Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the season of fasting and prayer in the Christian faith. To symbolize this, some Christians have ashes in the shape of a cross drawn on their foreheads. But this year, after a turbulent election season and uncertainty about what the future will look like for many minority groups, a faith-based organization in New York City that supports the LGBTQ community will mix its ashes with purple glitter.

“For me, glitter and ashes is the hope I feel in the resurrection of Christ,” said Reverend Marian Edmonds-Allen, who is executive director of the group Parity. The team behind the event, which goes under the name “Glitter+Ash Wednesday,” encourages churches across the country to do the same, as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer people have historically been unwelcome in churches.

Glitter ashes in solidarity with queer community in Hamp on Ash Wednesday. I got some. pic.twitter.com/V7Bn6unQFR

— Monte_Belmonte (@MonteBelmonte) March 1, 2017

But this modern take on a Christian tradition had some people seeing red. Jacob Lupfer, a columnist for Religion News Service in Maryland, doesn’t think this will lead to anything good. “Christianity is already divided, and now it’s along pro- and anti-gay lines,” he said. “It’s liturgically inappropriate to tamper with such an ancient and solemn rite.”

A Chicago Reverend, Donald Senior, agreed: “If you start changing its meaning, some are going to feel this is a political statement,” he said of the religious act, and added that it is a ritual that should be handled with a lot of respect.

Last week, the Trump Administration revoked guidelines from the Obama Administration allowing transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. The decision caused protests across the country, including at the legendary gay bar Stonewall Inn in New York.

Encouraging to see such a large turnout concerned for the safety of trans youth. Must continue to show up & resist to protect #transrights. pic.twitter.com/FEI6jdvsvZ

— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) February 24, 2017

“Right now there are people in this country that feel threatened that their very presence should not be in public spaces,” said April Gutierrez, a pastor in Chicago who will also participate in the Glitter+Ash Wednesday.

But, there are many Christians who are progressive and want to show people from the LGBTQ community that they are accepted and loved. The author of “Queer Virtue”, Reverend Elizabeth M. Edman, said that the glitter is not meant to be disrespectful. For LGBTQ people, glitter often symbolizes the process of coming out and can be a very serious thing. To those that believe the glitter only means frivolity or party, she said, “It matters to understand that queer people understand very much the life-and-death aspect of Ash Wednesday. Some people hear glitter and think it’s frivolous. For queer people, glitter is serious business.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Christian Groups Show Solidarity With the LGBTQ Community Using Glitter appeared first on Law Street.

President Donald Trump had said from the beginning of his campaign that he wanted to set up a registry for Muslims. And over the past few days, he has been moving forward with some of his other anti-immigration campaign promises, such as ordering the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico. He is also planning to sign orders that would reduce the number of refugees that are let into the U.S. annually, and impose a temporary ban on most refugees. But people are fighting back. Yesterday, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said she is ready to register as a Muslim in solidarity if Trump makes that registry a reality.

Albright tweeted:

I was raised Catholic, became Episcopalian & found out later my family was Jewish. I stand ready to register as Muslim in #solidarity.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) January 25, 2017

Albright also tweeted a picture of the Statue of Liberty, writing, “America must remain open to people of all faiths & backgrounds.” She was born in Prague in 1937, but fled to England during World War II. Later, her family immigrated to the U.S. and she became the first female secretary of state during the Clinton Administration. She didn’t learn that her family was Jewish and that three of her grandparents died in a concentration camp until she was older.

Albright is echoing feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who gave a powerful speech in front of the crowds of protesters at the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday. She said, “Do not try to divide us. If you force Muslims to register, we will all register as Muslims.”

Gloria Steinem at #WomensMarch: “If you force Muslims to register, we will all register as Muslims.” https://t.co/uxbbk30Fzv

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 21, 2017

More people followed their example and tweeted that they are also ready to register in solidarity with Muslim-Americans. “Big Bang Theory” actress Mayim Bilaik, who also is Jewish, was one of them.

I’m Jewish. I stand ready to register as a Muslim in #solidarity if it comes to that.

— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) January 25, 2017

The CEO of the Anti Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, who spoke at a summit on anti-Semitism in November, gave the same promise. He said:

I pledge to you right here and now, because I care about the fight against anti-Semitism, that if one day in these United States, if one day Muslim-Americans will be forced to register their identities, then that is the day that this proud Jew will register as a Muslim.

An inspiring moment from our #NeverIsNow summit, @JGreenblattADL pledged to register in solidarity if there was a Muslim-American registry: pic.twitter.com/GQrWZbLErP

— ADL (@ADL_National) January 15, 2017

President Trump has also promised to crack down on sanctuary cities in the U.S., increase deportations, and said that he believes that torture works.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Madeleine Albright is Ready to Register as a Muslim appeared first on Law Street.

People all over the country are seeking new ways to express that they don’t like Donald Trump’s sexist or racist views. And we’re getting some inspiration from the UK–after the Brexit vote in June, a Twitter user with the handle @cheeahs came up with the idea that wearing a simple safety pin could be a way of showing solidarity with minorities in Britain. She wrote that she wanted “anyone against the sort of nationalistic, racist violence we’ve been seeing” to be able to identify themselves as a “safe ally.”

The idea being that anyone against the sort of nationalistic, racist violence we’ve been seeing could identify themselves as a “safe” ally.

— miss pommery 1926 (@cheeahs) June 26, 2016

Both the Brexit vote and the American election have been characterized by rising tensions and division between groups of people, with an emphasis on immigrants or people of color. Now Americans are donning the safety pin too.

I wear my #SafetyPin to show I am a safe place.I will protect those who are treated unfairly bc of gender, race, disability, & indiv beliefs pic.twitter.com/gn2LmcTbi5

— Sarah Lill (@SarahLill9) November 11, 2016

This is beautiful. Let’s all be safe places for people who are anxious and afraid right now. #safetypin pic.twitter.com/BBeqyIIp4k

— Jamie Tworkowski (@jamietworkowski) November 11, 2016

The pin symbolizes that the person wearing it is in solidarity with minority groups—LGBTQ, ethnic minorities, different religions, women—basically anyone who feels threatened and scared after Trump’s election.

Sir Patrick Stewart did it.

#Safetypin pic.twitter.com/MGFcjx68BP

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) November 11, 2016

It is important to remember that the safety pin doesn’t symbolize being “anti-Trump voters.” It’s simply a symbol of compassion and love for all people, and shows that the wearer is dissociating from hatred and discrimination. Even Trump supporters can wear them if they oppose the violence and racism that some people express.

The #safetypin is NOT a political statement! It’s a humanitarian statement that shows you stand against bigotry and hate. #safetypinusa

— Lara Arikan (@lararikan) November 11, 2016

@lararikan what about me? A trump voter. CA is a harsh place if you are a trump voter. Could easily get beaten up here.

— Current (@currentofficer) November 11, 2016

Now get out and get yourself a safety pin!

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Why are People Wearing Safety Pins on their Shirts? appeared first on Law Street.

This weekend, vigils were held all over the country in honor of the victims of last week’s ISIS attacks. There were hundreds of remembrance events held across the world: flags flew at half-mast, monuments were lit up with the image of the French flag, flowers were laid outside of French embassies, and candles burned through the night. These moments let us stand in solidarity with the populations of Paris, Beirut, and Baghdad but they also represent a global commitment to peace. Yet this commitment is already dissolving as the 24-hour news cycle spins onward and our attention is diverted by new issues. Read on to explore the fleeting nature of solidarity in the wake of tragedy, and what can be done to carry that solidarity forwards after the fact.

 What Solidarity Looks Like

In the aftermath of many tragic events, informal memorials spring up across the globe.  We are all familiar with the images of teddy bears, flowers, and posters stacked at the scenes of mass shootings and natural disasters. A vigil, or any form of remembrance event, takes these memorials a step farther by requiring the prolonged presence of activists and onlookers. Vigils–which commonly involve lighting candles and holding moments of silence–mark a unified act that includes an entire community. There is no membership requirement for participating in a remembrance event, all are welcome to grieve collectively–whether or not they lost a friend or family member during the event.

Remembrance events let us engage in collective empathy outside of our personal social circles. The word empathy evolved from the German einfühlung which describes observers projecting themselves “into” that which they observe–essentially, the experience of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Empathy is considered a deliberate cognitive process, in which we take an active role, striving to share the emotions of another person in order to better understand them. This week, people around the world have sung the French anthem, painted the French flag on their faces and carried signs bearing the peace symbol through the streets of their respective cities. They sought to adopt the mentality of the victims of last week’s attacks, turning the mourning process into a global moment of empathy. But how do we transform this moment into a more lasting commitment?

From Empathy to Commitment

James Hawdon and John Ryan have studied the processes behind generating and sustaining solidarity in the wake of mass tragedy, using web-based surveys to study public sentiment in the wake of the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech. They argue that:

Event-specific parochial and event-specific public activities generate solidarity after heinous crimes. However, general parochial activities, such as attending local organizational meetings and frequenting local businesses, sustain solidarity…displays of communal bereavement are collective acts that increase the ritual intensity of social interaction and therefore promote solidarity. They are collective displays of the community’s resiliency, and the emotional intensity of these solidarity-producing rituals likely helps the collective. Yet, general parochial relations, such as participating in neighborhood clubs, religious organizations, civic organizations and even eating at local restaurants, also appear to promote social solidarity. Participating in these parochial activities shortly after a tragedy also has lasting benefits for the community.

Hawdon and Ryan raise an obstacle to international sustained solidarity. The Virginia case focused on a relatively small community, in which it was easier to sustain solidarity. Anyone from the Virginia area can probably attest to the powerful bond that survivors of the attack feel for one and other, even eight years after the shooting. When we look at a global case–for example, ISIS attacks–it is much more difficult to sustain interest in the crisis and solidarity with the victims. It is admirable to hold a march or a vigil that represents support for the bereaved, but we don’t organize them on a daily basis. There are simply too many of us and it would take up too large a time commitment. How do we sustain solidarity, if it was not our community that was attacked, but multiple cities around the world?

Can Solidarity Be Sustained?: Selma as a Case Study

In the modern era, we are accustomed to remembrance events being beautiful but fleeting. A town square may be filled with candles and banners the night after a tragic event, but within a matter of days, it returns to its original state–a functional space devoid of political activism. But there have been some exceptions in which solidarity has been transformed into mass protest and action.

On February 18, 1965, a young activist named Jimmie Lee Jackson, was shot to death by a state trooper during a peaceful protest march organized in Selma, Alabama by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at Jackson’s funeral, mourning the man lost but also calling for an end to the systemic racial violence that had led to his death. Jackson’s death sparked the organization of another march on March 7, 1965–which has gone down in American history as “Bloody Sunday.” Images of civil rights protesters in Selma being beaten with excessive force by police officers were broadcast worldwide. Instead of momentarily grieving for the violence in Selma and then moving on, activists across the nation got off of their living room couches and came to Selma. The initial group of 600 marchers on March 7 swelled to 2,000 by March 21. When the marchers reached Montgomery, they found a crowd of 50,000 supporters waiting for them. Those supporters continued to march and advocate for civil rights throughout 1965, achieving success with the passage of the Voting Rights Act in August.

The Selma to Montgomery march could have been a blip in the Civil Rights movement–a story that made the cover of the newspaper for a single day and then disappeared into a historical void. Yet, the images of violence in Selma inspired action–they recruited Americans to become members of a movement, rather than passive observers. The Selma march is a unique case, in that it elicited immediate action and it secured legislation in alignment with its goals within a year. Yet the lesson from Selma can seemingly be applied to any violent scenario that plays across our television screen: our solidarity can have teeth. It is important to remember the victims but those who remember can also strive to change the conditions that led to their deaths.

In the case of last week’s ISIS attacks, those who wish to help are presented with a complex challenge. They cannot march to end their bombings, they cannot hold a rally or a vigil that will turn back the tide of violence that they embrace. Instead, supporters have to think on how we can actively improve the lives of those living in cities destroyed by the attacks. These populations will need us over the coming weeks: Parisians will need blood donations in the coming weeks, aid organizations in Beirut and Baghdad need staff and support, and police forces will be relying on civilians to report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. The greatest demonstration of solidarity will be committing to the victims in the coming months and years, not just for the week after the violence.

Conclusion

Solidarity can sometimes just be a fleeting after-effect of a tragic event. The moment of silence, the vigil, the lit candle–all of these symbols are an important starting point. However, in order for solidarity to be transformed into action–eliminating the forces that attacked, and promoting peace and acceptance in the coming months and years–it will take effort, patience, and hard work.

Resources

James Howdon and John Ryan: Social Relations That Generate and Sustain Solidarity After a Mass Tragedy

Mark. H. Davis: Empathy: A Social Psychological Approach 

History: Selma to Montgomery March

Civil Rights Museum: Who Mourns for Jimmie Lee Jackson?

The New York Times: After Paris Attacks, Vilifying Refugees

Mashable: Here’s How You Can Help Victims of the Paris Terror Attacks

New York Times: At Virginia Tech: Remembering While Moving On 

Jillian Sequeira

Jillian Sequeira was a member of the College of William and Mary Class of 2016, with a double major in Government and Italian. When she’s not blogging, she’s photographing graffiti around the world and worshiping at the altar of Elon Musk and all things Tesla. Contact Jillian at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com

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