We must act on behalf of others

It is our job to remember and show up for those who are pushed to the edges.

A community gathering at the Havurah Building on Oct. 28 held our grieving and anxious hearts as we mourned the massacre of 11 Jews in their place of worship in Pittsburgh. As we shared our sorrow, fears, hopes and ways of moving forward, a First Nations woman stepped forward. Her powerful words and songs were heart-rending reminders of what happened to Native Americans and how our country’s shame has not been confessed, nor have reparations been made.

Most of us on this island lead privileged lives, and it is our job to remember and show up for those who are pushed to the edges, those who are caricatured, those who are used as scapegoats or deemed unworthy. Remember how quickly societies can swing into actions motivated by hatred, jealousy, greed or a desire to dominate, and then justify (or turn a blind eye to) the most horrible things.

As we reflect on the recent Pittsburgh murders, also remember that we are living on land gained by political deceit, thievery, terrorism and genocide; that on any real, material level most of us have never examined or acknowledged the cost of our comfortable Vashon lives to the people who lived here first.

Stay awake. Make a difference. Act now. If not now, when? If not you, who?

— Annie Roberts