“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1965
“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Rabbi Tarfon (c 70CE – 150CE)
Four hundred years ago, in August 1619, a ship arrived in Virginia carrying 20 enslaved Africans. With their sale to colonists, slavery began in America. As The New York Times “1619 Project” discusses, this legacy of slavery shaped American history and current social, political, and economic life.
It can be hard to see any bend toward justice in such a long arc and thus understandable why some people are angry, fearful, or depressed. But people long before us have faced this need to persevere in the work for a better world. We don’t have to finish the job—indeed, we can’t and we won’t. We are simply called to keep striving to make a difference.
How do we do that while studying or working here at Carleton? One important step is to respect differences while affirming our shared humanity and worth. We can find ways to engage in difficult conversations by listening carefully to each other and working to overcome our own prejudices and assumptions.
Such respectful engagement is happening across campus in many different ways and locations, including the opportunities listed in the Chapel schedule. We hope you will join us in the critical work of helping to bend the arc.
Carolyn Fure-Slocum, College Chaplain