Freedom Church of The Poor Reflection.

Season of Jubilee: Why We Vote.

Today I wanted to give my perspective as a new DC resident, one of 295k poor and low wage workers, working to live in this city. As well as someone who lived undocumented for decades in America. I feel like DC is like the undocumented relative in the family of states sort of…

I feel you DC,

I feel the frustration of taxation without representation!

I feel the exhaustion of disposability politics from organizations and individuals descending upon a city of working folks to disrupt with failed coups and a lot of carrying on.

I understand that it is the nature of being the capital of a country to be the place where people try to bring accountability unto an unfair system, and as we have seen time and time again in this campaign, it can be done peacefully and within the Spirit of Doctor King himself. At the same time, DC residents are heavily policed and constantly gentrified out of our communities: during and after Jan 6th, DC residents suffered under Marshall Law and heavy military presence. I feel the frustration of being spoken over and for but never To.

I also feel rooted here, this is the place that has fertilized my creativity and passion. The first place I can safely call Home in America after 20 plus years of living undocumented in an unsafe state like VA in an unsafe country like America. So I joined in the fight for statehood, for representation, a voice and access to the necessary things to run a state, knowing that this struggle doesnt feel divorced from my and the other 11 million undocumented people in America, who also work hard to contribute to every aspect of American life (from societal to economical) and whom deserve as Human Beings the Right to Live and within those human rights which we demand is the right to representation and accessibility to the ballot.

All that I am saying in no way is revolutionary, but that is not what someone bombarded by hyper nationalist propaganda hears when we talk about voting rights and amnesty, from tv pundits to pulpits, thanks to the warped moralities of the religious right insists on inserting itself in every aspect of our lives but most especially in legislation and policy.

Today these influences — the Christian and religious nationalist organizations, religious capitalist and prosperity gospel movements, and independent charismatics — have access to the current administration in the form of its “court evangelicals.” The Values Voter Summit has become an important focus point for this coalition and its narrative. Through federal contracts and student aid, Liberty University has become the largest private Christian university in the country. (from Poor Peoples Campaigns website)

The religious right constantly uses the pulpit. to incite a warped moral superiority rooted in Nationalism, which we know is white supremacist propaganda wrapped in a flag. Those lukewarm christians, that sit tight and call unto God to come soon and watch as we are silenced and violated are just as complicit as those whom outright judge the immigrant, the ex convict, the poor and low income, they judge us too small to matter but we know that together we can become an unstoppable force for liberation, which really aligns with the spirit of our text in James:

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:12–13

Reverend Leonina Arismendi Zarkovic is co-leader of Iglesia del Pueblo, a virtual faith space for action and reflection over on Kairos Center FB Live every sunday 7:30PM and Circle of Creatives Writer for Farmers Footprint.

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