INJUSTICE ANYWHERE

/ Union Avenue Christian Church/

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., penned these words in his famous Letter From a Birmingham Jail: "I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial 'outside agitator' idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."

We are tied together in a single garment of destiny, Dr. King's prophetic witness so eloquently described our human fabric, and we have much work to do to save the decency of our shared destiny and the viability of our shared social institutions.

Following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, several Disciples clergy and laypersons joined many others in community responses for justice in Ferguson and beyond. The documentary, Injustice Anywhere, arose in the midst of collective conversations and work of several expressions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), including key activist clergy and laypersons in the St. Louis area; the Christian Church of Mid-America; the Office of the General Minister and President; Reconciliation Ministry; Week of Compassion; Higher Education and Leadership Ministries; the National Convocation; and the National Benevolent Association (NBA), as well as Metropolitan Congregations United.

Union Avenue Christian Church will host the premiere screening of the film Injustice Anywhere, commissioned by the National Benevolent Association, Friday, April 29, 2016, beginning at 6 p.m. The film, by filmmaker Aziza Binti, documents the response of Disciples who sought to be the church in the midst of the struggle and the mess and the goodness of God's world. The evening begins with a reception at 6, followed by the screening at 6:30, and a panel discussion at 7:15.

The NBA commissioned this gathering of stories after the death of Michael Brown in August 2014 on behalf of local Disciples seeking to respond to the crisis. The viewpoints presented within the film reflect a story of collective experiences from individuals impacted by the events in Ferguson and do not necessarily represent the views of any one of the supporting organizations.