Inaugural Post: The Woolman Fourteen Day Justice Challenge

"I had fresh confirmation that acting contrary to present outward interest, from a motive of Divine love and in regard to truth and righteousness, and thereby incurring the resentments of people, opens the way to a treasure better than silver, and to a friendship exceeding the friendship of men." John Woolman, 1774

John Woolman is my hero. At a time when Quaker slave ownership was common in the soon-to-be United States, he traveled all over the colonies to Quaker homes and Quaker meetings to preach his passionate truth: Slave ownership is wrong, and it is in conflict with the core Quaker belief in human equality. His work was the the kindling for the Quaker abolitionist movement. He died of small pox before he saw the fruits of his labor.

He was also against animal cruelty and economic oppression. He lived his life according to his beliefs. He told people not what they wanted to hear, but what he believed to be true. It was not easy for him. But he spoke his mind during the day, and he writhed with psychic pain at night.

Asher Woolman, a Quaker who once posted a notice in hopes of finding his runaway slave, was my 5th great grandfather. John Woolman was Asher's older brother. John Woolman is my hero.

That was all a long time ago. Today, Quakers still hold equality as a core value, and so do most people. Back then, it was hard for Quaker slave owners to take a hard look at themselves and say, "Slave ownership goes against my core principles, and therefore I will stop owning slaves." Today, it is hard for privileged European Americans to take a hard look at themselves and say, "Fostering an unjust system in the US goes against my core principles, and therefore I will stop fostering an unjust system."

The system in the US is mostly just for European Americans, but it is not just for African Americans. Too many European Americans fail to take a hard look at that fact. Too many European Americans gain a sense of superiority from their superior position in society, and instead of acknowledging the injustice in their superior status, they justify their superior status. They trick themselves. That, right there, is why injustice thrives in the US.

And so, a challenge! The Woolman Fourteen Day Justice Challenge. Your challenge is to learn about injustice over the next fourteen days. Each day for fourteen days, read an article about injustice and post it to social media with an honest comment. Tag your post with #Woolman14DayJusticeChallenge. You may incur resentments of people, but you will open "the way to a treasure better than silver."

Where to find the articles? Here are some suggestions:

• The Root
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• The Center for Racial Justice Innovation
• Color of Change

One article every day for fourteen days. Post the article to social media. Make an honest comment. Tag your post with #Woolman14DayJusticeChallenge. You can do this! <3