As Bodhisattvas, we vow to liberate all beings from suffering. We can start in our own community, where many people suffer from injustice.
A week ago, Jeremy from the Milwaukee Mindfulness Center and I took a chartered bus to the Capitol in Madison, to join a Smart Justice Rally. Over 300 people came from all over the state for a day of dialog with our legislators.
The issue was Wisconsin’s Incarceration Crisis. We met in groups with others from our districts to urge the representatives to vote on bills that would help to reform the criminal justice system in our state. We believe in rehabilitation, not retribution. We believe that we need to invest in communities, not in cages. We believe in addressing the root causes for violence, and that citizens and communities will be safer when we invest in education and peaceful collaboration with the police.
Watch the video of Tonen O’Connor’s presentation of “Like an Animal in a Cage”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r_0KVqkEE4&t=539s
Another important topic for Wisconsin citizens is to improve our democracy by helping others to vote. Several Interfaith groups are organizing a civic engagement project to learn about the intersection of faith and social justice. The kick-off event: Bridging Faiths for a Stronger Democracy will be held at the First Unitarian Church in Milwaukee on Thursday, February 13. Please, check the flyer for details.
At Milwaukee Zen Center, we are going to hold a one-day election sesshin, where we will be doing zazen in the morning and go out in pairs to register voters in the afternoon: Saturday, March 7, 7:30 am. Contact Reirin for a training session.