invoked many emotions. Initially, I am relieved that I do not have to go back to Arizona and risk jail time by pleading not guilty. In addition to my studies, I have a four year old son and a six year old daughter and an amazing partner who need me at home. And then I feel guilty, because I wonder if my skin color and affluence are a part of what allowed me to be arrested and “get off easy”. So many are needlessly arrested, so many are torn away from their families, and it happens to so many who disappear without a word. I, on the other hand, chose to be arrested, had an entire congregation cheering me when I got home, and an organized national network tracking my every move while inside jail. When I flew down to Arizona, I was not so convinced by Rev. Susan Fredrick-Gray that everything was as horrible in Arizona as she made it sound. Had I not been arrested I would never have seen that her words were merely the tip of iceberg. I would have found it hard to believe UUA President Peter Morales when he said that the situation in Arizona is the start of ethic cleansing. Being arrested allowed me to see how depraved Joe Arpaio and the Arizonan laws have become, and awakened me to a whole new level of social justice. It also allowed me to see a true solidarity effort, a model of what social justice can be like for Unitarian Universalist congregations. In not having to go back, I will not have an opportunity to see how this solidarity effort continues firsthand.  In light of all these considerations I feel determined. My experience in Arizona is only the beginning. There is a suggested law here in Nebraska written by the same racist who wrote SB 1070. Instead of flying down to Phoenix to plead not guilty, I will be traveling to the Nebraska state legislature to speak with my own senators here this Thursday (January 27th), and I will be urging them to Stand on the Side of Love.

Spin kicking the face of evil,

Shawna