Tag Archives: grief

Reflections on Peace

Peace Now: Not the Absence of Tension but the Presence of Justice; Not the Presence of War but the Absence of Weapons By Reverend Matilda Cantwell, CRSL Director and College Chaplain When I was seventeen, I had a purple T-shirt; … Continue reading

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Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a Tzadik

After Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, 11-year-old Micah Blay made a pilgrimage to the U.S. Supreme Court and blew the shofar for the hundreds of people gathered there. In keeping with Jewish custom, they laid small stones on the steps … Continue reading

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CONVOCATION (Invocation) 2020, August 31, 2020

Smith College acknowledges and appreciates the fact that our College is built within the ancestral homelands of the Nonotuck peoples. We also recognize our present-day neighboring indigenous nations: the Nipmuc and the Wampanoag to the East, the Mohegan, Pequot, and … Continue reading

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Understanding the Effects of Racial Trauma

Racial Trauma for Blacks is a prevalent phenomenon that cannot be disputed yet it is so commonplace that it has been normalized. Every day the U.S. global majority (an alternative term for people of color) face the damaging effects of … Continue reading

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Statement on Sri Lanka from Religious and Spiritual Life

Dear Students, Once again we are writing our horror, grief, and outrage about yet another massacre at a place where people were practicing their faith, this time on Easter, the highest of Holy Days for Christians. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/21/outpouring-sorrow-after-more-200-killed-easter-sunday-bombings-sri-lanka While the Christian … Continue reading

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In Memoriam:
The Inauguration of Jill Ker Conway

Jill Ker Conway, the seventh president of Smith College, died a few weeks ago on 1 June 2018. She has been fondly remembered by many others, and I will not attempt to offer an additional obituary or recollection of her … Continue reading

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Vigil for Natural Disasters and Climate Change

On Tuesday, September 26, students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered on Chapin Lawn to stand in solidarity with those affected by recent natural disasters in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominica, Texas, Florida, and many other places. We also wanted … Continue reading

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Newtown School Shooting: What I Know is True

The faith tradition(s) that I follow allows me a certain acceptance of uncertainty and “living the questions,” as the famous poem by Rilke puts it. Grappling, wondering, ruminating, and questioning are all part of the journey for me—as is the … Continue reading

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Response to Boston Marathon Bombings

Regardless of where or how we are situated with respect to Boston, Watertown the Boston marathon, geographically and emotionally, almost all of us, what can I do? It strikes me that in fact, there is so much we can do, … Continue reading

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