Over the past week I have received many inquiries about activist Valarie Kaur and the video clip of her speech from a 2016 Watch Night service that I included in our Tree of Life worship service on Sunday January 28th. The clip that I shared is available on youtube and can be found here: https://youtu.be/1JJJ9gbjTEA?si=VFhN7WwedECDfIIS. It is indeed inspirational and I watch it at least a couple times a year. I imagine I will watch even more often in the year ahead.
For those interested in a deeper dive, Valarie Kaur’s organization, Revolutionary Love, can be found at: https://valariekaur.com/revolutionary-love-project/
The Watch Night Service, organized by Rev. Bishop Richard Barber on December 31, 2016 as part of the Moral Revival Poor People’s Campaign, can be watched in its’ entirety at https://youtu.be/8vPMqbsxOL0?si=tjf1uiUESm8sQ96E
If you are interested in reading about the background and context for this service, a good article with highlights can be found at https://kairoscenter.org/watch-night-moral-agenda-poor-peoples-campaign/
You may also be interested to know that the Poor People’s Campaign is organizing a national public witness to be held on March 2. If you would like to participate in Illinois, information will become available soon through the Illinois Poor People’s Campaign at https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/committee/illinois/. The Illinois public witness will take place in Springfield. I plan to be there and will share more info as it becomes available.
Thanks so much for your interest and your questions. Looking forward to further thoughtful, heartfelt conversation and hope-filled action.
In faith and in community,
Chaplain Dave