I appreciate this extended quote from reporter Adam Harris, writing in The Guardian about a recent direct action and prayer gathering in Washington, D.C., led by participants in the Poor People’s Campaign. Reflecting on the dire consequences of what he called the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” Rev. William Barber II addressed the assembled crowd:
“Barber told stories of movement members who died without care – Pam in Alabama, Jade in North Carolina – who called him not for comfort, but for commitment. Don’t quit, they said. ‘They had the courage to fight even while they were dying,’ he said. ‘We ought to have the courage to fight while we’re living.’
“Then he slowed and asked a simple question to those gathered: ‘What will you do with the breath you have left?’ The question hung in the air. He didn’t wait for an answer. A few days later, he told me why it sticks with him. “’hat was George Floyd’s cry. That was my brother’s cry – he died in his 60s, waiting on healthcare. That was the cry of people during Covid: ‘I can’t breathe.’ That’s what I hear when I say that,’ he told me. ‘The breath you have left – that’s what you’ve been given. That’s what you owe.’
“Breath is a gift and a responsibility. ‘We’re not gonna sit here and let healthcare die,’ he said. ‘We’re not gonna sit here and let living wages die. We’re not gonna sit here and let democracy die. It’s time to live. It’s time to stand. It’s time to speak. To protest. To live justice.’ The line echoed down 1st Street. Whether it reached the halls of power was another question.”
You can read the entire article in The Guardian.
Smuggling Grace 