“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders.” Psalms 78:4-5
Major milestones offer opportunities to remember the stories of lament and joy in the legacies of our families and friends. Recently, I did this again with extended family as we gathered in celebration of our connections and shared history.
I could see family resemblances, similar spirited demeaners, character and the spirit of our ancestors who walked before us. We shared stories that exposed tough decisions made during my ancestors’ violent enslavement and brutal sharecropping as well as the horror of removal of my Indigenous family from their lands with the imposition of settlers. I was grateful that despite — and through — the hardships in our history, we were able to gather and share provisions now.
As I reflect on my legacy, I witness the practices and policies that assaulted and continue to assault peoples today. With the rise of more police and militarization in our world and nation — for example, even in the Washington, D.C., area where I live and work — I am deeply troubled by the repeat of this on those who are again being disproportionately targeted.
I am deeply troubled by the increasing number of people who are hurt by policies and practices that use food as a weapon or diminish support for those who were or who are food-insecure and will increasingly see dramatic decreases in households that need living wages.
With the July passage of H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the Bread for the World Policy and Research Institute predicted that resources would decrease for households towards the bottom of the income distribution, whereas resources would increase for households in the middle and top of the income distribution. I am keenly aware of many families in the United States and globally who do not have adequate provisions due to this bill and other recent policies. Bread for the World stands with and for these families.
Future generations depend on current generations doing what many ancestors did in the past to make it possible for me to sit at table with my family for our August celebrations. The decisions we make today shape our world tomorrow.
“The decisions we make today shape our world tomorrow.”
Great leaders have understood this and have given their lives to this. People like the young Queen Esther in the Bible knew as a teenager that if her people perished, she would perish. People like the young woman Mary who moved from fear to wonder and carried, bore and embraced the baby Jesus who changed the world.
Bread for the World invites you to again consider the gifts of past and future generations as you consider your significant role of being an advocate in these days. Please go to bread.org to learn more about this moment to pray, act and give!
Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith is senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World.
