I have been astonished at the LAUSD teachers’ tenacity to stand out in the rain this week, day after day, picketing to draw attention to the plight of our public school children.  Teachers, getting drenched in the deluge, going without pay.  As I write, it’s Thursday, and they are negotiating today with the school board.  I sure hope they make some progress toward a resolution.

I feel for the children whose days have become unstructured and uncertain.  Kids thrive on routines!  I feel for the teachers who have had to pay for school supplies with their personal funds, who have had to teach such large class sizes.  Who have tolerated the awareness that there’s no health professional on their campus most of the time.  I feel for the parents who are scrambling to keep their kids from bouncing off the walls with boredom and unspent energy, staying home.  The parents who have to take their kids to work with them.

Have you been picketing with teachers?  Are you a teacher?  A parent affected by the strike? Please share your experience with me about what this has been like for you so far.  Your community of faith supports you.

Of course we know all kinds of groups have been protesting across the country with the shut-down.  Barbara Ehrenreich, author of bestseller “Nickle and Dimed” proclaimed today that the TSA workers should call a strike.  Things coming to a screeching halt in our transportation hubs ought to get the attention of congress and the President that this simply can’t go on:  the humiliation of treating workers the way we are right now is shameful and immoral, and is unconstitutional per Article One of our Thirteenth Amendment:  “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Every day that passes, the stress and anxiety on our country’s workers and families ratchets up.  Join a rally or protest, if you can, to decry this outrage.

Please bear in mind that the 3rd annual Women’s March LA occurs this Saturday!  It shouldn’t rain, and it will be inspirational to affirm the feminist values of human rights and a sustainable planet.  Here is all the info you need about it.  If you go, I’d like a full report!

This past Tuesday, the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King would have turned 90 years old.  How fitting to have so much active protest and unrest at this special time of year, when we remember a great man, one of the finest Americans who ever lived.  MLK fought for rights, dignity, and jobs.  If he were alive today, he’d be shaking his head, and reminding us, we must lift our voices and direct our bodies to be of service to the never-ending movement for justice.

March on!

– Rev. Hannah