October Newsletter - Coalition Statement on Gaza/Israel
- Prayer-Rising for Oak Flat: How can you participate?
- The Legacy of Settler Colonialism - Sarah Augustine
- Story Sharing: "Christian Theology, the Doctrine of Discovery, and Christian Nationalism" by J. Denny Weaver
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Sarah and Sheri's podcast restarting this month
- So We & Our Children May Live is coming out (Oct. 31)
- Substack - stay tuned
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Report on the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon Convention
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Coalition Statement on Gaza/Israel |
We write to you with a heart filled with grief over the loss of life in Gaza and Israel.
As a Coalition of people of faith, seeking to follow the Spirit of Life and Jesus towards decolonization and liberation for the oppressed, we must raise our voices in this critical moment.
In response to Hamas’ horrific attack of Oct. 7, we are witnessing the Israeli government unleash unprecedented violence against the Palestinian people, funded by our U.S. tax dollars. We must peel back the layers of propaganda to see how the dehumanizing logic of settler colonialism is being weaponized against an entire ethnicity of people.
As an Indigenous woman (Sarah) displaced from my own homeland, a displaced person in my own country of origin, I stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine today, and I ask you to do the same.
Earlier this week, 13 Democrat Representatives announced a resolution urging the Biden Administration "to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine, to send humanitarian aid and assistance to Gaza, and to save as many lives as possible." They need our collective support. You can find helpful resources for taking action and contacting your representatives at U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Jewish Voice for Peace. You can also join an international mobilization of people of conscience all around the world, hitting the streets to protest these atrocities and demand a stop to the attempted genocide of Palestinian people.
If you want to learn more, Institute for Middle East Understanding is a non-profit organization uplifting the voices of Palestinian people on the ground in Gaza, and IMEU also has many shareable resources for understanding what is happening right now. We also affirm the statement of MennoPIN (the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network) and urge people to follow their updates on the ongoing crisis at mennopin.org. We also encourage you to read the Mennonite Jewish Relations statement.
May we be steadfast in believing that all lives are sacred and deserving of liberation from violence and oppression. - Sarah Augustine (Executive Director) and Doe Hoyer (Coalition Organizer) |
November 4th Prayer Rising |
- Attend the day of prayer at Oak Flat on November 4th, from 8 AM - 4 PM.
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Host a day of prayer in your community to pray alongside the Apache Stronghold, acknowledging the sacredness of Oak Flat and all Indigenous lands and asking for protection of these lands.
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Sign up for our 24-hour prayer coverage so that Nov 4 is a day filled with prayer from beginning to end (there are still some empty spots)
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Sign up for the soup and singing solidarity event: Join Repair Network Organizer Doe Hoyer for a 2-hour facilitated online event to pray for Oak Flat in solidarity with the Apache Stronghold on November 4th. Participants will each prepare a cherished soup recipe from home, while singing and learning songs. Throughout the event, we will reflect on our relationship to the Earth, and pray together for healing, transformation, and forgiveness.
Whether you are planning to join in person or to host a day of prayer in your own community please fill out our RSVP form |
The Legacy of Settler Colonialism
An article by Sarah Augustine |
On September 28, Jacob Johns was shot while attending a peaceful vigil in the Northern New Mexico town of Española, the homeland of the Tewa people – my people. Jacob Johns, an artist, and activist was protesting the reinstatement of a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate after its removal from public space in 2020. Jacob Johns joined community members and activists from multiple backgrounds, including from diverse Indigenous traditions, who gathered peacefully and prayerfully at the vigil in protest to the reinstatement of the statue. Families and children were present at the vigil. Jacob Johns stepped in front of women and children and was shot in the abdomen when a shooter charged the vigil’s altar.
This brutal use of violence in response to peaceful protest demonstrates a legacy of settler colonialism that is ongoing. Settler colonialism describes an occupying force coming to a land with the intention of destroying whatever societies are already there and building a new country on top of what already exists. In a colonial system, the rules of reality reflect the presumed supremacy of the occupying society. The values, norms and culture of the occupying society transmit, affirm, and reinforce this supremacy. The statue of Juan de Oñate is an example of supremacy affirmed.
The shooting, a violent reaction to a gentle, prayerful gathering, demonstrates an entitlement to domination. In the town of Española, public officials had agreed to rededicate the statue; there was no substantial threat to the legitimacy of the colonial narrative. Yet the shooting indicates complete intolerance for any resistance to the legitimacy of domination.
As of October 9th, Jacob Johns is hospitalized and is facing a third surgery after the removal of his spleen and parts of his liver, stomach, and pancreas. The entire community is wounded by violence brought into a peaceful public space.
The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery is committed to decolonization. We call on our community to identify and challenge assumptions, ideas, values, systems, and practices of colonialism and domination. We call on our friends, communities, supporters – all our relations – to join us in prayer for transformation and healing. |
Story Sharing Story sharing has some new content to share with you! |
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Click here to read J. Denny Weaver's blog post: "Christian Theology, the Doctrine of Discovery, and Christian Nationalism":
"Our national media outlets have increasingly frequent references to the growing movement of white, (sometimes violent), Christian nationalism. This blog will expose the theology that led to the development of the Doctrine of Discovery and which feeds into the rise of racist Christian nationalism."
Check the Coalition's blog page over this next month to find articles about the Return of In´zhúje´waxóbe (Sacred Red Rock) in Lawrence, KS and to read about the experience of taking part in the Trail of Death caravan led by the Potawatomi Trail of Death Association
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Sarah and Sheri's Podcast Restarting this Month |
After taking some time off from our podcast to write a book, Coalition co-founders Sarah Augustine and Sheri Hostetler are starting to record the third season of their Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery podcast. The first episode was released October 13th and features Patty Krawec, an Anishinaabe and Ukranian writer from Lac Seul First Nation. The podcast is available on all of the most common podcast apps; it will help the visibility of their podcast if you subscribe to it and share it with others. Thank you!
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So We & Our Children May Live is coming out! |
Sarah and Sheri's new book is coming out October 31st and CommonWord is doing a book launch in Winnipeg, Manitoba to celebrate! Join in person or livestream it on November 10th at 7pm (Central Time) to hear Sarah and Sheri offer hope for a better future alongside concrete ways to partner with Indigenous Peoples to protect life and advocate for sustainable change that follows Jesus. Check out the Facebook Event Page or find the livestream link on the CommonWord site.
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Substack Sarah and Sheri have a joint Substack account! What is Substack?
Substack is an online subscription newsletter platform that will allow Sarah and Sheri to share essays, articles, thoughts, and parts of their podcasts with you when you subscribe. It's a place where you can read and hear directly from them! It officially launches November 30th.
To subscribe and receive updates when they are posted click on this link and enter your email address. When you sign up you can subscribe for free or choose to donate once a month or annually for $5/month. If you want to become a 'founding member' you can donate an amount of your choosing for the year.
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Report from the Episcopal Diocese of East Oregon Convention By Sarah Augustine |
Sarah Augustine presenting on the Coalition at the convention |
It was my privilege to join the Episcopal Diocese of East Oregon for their Annual convention this weekend. The diocese is a member of the coalition repair network. I have had the privilege of working with Bishop Patrick Bell and the Diocese Truth and Conciliation Commission over the past two years. Last year, the Diocese passed a resolution to repudiate the doctrine of discovery. This year the diocese is seeding groups in congregations throughout the diocese to ground the work of dismantling and repair in communities across Oregon. This weekend, 19 communities made a commitment to get started. We are working toward a state-wide network of repair congregations!
While at convention, I had the privilege of connecting with Bobby Fossek, the co-director of Naknuwitlama Tiiachamna (Caretakers of the Land). Caretakers of the Land is an Indigenous-led organization (Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla) serving to steward and strengthen the symbiotic lifeways, languages, habitats and traditional ecological knowledge of the Blue Mountain bio-region and the Columbia River Basin. This mission is carried out through seasonal round immersion camps and ecosystem restoration projects.
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Pictured left: Sarah and Bobby Fossek Pictured right: Sarah and Dr. Melissa Bird |
I also had the privilege to connect with Amy Jayne and the staff of the Diocese Cove Ascension School and Retreat Center. This facility sits on nearly 100 acres. In 2019, discernment of the community's values around creation care and racial reconciliation compelled them to reimagine stewardship of the land. Ascension school and retreat center contracts with Bobby and Naknuwitlama Tiiachamna (Caretakers of the land) for the management of the land consistent with the values of racial and ecological justice. The Diocese is connecting the work of repair to creation care!
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Sarah Augustine (middle) and Cove Ascension School staff |
Corey Greaves and Mending Wings joined us for convention as well. I have known Corey for many years as a community leader, friend and neighbor on the homeland of the Yakama Nation. Corey is the founder of mending wings, which facilitates the passing of the Yakama culture through elders to youth -- teaching and encouraging language, bead-work, drumming, traditional Yakama songs, tule mat making root digging gathering, hunting fishing and more. The youth of Mending Wing shared powerfully with drumming, songs and dance, and Corey shared his vision for healing for Indigenous People in the Christian context.
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Sarah Augustine, Corey Greaves, and Mending Wings youth |
Finally, members of the Truth and Conciliation Commission met with the We-X racial equity project to discuss partnership in seeking equity and racial justice together with this Indigenous-led initiative. Members of the commission have grown in relationship with We-X over the past several years. I have had the privilege to learn from Jolene Pitt who leads We-X in relational, inquiry-based equity collectives that seek to transform communities through dialogue. It is by far the most transformational racial equity work I have ever been a part of.
The diocese is seeking out Indigenous leadership in repairing relations, creation, and in resisting and dismantling systems of oppression. We are so thankful to be in relationship with you, seeking justice and repair together! |
Looking for how to plug-in? Join the next New Volunteer Orientation on November 16th from 4-5:30 PST/5-6:30 MST/6-7:30 CST/7-8:30 EST. Register below for the zoom link! |
Our next monthly Prayer and Action Hour will be Friday, November 24th from 1-2 p.m. PST/ 4-5 p.m. EST. Join us for this vital spiritual practice of our movement and register below for the Zoom link. |
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Our next Coffee Hour is Wednesday, Nov 29th at 9:00 am PST / 10:00 am MST / 11:00 am CST / 12:00 pm EST. A member of our staff will be available to answer questions and spend time in community together. Register at the link below. |
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Resource Corner -
Our website has had a makeover! Take a look at dismantlediscovery.org and be sure to check out our updated staff page.
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"Holding the Fire: Indigenous Voices on the Great Unraveling" is a new podcast that centers the voices and experiences of Indigenous communities around the world that offer alternative ways of being to the systems of growth, extraction, and colonialism that have shaped our lives for so long. Listen to the first episode here.
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October 9 was Indigenous People's Day! Listen to Katerina Gea give the convocation address at Eastern Mennonite University for that day at this link and check out the Coalition's social media pages for more Indigenous People's Day content.
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All check donations to the Coalition should be sent to the following address: Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery 3258 Thompson Ave. Alameda, CA 94501 Checks should still be made out to our fiscal sponsor, Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference. If the check is for the salary campaign or another special fund, that should also be mentioned in the memo line. |
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| The Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition is fiscally sponsored by and a ministry partner of the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference (PSMC). Want to receive our appeal letters by mail? Email your address to us at admin@dismantlediscovery.org |
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