Dear friends,
This Christmas Eve, I am reflecting on the subversive power of the nativity story.
On the edge of a violent empire, a pregnant teenager, homeless and undocumented, forced to migrate by a power-hungry ruler, finds sanctuary in a manger. When the baby arrives, it’s not politicians or those from high society who first visit and offer congratulations. Rather, Jesus is welcomed into the world by a group of poor shepherds, sent as witnesses by an angel of God.
Isn’t this the truth of a world in crisis? When times are tough and the forces of extremism clamor with fury, flexing their power muscles and displacing many, it is poor and dispossessed people who show up demanding peace and abundance, not just for themselves but everyone.
This past year, there were many reasons our communities had to show up and fight. From worsening attacks on unhoused people to the rollback of pandemic-era protections to increasing militarism and war to emboldened racial and religious nationalism, we faced significant challenges. Now, amid widening poverty and historic inequality, we’re bracing for a year that threatens the lives and livelihoods of so many of our friends, families, and neighbors.
In times like these, I couldn’t be more proud of the thousands of people who make up the Kairos Center’s network. Together, we’ve demanded that “everybody has a right to live” in myriad ways: through Freedom Church of the Poor, our cultural organizing and movement song leading, our minister’s training program, our policy analysis and original research, our continued work with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and so much more.
For over twenty years, Kairos has been committed to building a movement to end poverty, open to all, and led by the poor. In the coming year, we’re doubling down on our efforts, planting seeds of justice and developing the kinds of leaders and alliances that can carry our society to higher ground.
One resource I hope will be useful is my new book, co-written with Noam Sandweiss-Back and published by Beacon Press, You Only Get What You’re Organized to Take: Lessons from the Movement to End Poverty, which comes out April 8 (you can pre-order our book here!). Weaving together threads of history, theology, political analysis, and more, Noam and I argue that to reorient our society around the needs of all and reinvigorate the promise of democracy, the poor can and must become the architects of a new America.
May it be so.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and happy new year,
Liz