Rebuilding the Wall

In March 2006 I attended an event featuring guest speaker James Cone. For those of you who are not familiar with Cone, he is an esteemed theologian credited for being one of the "architects of black theology". He is widely celebrated in the African American community for his fearless and vocal critique of racism in America and especially the Church. Consequently some people, especially those of other races, consider him controversial. Listening to Cone talk about the African American experience in America stirred a wide range of emotions in me...sadness, anger, pride (for the endurance of people of color who have suffered so much in this country), empowerment, hope, and one of my favorite emotions these days - righteous indignation! Hearing him speak reminded me just how powerful of a weapon having a voice is to fighting racism and injustice. I was so inspired I started this blog. My hope is that as I share my thoughts, frustrations, failures, successes, insights, and struggles of living in a society that still continues to judge people like me by the color of our skin and our socio-economic status that you will be informed, affirmed, challenged, and inspired to use your own voice to speak out against the injustices of racism and poverty in your spheres of influence.

I chose the name "Rebuilding the Wall" for this blog for a few reasons. First, my favorite book in the bible is Nehemiah. I love this book because its namesake was strong, courageous, a person of deep faith and conviction, and he could not be intimidated. Though I have much respect for my new Mennonite friends (shout out) I love the fact that Nehemiah wasn't afraid of a fight! Second, people build walls for a number of reasons...mostly to keep other people out. Even the wall of Jerusalem was built for these reasons. I recently heard a speaker (I think it was Barack Obama) talk about the fact that building walls to keep others out rarely ever solves the true issues at hand and he reminded the audience of the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall just to name a few. I will go so far as to add the wall being built in Israel and along the US/Mexico border, but that is the subject of another day and another blog. Anyway, this is an important issue that I will address later on. Third, for me "rebuilding the wall" is a metaphor for rebuilding broken communities which is what Nehemiah was called to do. In my next blog I will share some of my personal thoughts about Nehemiah as a model (for my emerging folks what I mean is that I will reflect on Nehemiah's narrative) for addressing injustices in impoverished communities...

The Church: A Healing Community

Alarming HIV infection rates among African American and Latina women, especially in the Los Angeles county, should be on the agenda of churches. The church is uniquely positioned to respond to this human crisis in several ways. First, “religious leaders are trusted and religious institutions reach people from all walks of life, especially hard-to-reach populations” (Musgrave, Allen, and Allen 2002). Second, the church has the credibility and opportunity to speak to issues affecting its communities like HIV/AIDS. Third, the church must reflect theologically and missiologically on its response to HIV/AIDS. In a WCC report titled Facing AIDS: The Challenge the Church’s Response the authors comment that, “the Church, by its very nature as the body of Christ, calls its members to become healing communities” (WCC Publications 2002). They reflect on the 1 Corinthians 12:24-27 passage which partly reads, “…If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (2002). WCC argues that, “when the church properly responds to people living with HIV/AIDS, both ministering to them and learning from their suffering, its relationship to them will indeed make a difference, and thus become growth-producing” (2002).

One of the many ways that churches can learn more about the impact of the HIV/AIDS phenomenon on women is listening to the stories of women who are HIV+. Through interviewing many African American, Latina, and Kenyan HIV+ women, I learn valuable insights on the influence of spirituality in the lives of each woman. For example, my findings suggest that spirituality influences how each woman makes meaning of their experiences, impacts healthful decisions they make, and is culturally embedded in the African American and Latino experience hence it is intertwined in their family and community life and experiences.

Based on my research and interviews both in Kenya and Los Angeles I propose the following suggestions for churches wanting to get involved with women in their community who are HIV+. First, churches could provide supportive communities for the women to share their stories as they strive to make healthful decisions that are consistent with their spiritual values and beliefs. Next, churches can partner with ministries and organizations that care for women of color and allow their stories to be voiced. Through these organizations and ministries, women often seek to have their community and spiritual needs met. By listening to the voices and stories of HIV+ women in their congregations and communities, churches can discern the needs of women and determine what resources they can offer to reach the women and their families.

This concludes my series on HIV/AIDS for now, if you are interested in any of my sources referenced above, please let me know and I will send you my bibliography. Have a great week!

The Faces of HIV/AIDS in East Africa

On a chilly Sunday morning in Kenya at an Anglican church I met Lucy and her young son. Lucy, a very precious twenty-four year old woman, shared her story over hot Chai while her son played with the children coming from Sunday school classes. She explained that she had a difficult childhood. Her family consisted of Lucy and her mother, which is a relatively small family by Kenyan standards. They were very poor and Lucy had to contribute to their household income by starting work at a bar at an early age. Lucy later sought refuge in her current church. She volunteered at the church, helping with the cleaning. In response to her faithfulness the church hired Lucy. While on staff at the church, Lucy became very ill. One of the female leaders recognized Lucy’s symptoms and took her for HIV/AIDS testing. They soon found out that Lucy was HIV positive.

Lucy praised her church community’s efforts of supporting her through her illness with financial resources, companionship during visits to clinics and hospitals, acceptance in the community, and for securing anti-retroviral medication. I asked Lucy if there was anything else that her church community could do to support her further. In tears Lucy shared that, “her greatest concern was for the welfare of her children should she become unable to care for them.” As I received her words, I was reminded of the Isaiah 1:17 exhortation to, “Learn to do good; Seek justice; Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.” Lucy’s story provided a context for this powerful commission to Israel and I questioned how the Church today was “defending the fatherless” and “learning to do good” for the millions of children suffering as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. I hope you will also be challenged with the same questions.

New Faces of HIV/AIDS

Esperanzaⁱ, a thirty-three year old Mexican American women from Los Angeles that I recently interviewed, like every mother is concerned about the future of her two children. She is especially anxious because she is one of 38.6 million people currently living with HIV worldwide and one of a million Americans living with HIV (Oprah Show 2006). Esperanza often cries out to God pleading, “I can’t leave now, please God don’t take me now, just wait to they [her children] turn eighteen both of them”. Latina and African American women like Esperanza represent a growing percentage of the HIV+ population in the United States. For example, in the Los Angeles county, “thirty-eight percent of women infected by AIDS are African American” (AIDS Partnership California n.d.). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “AIDS is the number one killer for African-American women ages 25 to 34” (Oprah Show 2006). In spite of her circumstances and the dismaying HIV/AIDS statistics, Esperanza has hope for her future and the future of her children. That hope comes from her trust in God. Rapidly rising HIV/AIDS infection rates among Latina and African American women in Los Angeles and globally presents both a dire problem and opportunity for the church to engage in ministry among this population.

ⁱ Esperanza’s name was changed to protect her identity.