“Umntu, Ngamntu, Ngabantu.” This is an African phrase which means, “A person is not a person without other people.” This concept is at the heart of our faith tradition. In our creation stories, it was not sufficient to have one person created, there had to be two, and more. We are meant to be in relationship. We are intended to be in community. Our species is not designed to live in isolation cut off from others. We are not solitary beings. Humans are complete and fulfilled in relationship with others. We find our highest good in solidarity. In sharing life’s journey, the joys and triumphs as well as the struggles and pain, we find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. In caring for each other and being together, we find our highest good.
On Saturday, 8 people from Lakewood Church participated in the culminating rally of the “Now Is the Time Tour” of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Lakeland, FL. We marched with signs adding our voices to chants for justice bringing the plight of the modern day farmworker to light. The afternoon ended with participants gathered around a stage in a park hearing speeches, testimonies, and skits about farmworker conditions and issues.
Again and again and again there was mention of the commitment to dignity for ALL people. There was repeated reference to the humanity of ALL people. There were expressions of the need for respect for ALL people. We were there to give our support to the farmworkers and the need for justice in the workplace for all workers. And we did that. But the afternoon was not just about giving. There was a beautiful sense of being in solidarity. A sense of “Umntu, Ngamntu, Ngabantu.” It is not just that the farmworkers need allies to accomplish their goals. It is more than that. It is that we need each other to create a world where all are treated fairly and with dignity and respect. There is the embodiment of the spirit of mutuality.
In being part of the march and rally, in listening to all the expressions of celebration and support, I felt that if I am ever in trouble, I can count on these people to stand with me. If I ever feel that I am in a situation where I am being abused and my humanity degraded and demeaned, I can count on the Coalition to be my allies, to stand in solidarity with me, to fight for dignity and justice for me. The movement is not just about what we can do for the farmworkers, but what we can do for and with each other to create a more just society. There is the recognition that “a person is not a person without other people.” We need each other. I give thanks for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers advocating for the full humanity of all people.
Prayer: We pray for the farmworkers, for all workers, and for all people, including ourselves. Everyone deserves to live with dignity. Everyone deserves respect. Everyone deserves to be treated as a human being, sacred and beloved. When we do less than this, we demean not only those who are victims, but we demean all of humanity. We undermine the well-being of all. May we see the world with the eyes of God. May we know that when one person or one group is diminished, the whole human family is diminished. May we see that we are only complete and whole when we see all people as our sisters and brothers and seek the highest good of all. This is the way Jesus looked at the world. We pray to have his eyes. Amen.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 