The new month of June brings a new theme for our children’s RE curriculum, which for this month is “Living Love Through the Practice of Freedom.” Nelson Mandala’s words provide a useful definition of freedom for us: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” This is what we’ll be exploring in RE — that our own freedom is inextricably linked to the freedom of the whole human family.
We will begin with “Freedom & Pride” on June 1st, celebrating how our LGBTQ elders struggled for their freedom to live their lives openly, and our continuing struggle for liberation. We’ll practice expressing our own “true colors” through cooperative art, which teaches the importance of both individual expression and community interdependence. As Marsha P. Johnson said, “You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.” The following week, on June 8th, we will be taking RE to the streets of Hollywood as all ages join together in representing UUSM in the Los Angeles Pride Parade!
For our next lesson on June 15th, we will learn about “Freedom & Juneteenth” and the long and continuing struggle for freedom that Black Americans have experienced over the centuries. We’ll read the story All Different Now, a retelling of the first Juneteenth from the perspective of an enslaved child in Texas. Her experience recalls Harriet Tubman’s reflection on her escape from slavery: “When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.”
On June 22nd, we will celebrate “Freedom & the Summer Solstice” with music, joy, and dancing. We’ll learn about the Sun Dance practiced by many Native American peoples, both as a part of their spiritual life and as a method of resistance when the US government restricted their freedom of religion. These indigenous traditions remind us that freedom must be inclusive of all life on earth — in the words of Lakota Chief Luther Standing Bear, “This concept of life and its relations filled us with the joy and mystery of living; it gave us reverence for all life; it made a place for all things in the scheme of existence with equal importance to all.”
Finally on June 29th, we will learn about “Freedom & Liberation” from the rich culture of our Palestinian sisters and brothers, who preserve their traditions to celebrate their heritage and fight for liberation. Big thanks to Sawa SoCal for helping me learn more about Tatreez, Dabke, and Palestinian plants at their recent cultural festival here in Santa Monica! Their work promoting Palestinian heritage reminds me of this powerful quote by writer Refaat Alareer: “There’s a Palestine that dwells inside all of us, a Palestine that needs to be rescued: a free Palestine where all people regardless of color, religion, or race coexist.” Refaat, his brother and sister, and four of his nephews were killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2023. His eldest daughter and her newborn son are among the thousands of other victims of the genocide.
In memory of Refaat, his family and friends, and the many thousands killed in this interminable genocide, remember that the word “freedom” means nothing for us if we are not standing up for the freedom of others. If you have not used your voice to speak up for the uncounted thousands of murdered children in Gaza, and those who are still being murdered and intentionally starved by the Israeli government every day, ask yourself what your freedom to speak really means to you. Maybe you will risk paying a price, as many Americans who exercise their freedom of speech have for Gaza’s sake. But if we cannot speak for innocent children who have no freedom, then we are not truly free ourselves.
If not now, when?
