Event
Service 2 Justice Conference
For many of us, our involvement in social service deeply reflects our humanity. When
we provide service to our community, either as a paid professional or a concerned friend,
we embody compassion and the joy of loving labor. When we accept service, we
embody the strength of interdependence. In either role, the offering and acceptance of
support has the potential to be a sacred, if commonplace, ritual. It is through such
practice that we can weave ourselves into beloved community.
In recent decades, we have seen inspiring projects that take social service work to a new
level. Brilliant leaders, often from marginalized communities, have recognized that some
of their neighbors' needs are caused not just by the natural ebb and flow of life, but rather
by the societal structures that make life easy for some and much more difficult for others.
We work in the image of projects such as the Free Breakfast for School Children
Program initiated by the Black Panther Party in 1969. These visionaries worked to not
only address the day-to-day needs of their people, but also bring those people together to
challenge the very circumstances that created those needs in the first place.
Despite this rich history, an unfortunate divide has often existed between those who focus
on service, and those who strive to fundamentally alter the system, to bring justice. There
is real danger in this unnatural divide; social services that lack an understanding of
injustice are at best condescending and at worst deeply damaging to the communities
they claim to serve.
We are here to engage this difficult yet saving dialogue. There is no claim to have all the
answers. The road from service to justice is not an easy one. No, this path rings with the
hard truth that we are sometimes part of the problem, despite fervent efforts to be the
solution.
Despite any discomfort, we are here because our values demand nothing less from us.
We are reminded that we all bring our life experiences to every meeting, no one person
more valuable than the other. Justice blossoms out of that encounter, taking us beyond
"the world as it is" to "the world as it could be."
Thanks for being here with us on this difficult yet essential journey.
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LocationNew York Avenue Presbyterian Church (View)
1313 New York Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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