I loved phoning 100-year-old Elisabeth Bondy for a Social Justice Committee vote about whether to hang a great, big “Black Lives Matter” banner on the road next to our church. That year Colin Kapernick was a lonely protest vote and we were the first church in town to stick our mostly White, middle-class necks out with that defiant gesture. Elisabeth had survived Nazi Germany, immigrated to the USA and fully understood that her citizenship here demanded vigorous activism. She was glad to protest war and stand in the road or block the White Trains when nuclear missiles were brought into our county. “And why not?” Elisabeth asked when I polled her about Black Lives Matter, “Yes, hang that sign.” Elisabeth is no longer with us but we all remember her scratchy, elder’s voice of immense authority.

He too has passed on now, but I used to love the way that Tom Brassier stood very erect and tall next to Florrie his wife as she passionately grabbed the Joys & Sorrows microphone and shared the particular, progressive cause that clutched her heart. Tom often wore a dressy blazer to honor Florrie, his Sunday clothes a tribute to her righteous beliefs and a strong support for the young man in prison with whom Florrie described exchanging letters. Now we light a candle of memory for you, Tom Brassier.

There is a particular timbre of outrage in my wife Dr. Gail’s voice when she says things like, “They shot him right there among the families picnicking in downtown Poulsbo. For no reason they shot him, except that he was brown and acting a little strange, and then they went right on with their 4th of July fireworks as if nothing had happened.” So we go to Stonechild Chiefstick memorials and are proud to see our young minister also there with her family. When Gail has that certain tremble of heartfelt emotion in her words, then I am “up and at ‘em” ready to grab my sign and go because Gail has already survived cancer once this year. We better seize the day while we can.

You ask about the weekly demonstrations where our liberal church members now meet with others from 3:30 to 4:30 pm almost every Friday in front of the Port Orchard police station holding Black Lives Matter signs during these perilous, frightening days of virus just before the November, 2020 presidential election. I am proud to have been there a few times showing up for racial justice. Perhaps 30 people of all ages demonstrate, but our church delegation often averages about 70 years of age. No morally blind vigilantes with rifles have appeared yet, but a couple of young kids with MAGA hats showed up for two weeks to check out what the Antifa terrorists breaking windows actually looked like. The MAGA boys were disappointed because to see that we are the elderly heartbeat of wisdom not the raging anger of wild youth. I am so proud to stand with our two leaders, Robin a retired second grade teacher of a certain age and her partner Peter a retired, high school social studies teacher also of a certain age. I am so honored to have stood with Peter the other week, holding one end of our KUUF Black Lives Matter banner while he held the other. Peter is now on hospice but he is still standing, showing up every week for as long as he can.

I am proud of our liberal church in Bremerton when we stand for social justice.

Phil Davis, KUUF member
. . . and also of a certain age