My Back Story to the Ethnic Reconciliation Journey

My Back-Story to the Ethnic Reconciliation Journey (Part 1)

It's not 2014; it's 2023. Yes, I know. Hmm... I am reflecting. Like American educator John Dewey said, "We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." 

My reflection takes me, today, to the island of Jamaica and the Bakke Graduate University (BGU) urban immersion of 2014. I was a master's student itching to see how transformational leadership underpinned by authentic Christianity gets fleshed out across various sectors.                                              

                                    Would BGU make good on its promise?

Authentic Christianity Applied Across Sectors

Here is an excerpt from my 2014 newsletter after the immersion experience.

Have you ever longed for some level of transformation, that within your context seems almost unattainable? I have heard talk about transformational leadership by those who can (sadly) just talk about it. Our socio-political scenario is in my Dad's words, built on "hopes and promises" that eventually trail off into nothingness.    

Well, I have seen the light! Yes, I have seen the light in the lives of people who amazingly have taken God to the workplace. In the IMF - Dr.Wayne Henry, in government - Dr. Holness, in the private sector - Christopher Levi, and even in Trenchtown - Dr. Henley Morgan. I am not one for pomp and posturing. I thrive on the realization of goals and the implementation of systems for sustainability. I get edgy with all the talk. Arj, my husband, tells me often in exasperation, “Veda, there's too much talk and no action.” I agree.

Well, here you are – in the flesh, action-oriented, transformational leaders! BGU did indeed make good on its promise to expose us to scholars and practitioners who were powerfully impacting Jamaica. This immersion experience strengthened my resolve to enter dark, messy places in Guyana to flesh out transformation as a shalom catalyst. For the rest of my life, I want to empower leaders in the following  spaces: Anti-corruption. Local Government. Ethnic Reconciliation.

Psst! If you want to read snippets of how these and other leaders made significant changes, you can let me know in the COMMENTS OR Connect via email: vedawattieram@gmail.com  OR Send a WhatsApp message to +592-652-0432. I'll have a link to the website soon!

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In the early 1990s, I was doing homiletics with Rev. Phil Nettleton. I preached my first sermon on Daniel's life as a transformational agent in government. 

When I developed my first discipleship curriculum as part of the Christian Education program, I focused on a couple of non-traditional Bible-based pieces on how Christians can relate to a government-gone-rogue. (Unfortunately, I do not have a copy.)  I have lived my whole life in a context in which politics trump our allegiance to Christ and our relationship with each other, especially across ethnic lines. Heightened tensions, especially between Blacks and Indians occur at elections time. 

During the heavily contested 1997 elections in Guyana, the PPP-Civic won. One very close older Black Christian leader said to me, "You all win, girl, yuh win." I remembered feeling like an "other,' not a sister. Shocked, and somewhat hurt by being characterized as a part of a political collective that I did not support at that time, I hustled on with the task at hand. The "me-versus-them barrier" was set up but thankfully not established, as I intentionally chose to sincerely love that sister (1Pet.1:22). At that time, though, I did not know how to have conversation with someone I admired and respected, about the way I felt.

I carry within me the longing to experience transformation - personal and internal, as well as, within the larger community and nation. 

Authentic Christianity Influencing Racial Reconciliation

How was I to know that at the Jamaica 2014 immersion, I was going to see Dr. John Perkins, in the flesh? Soft-spoken and calm, his forehead etched in wisdom lines, he shared the building blocks of community development using the steps Nehemiah (a Bible character from the Old Testament) used in the book that bears the same name. We listened in hushed quiet with some measure of awe. He had not talked the talk, but walked the walk.

Dr. John Perkins

Founder and pioneer of the Christian Community Development Association, John Perkins, in the pages of, With Justice for All, invites fellow Americans to heed Nehemiah's call to rebuild the walls of America. His book offers a tried and proven strategy called the three R’s – relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution which are used to rebuild fragmented communities. 

Here is another excerpt from my 2014 review of his book, Justice For All.

                                         

Dr. Perkins writes passionately and shares the profound, with simplicity. His call to use the local Church as the launching pad for community development came at a time when Mississippi was segregated along racial, economic, and social lines. His understanding of the purpose of the Church is what drove him to dedicate his life fully, to adequately address diverse human, social, economic, and political needs. 

What immediately caught my attention was Perkins’ anecdote about Jimmy Carter’s involvement in the fight for human rights, while he was still in a segregated church himself. And this is the oxymoron of all oxymorons – ‘Revival tonight – Everyone Welcome – Except Blacks.’ Although posters did not include ‘except blacks’, it was the invisible postscript. I have struggled to understand how as believers we can miss the obvious. How can we not recognize our sin? 

This book points to negative enculturation, widespread acceptance of racism, misinformed theology (called the powerless gospel), and the need for a reconciler - as reasons for the Church’s apathy. The partnership between Dr. Perkins and Dr. H. Spees to focus on reconciliation between whites and blacks was a very brave thing to do - scriptural yes, but untried, unproven up to this time, in Mississippi. Perkins was not naïve about the challenges ahead. He had, though, the courage to follow through!

The 2014 experience in Jamaica offered me the opportunity to look at my context with hope. Jamaica? Mississippi? Guyana? The common thread woven into each context is authentic Christianity enfleshed in transformational leaders. 

TO        BE        CONTINUED >>>>

How do we become numb to the sin of racism?

Have you ever felt like the "other"? How so? What did you do to navigate that situation?

Have you made someone else feel like the "other"? How so? Did you attempt to reconcile?

Time for Tea, Think & Talk!

                                                                              

 

         Tea, Think & Talk (TTT)

(A subsidiary/arm of Project Deborah)

August 24, 2020

Hello Precious Ones,

We are in this state of "limbo" globally. Yes, we are learning to live a new normal. Life is tough. Even tougher with COVID.😓 But how do we carry on with life tasks, work, family commitment, volunteering, church duties, and of course, the mentoring of that sister, mother, the friend you promised...? Maybe, you are over your head with unresolved matters yourself and quite happy to put a pause on mentoring or any kind of helping to-do. We have got, though, to beat this virus - together. More than ever, we need a community to survive while we social-distance. Sounds like a paradox, eh? Well, I think it is about time to build a community that would keep us connected and empowered! Yes?

This week has gotten off to a great start! Project Deborah is aiming to have conversations that equip, encourage, and cause women to excel as they mentor formally, or not. We want to have fun, chill moments but we do want to get to the point where we seriously measure our impact. Stewardship counts at TTT. Agree? Give me a high- five sista✋!

We are planning to bring "TTT" to you online and in-person, observing, of course, all the recommended and required COVID protocols. To help us bring TTT to you, with chinaware, vintage-styled😍💟, Deborah-daring out of the box approach, let me present to you, Sharon Houston.👏 She is a budget-analyst that has been in her God-walk for over 20 years. Sharon has a deep desire to impart wisdom to women and believes that a structured, yet fun approach is the way to go. TTT is meant to connect women who wish to join God in HIS transforming work in the lives of women.

"Women have not been mere privates in God’s army; instead, they have been entrusted as key players, given pivotal assignments, and shared fully in the fruit of victory." (Silvoso, 2001)

Mission

Just in case you are wondering about what Project Deborah is about, let me give you a snippet. The overall mission is: "Empowering women to join God in HIS transformation work in the lives of women." In 2016-17, I implemented the project which used a mentor-mentee format with coaching from persons responsible for the four tracks we operated over the year. Mentees selected their particular track from a menu that included: Entrepreneurship, Educational development, Christian non-profit, and Family Life Development.

Vision

Project Deborah will be accessible to Christian women across Guyana, in Caribbean territories, and beyond, so as to develop the focused approach, spiritual nurturing, and skills for realizing short-term goals.

Scripture basis: Titus 2: 3-5

Target group: Women mentors who were previously involved in a formal mentoring program,  those who were informally working with younger women, and those who are trying to "get it together" for a long while but are ready now!💞 

Project Deborah is offered to churches, small women groups, and women organizations as a working transformational model. A contextualized toolkit is available for the coordinator, coaches,  mentosr, and mentees. ONE realizable goal in a ONE year period in ONE track! Please contact Lady Veda ( 652-0432), Lady Linda (686-8107) for more information. 

Here is a testimonial from one of our mentees who went the extra mile to make a difference in someone's life.

 

Were you looking for someone who would take you to the next level but could not find someone to do that? Sheriece Baker shares a snippet of her journey. “I changed my initial goal after my friend died. I wanted to extend a helping hand to someone and chose to financially support Kade, my adopted brother as well as find my spiritual identity through the At His Feet studies. Both aspects of my goal were accomplished. I think I also got a bonus. I developed a biblical value framework for my life and decided that I would work with a company that matched the values I upheld. God opened that door and now I have my dream job!” 

Listen out for the launch in September 2020!

     All details will  be posted on this blog!

Love and blessings, 

Sis. Veda 

Dr. Vedawattie Ram, DTL

Director

Catalyst Consulting

219 BB Eccles, 

East Bank Demerara,

GUYANA, South America 

Tel.: 592-652-0432 (Mobile)  592-233-2371 (Office)

Skype: vedawattieram

E-Mail: catalystconsultinggy@gmail.com 

BUILD TO TRANSFORM - TRANSFORM TO BUILD

NB. Catalyst Consulting is the parent organization for Project Deborah and TTT.