Latest from ESAThe Immigrants' CreedJuly 3, 2020A profession of the Christian faith through the experience of an immigrant. I believe in Almighty God, who guided the people in exile and in exodus, the God of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, the God of foreigners and immigrants. I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean,…...Read more...A Prayer for an End to Mass IncarcerationJune 29, 2020 A Booklet of Uncommon Prayer, from which this prayer is taken, is now available electronically!Read more...Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your BackyardJune 26, 2020By Laura Markle Downton Inside most of the local jails, state and federal prisons, and detention centers that dot the landscape of the United States, on any given day, tens of thousands of incarcerated adults and youth are held in solitary confinement. For 22 to 24 hours a day, they…...Read more...For Those With Ears to Hear: A Review of "The Color of Compromise"June 24, 2020Editor's Note: The Color of Compromise hit the New York Times Best Sellers list for the week of June 28th. In response, author Jemar Tisby writes: "I'm feeling a mix of emotions right now…It's great news that my book has made the New York Times Best Sellers list. But at…...Read more...Family Separation and My DaughterJune 23, 2020By Gena Thomas Two years ago, my 5-year-old foster daughter, Julia, and her biological mother, Lupe, were reunited in their home country of Honduras after they were separated for eight months. It was two weeks after the Zero Tolerance policy — where our government forcibly separated parents and children at…...Read more...Can You Hear the Dog Whistle? A Review Of "Rethinking Incarceration"June 22, 2020Editor's Note: We are reprinting Kathy Khang's review of "Rethinking Incarceration" because we feel it is helpful in the current cultural conversation. By Kathy Khang It isn't enough to keep up with current events. Never mind the flurry of posts on social media. The daily ticker of local, national, and…...Read more...Mass Incarceration: A Gospel ResponseJune 19, 2020Editor's Note: We are reprinting this essay, originally published in 2018, because we feel it is helpful in the current cultural conversation. By Bishop Ernest McNear and Reverend Lin Crowe The statistics hang over the cities of America like a thick grey cloud, almost blotting out the light of hope and…...Read more...Dear White People: Being an Ally Is More Than a PerformanceJune 17, 2020Editor's Note: We are reprinting this essay, which first ran in 2019, because we feel it is helpful in the current cultural conversation. By Brandi Miller For many non-Black folks, performative allyship is a time to scream from social media rooftops about how they are not racist or are simply down…...Read more...Don't Call Yourself My AllyJune 15, 2020Editor's Note: We are reprinting this essay, originally published in 2018, because we feel it is helpful in the current cultural conversation. By Alicia Crosby "…we're on the same side. I'm your ally." I've heard a version of this sentiment too many times to count over the years, and after…...Read more...
