Heroes in the Land

Mar 6

*Standing inside* *The National Memorial for Peace and Justice* *(Montgomery, AL 2024)*

Kendall Dooley is a community development practitioner, scholar, and co-founder of BLK South, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reclaiming and revitalizing historic Black neighborhoods in the South. With a background in Criminal Justice and Missional Theology, Kendall brings a deep commitment to improving the quality of life in under-resourced communities through holistic development, cultural preservation, and creative place-making. His work is shaped by his passion for justice, Black history, and fostering spaces where communities can flourish on their own terms. Learn More

I’ve heard it said before that you can speak.
That within you lay the stories untold.
The stories of the losers and the lost ones .

Only you and God have born witness to the things that would leave people aghast.
We have named you many things but I wonder what you would name us Monsters or humans?

I cannot hear you.
And that grieves me.
Perhaps because there is too much noise
Too much street traffic overriding your thoughts and tales

Or perhaps my ear has not been attuned to the frequency at which you speak.
A skill that I have not developed because of my own formation causing me to treat you as other.

When the battle is over only the victors get to tell their story. No one hears the story of the victim or of the person who lost.
But you see it all.

Teach me the truth. Teach me their truths.
Speak to me because I need the truth. No matter how hard or confusing it is.

You carry my ancestors and their knowledge. Their hopes and dreams.
I am their dreams.

They are a part of you and I am part of them.
We belong to one another.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What stories or truths might the land where you live be trying to tell you — and what has shaped your ability (or inability) to hear them?
What does it mean to belong to both your ancestors and the land — and how might that sense of belonging shape how you move through the world today?

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