The Pause of Protest
Just before Memorial Day, in an act of protest, San Francisco Giants Manager Gabe Kapler said he would refuse to take the field for the national anthem to protest the nation’s “direction,” in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. “Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat,” says Kapler, “I’m participating in a self-congratulatory glorification of the only country where these mass shootings take place.” On Memorial Day he suspended his protest to honor those who’ve given their lives to defend the country.
Kapler is exercising his Constitutional right to protest, as many before him have. But is protest a help or hindrance to reconciliation?
In this conversation with Reachable Reconciliation Founder Fred Oduyoye, we explore the powerful impact of “pause” in the path to reconciling relationships that have been strained and destroyed by divisiveness. We must give space for reaction and reflection in advance of repair. Protest, says Fred, is one of our most powerful “pause” strategies…
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