Sunday, November 20, 2016

Parker J. Palmer: The Courage To Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit


 In memory of

Christina Taylor Green (2001-2011)
Addie Mae Collins (1949-1963)
Denise McNair (1951-1963)
Carole Robertson (1949-1963)
Cynthia Wesley (1949-1963)

Christina died when an assassin in Tucson, Arizona, opened fire at a public event hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded. Addie Mae, Denise, Carole, and Cynthia died when violent racists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

When we forget that politics is about weaving a fabric of compassion and justice on which everyone can depend, the first to suffer are the most vulnerable among us - our children, our elderly, our mentally ill, our poor, and our homeless. As they suffer, so does the integrity of our democracy.

May the heartbreaking deaths of these children - and the hope and promise that was in their young lives - help us find the courage to create a politics worthy of the human spirit.

- Parker J. Palmer
Dedication for his book Healing the Heart of Democracy:
The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit

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