Building a Bridge to Justice

When I lived in St. Louis, I had numerous opportunities to attend concerts by the folk singers John McCutcheon and Charlie King. They always included a few old union songs in their repertoire, such as this one:

            Step by step the longest march can be won, can be won

             Many stones can form an arch, singly none, singly none

             And by union what we will can be accomplished still

             Drops of water turn a mill, singly none, singly none

I thought of this song as I gathered with 8000 or so people at Washington Square Park on Saturday to advocate for the rights of women and their families to earn a just wage, have affordable heath care, be protected from sexual harassment and assault, and live peacefully in the United States no matter their race, religion, or country of origin.

Throughout U.S. history, protest movements have generally been led by people of vision, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the suffragettes Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. However, they weren’t able to achieve change on their own. The voices and actions of many, many people are required to achieve human rights.

We who are members of the Body of Christ recognize that what affects one of us affects us all. If I have health insurance but many of my brothers and sisters do not, the entire body is weakened. In our society, it has been shown time and again that when we stand together, we can change systems and help meet the needs of those who have been marginalized and disenfranchised. Many members of the Body of Christ can build a bridge to justice … singly, none.