Love Liberates

We are not free until everyone is free

Did you know that June 19^th, 1865, is the day the last enslaved Africans in Texas found out they had been emancipated? That’s what Juneteenth is. Did you know that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared all persons born in the United States (horribly except for the indigenous people first on this land—Turtle Island) were citizens of this nation? This meant the enslaved Africans born in the United States were citizens. And did you know the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America made this citizenship constitutional?

Here is Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

In a recent press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who has the wonderful job of delivering propaganda on behalf of Fake King Trump stated, "This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional".

So, this administration thinks the constitution is unconstitutional. What in hell???

Now Republicans have voted that Fake King Trump has the right to deport US citizens.

To deport U.S. Citizens.

This is unconstitutional.

Here is what is happening, beloved. The constitution is being dismantled, and a fascist regime is rising up to take over our government. Trump is not smart enough to be doing this by himself, but Project 2025 IS BEING ENACTED before our eyes.

Here is the Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership

Here is the tracker, so you can see for yourself how the plan is rolling out.

On Saturday, June 14, Trump is doing an unethical spectacle, creating a show in his ongoing campaign of shock and awe, to LOOK like the dictator he plans to be. Friends, this is a critical and urgent moment in our shared life. This is not about left or right, it is about right and wrong. This is not about progressive and conservative, it is about democracy or dictatorship.

I am alarmed, and you should be, too.

What can we do?

1.) March on Saturday. Middle Church will be in New York at Bryant Park in the No Kings Day March at 2:00p. Look for us and march with us. Read about No Kings here and find a march in your town.

2.) Be intersectional in our thinking. Read and follow people you trust so you can connect the dots between tariffs and taxes; violent policing and vitriolic discourse in the public square; deportations and the despotic nature of this administration.

3.) Get connected to your community. Know your neighbors. Pay attention. Watch out for each other, for masked folks is unmarked cars coming for not only immigrants but for activists and anyone who threatens this government.

4.) Take care of YOU. Be safe, don’t walk and talk on your phone. Have a go-bag ready in your house for you and your beloved with what would be essential to get out of that is what you need to do.

5.) Develop an embodied spiritual practice, find a spiritual community. You are welcome to ours at Middle Church (link) where you are welcome just as you are. Our souls and bodies need nourishment and, yes, joy. So, we can get up tomorrow and try again to make this world just and loving.

6.) Put Juneteenth on your calendar so you can get your ticket to the Fierce Urgency of Now Conference. That’s one day only buy one get one free.

Middle Church is going to be teaching, preaching, organizing, loving, leading, and loud about what is happening here in our nation and around the globe. Why? Because we follow Jesus. A brown baby born in Bethlehem, in Judea. A child raised in Nazareth in Galilee. An Afroasiatic Jewish Palestinian who was once homeless. An immigrant.

We are not going to be timid because we know we are NOT free until everyone is free. We are entering what we are calling our Freedom Arc, marking Juneteeth on Sunday June 15 and on Sunday June 22. We will be talking about liberation and freedom on Pride Sunday June 29, and we are going to connect Juneteenth and Fourth of July on Sunday July 6.

And this is just the beginning. All year long, through June 30, 2026, our community is going to focus on how Just Love Liberates. Love. Period. This is what it means to follow Jesus, to heal the world of discrimination, oppression, bigotry, greed and violence with love. To love the hell out of the world as an act of faith. We’re inviting to join us.

Ain’t nobody got time for this hot mess administration to roll us back to the bad-old-days. Their hurting our people, and we are not going to stand for it.

You ready? Let’s go!

Jacqui

P.S. Here is one more thing to do, which is to put a little love in your heart, so you can take care of you and your community. Here is a piece of work I did that you might find helpful.