Esther’s Call

“I do the work of justice not out of a disdain for the privileged but out of a love for Life.” - Womanist Theologian Dr. Kelly Douglas Brown

For a little over two years I have been working with NY Faith & Justice, and I can say that this work is an answer to prayers. Early in my Christian walk I desired to do social justice from a Christ-centered perspective. This desire is birthed out of a deep gratitude for the total salvation I experienced at age 14 after four years of being led by the Holy Spirit to pray and read the Bible (outside of the church). I was not raised in a Christian home and had only been to church two times during my entire childhood. Christ did not just save my soul but he saved me from the unjust systems that enacted violence on my very being as a young black woman growing up in the inner-city community of East New York.

Recently I realized it has been 20 years since my little brother and I were unjustly removed from our mother and placed in foster care — the response to my mother’s request for assistance while we were living in a welfare hotel in Queens. As I reflected over the past 20 years of my life, I realized how much God’s faithfulness had sustained me and how literal Isaiah 61 has been in my life and the lives of my siblings.

Justice work is my song of praise to God, not out of a desire to deal with my personal problems through this work, or to make those responsible pay, but out of a love for the God of the orphan who came to preach good news to those just like me, and who did not stop there but actually said that those like me would repair the ruined cities and restore the devastations (Isaiah 61:4). This gives me joy and no reason to pity myself. God ordained that I would have agency in righting the very wrongs that were committed against me, and organizations like NY Faith & Justice have given me the opportunity to work toward the fulfillment of this prophecy.

I will not say that the road has been easy. Because even when you accept Christ, you have to “wrestle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in high places” (Ephesians 6:10-18). For me this has meant systematic injustice that reaches all the way back to my family being owned by one of the largest slave-holding families in America, to the racist real estate practices that turned East NY into a ghetto, and to the drug epidemic that further eroded my community and the lives of those closest to me.

Even as I write this my mother is estranged from the family and homeless, dealing with addiction and mental illness. So as I work for systemic justice, my family and I are praying and working toward individual justice and restoration for her. Sometimes I have struggled with not feeling equipped to do the work of justice due to my family’s struggles. Often we do not see those who are personally affected by injustice actually standing up to it, but Isaiah 61 (which is the foundational scripture for NY Faith & Justice) has encouraged me that God actually can use me because of the injustices I have experienced, not in spite of them.

I strongly hold the conviction that each time justice is enacted in the world we get one step closer to salvation, one step closer to the kingdom, and one step closer to answering the prayer that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven — and THIS is my song of worship.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. THEY will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. THEY will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; THEY will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. -Isaiah 61:1-4

“I want to be in tune with my maker.”

“I pray for the organization to get the (the Domestic Worker) Bill of Rights passed”.

“Without God we can’t do anything”.

“I put fliers in the churches, I speak to the pastors”.

–Marilyn Marshall and Joyce Gill-Campbell Leaders in Domestic Workers United (DWU)

“We have a dream that one day, all work
will be valued equally”.-Mission of Domestic Workers United

During the spring of 2006 I started to closely read Isaiah 61 and began to gain spiritual encouragement from meditating on God’s care for the poor and oppressed. I began to study this scripture whenever I had the chance. In 2007 I started to work with New York Faith & Justice after meeting founders: Lisa Sharon Harper, Anna Lee and Peter Heltzel at Pentecost 2007. In the Fall of 2007 New York Faith & Justice did an in-depth Bible Study on Isaiah 61 and from this study I learned that this passage declares the poor “the oaks of righteousness”, and “that THEY will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated”. This new insight revolutionized my approach to the ministry of ending poverty. Instead of just preaching the gospel to the poor, the poor are called to rebuild and restore their communities! If you are a person of privilege instead of working for the poor you are called to work alongside the poor. And if like me you come from the ranks of the poor you are called to rebuild and restore your community. This re-reading of Isaiah 61 is further supported by my work with the Poverty Initiative’s Poverty Scholars Program. The Poverty Scholars program brings poor activist from across America to Union Theological Seminary to take part in an educational program of conferences, theological reflection and action planning centered on re-igniting Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign.
Members of the above quoted Domestic Workers United are nominated Poverty Scholars. “Founded in 2000, Domestic Workers United [DWU] is an organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers in New York, organizing for power, respect, fair labor standards and to help build a movement to end exploitation and oppression for all.” The members of Domestic Workers United (DWU) are not only people of activism but people of faith. One member of Domestic Workers United is currently studying to become a minister. When members of DWU do educational/outreach sessions they do more preaching than speech giving. It only takes a few minutes of listening to these activist testify to see that God is central to this work and provides these dynamic women with the courage they need to organize while currently employed as domestic workers. It is not unusual for DWU to protest in front of luxury condos in Manhattan while advocating for a member who was treated unjustly on the job. Stories of illegally low wages, verbal, physical, and even sexual abuse are not unusual for domestic workers across the country. This invisible, but essential part of our workforce is now becoming visible through the work of being the oaks of righteousness Isaiah prophesied about. In New York City alone there are over 200,000 nannies, caregivers, and housekeepers who are essential to New York City’s economy (www.domesticworkersunited.org). When Lehman Brothers closed its doors, many domestic workers also lost jobs; the current economic crisis is further affecting this already venerable group. Currently DWU is advocating for the passage of a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights because historically domestic workers have been excluded from legal protections, face long hours, low pay and no benefits. “The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (A628B, S5235) amends New York State labor law to guarantee basic work standards and protections: time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40 hours per week; one day off per 7-day calendar week; and other basic employee rights that most of us take for granted. The bill provides a means of enforcing these standards in court (Domestic Workers Bill of Rights)”.
Domestic Workers United is currently attempting to gain support from the faith community, in words of one of the members: “we need all the help we can get”. DWU ask that “religious leaders reach out to any of their congregants that are connected to the domestic industry, and to speak in church about this issue”. The faith community is essential to making the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights a moral imperative. A new progressive Christian movement has been forming and it is exciting that many want to “preach the good news to the poor” but that is only half of the Prophet Isaiah’s message, now we are moving into the second part of this word: standing beside the poor as they become oaks of righteousness and speak for themselves. Helping to support the work of Domestic Workers United is one such way to do this. Here are some practical ways you can support the work of DWU:

* Attending the February 10th New York State Lobby Day- for more information contact: domesticworkersunited@gmail.com.
* Encourage your church or organization to endorse the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights by going to www.domesticworkersunited.org where you can download an organizing packet.
* Give information about DWU to a domestic worker you know.
* If you employ domestic workers practice fair employment practices.
* Speak to your church or organization about the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
* Volunteer, intern or donate to DWU-information on these options can be found on the website.

Links of interest:

Domestic Workers United-www.domesticworkersunited.org

Poverty Scholars Program-www.povertyinitiative.org

New York Faith & Justice-www.nyfaithjustice.org

Onleilove Alston is a former Beatitudes Society Fellow at Sojourners. She serves on the Servant Leadership Team of NY Faith & Justice, is a nominated Poverty Scholar and a Faithful Democrats Fellow.