“Zine izinto okufanele uzifunde ekuphileni: Ukucabanga ngokucacile ngaphandle kokuxhamazela noma ukudideka; Ukuthanda wonke umuntu ngobuqotho; Ukwenza kukho konke ngezisusa eziphezulu; Ukuthembela kuNkulunkulu ngokungananazi.”
-UHelen Keller
Kule mpelasonto yoSuku lweSikhumbuzo, 2006, ngikhetha ukukhumbula amaqhawe amathathu omzabalazo wobulungiswa, ukuthula kanye nomhlaba osekelwe othandweni: u-Anne Braden, uDamu Smith no-Victoria Gray-Adams.
U-Anne washona ekuqaleni kukaMashi, uDamu ekuqaleni kukaMeyi kanti uVictoria usesimweni sokugula ekhaya lakhe ePetersburg, eVirginia njengoba ngibhala.
Ababazi nabasebenza nabo bayazi ukuthi silahlekelwe yini.
Bonke babengabagijimi bamabanga amade abanikela ngakho konke ababengakwenza kwaze kwaba yilapho bengasenawo amandla ngokomzimba.
Bonke babezinikele ngokuyisisekelo ekulweni nokucwasa ngokwebala. Ngikhumbula isikhathi noVickie ngawo-80s lapho ayenomuzwa wokuthi kungenzeka ukuthi kwakunobandlululo emsebenzini ngendlela mina nabanye esasihlele ngayo umhlangano ayezodlala kuwo indima ebalulekile. Ngaphambi kwalowo mhlangano yena, mina kanye nabanye abambalwa sahlangana ukuze siwulungiselele, futhi ngisawazwa amehlo akhe kimi, ukuma kwakhe okufundisiwe kanye nemibuzo yakhe eqondile ezama ukuthola ekugcineni kwalokho okwakwenzekile. Njengoba efunda okwengeziwe futhi eqonda ezinye izinto eziguquguqukayo emsebenzini, wakhululeka futhi wakwenza kwacaca ukuthi wayengangiboni njengokufanele ngokuyinhloko, okungenani, asolwe, okwakuyimpumuzo enkulu yomuntu siqu. Ubudlelwano bethu buye bajula futhi bakhula kusukela ngaleso sikhathi.
Ngokungangabazeki ukulwa nokucwasa kuka-Anne kwaba nomthelela ezinkulungwaneni zabantu, mhlawumbe abaningi nakakhulu. Iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-50, emsebenzini eNingizimu ejulile, yena kanye, ngaphezu kwengxenye yaleyo minyaka, umyeni wakhe uCarl bamelana nokuhlukaniswa nobulungisa bobuhlanga kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwakubiza malini, futhi kwakunezindleko. Incwadi yakhe ethi, The Wall Between, ingeyakudala okufanele ifundwe yibo bonke abantu abamhlophe abafuna ukuqonda ukujula kobandlululo ukuze babe ngabangane abathembekile babantu bebala.
UDamu wayezibophezele kakhulu ezindabeni zemvelo nokuthula. Wasungula izinhlangano ezimbili, iNational Black Environmental Justice Network kanye neBlack Voices for Peace, eyaqinisa ukwazi kanye nobushoshovu mayelana nalezi zinkinga emphakathini wase-Afrika yaseMelika, ngesikhathi esifanayo lapho esebenza ngokuzikhandla emikhankasweni yokuthula yezinhlanga eziningi noma ikakhulukazi abamhlophe. . Waphila ngokuzibophezela kwakhe kukho kokubili ukuphakanyiswa komphakathi wakubo kanye nokwakhiwa "komphakathi othandekayo" wabo bonke abantu abalwela ubulungisa nokuthula.
Bobathathu babefana ngokuthi benza umsebenzi wezombangazwe ngendlela eyafinyelela kabanzi, eyenqaba ngokusobala ukuncishana kanye nokuhlukana kwamahlelo futhi eyazisa ukuthi uguquko lwezenhlalo lwenziwa inhlanganisela yomsebenzi othembekile ngabahleli abazinikele kanye nokuzimisela kwamanani amaningi abantu ukuthi bathathe izinyathelo eziqondile. U-Anne noVickie babengabaholi benhlangano elwela amalungelo abantu ngeminyaka yama-50s kanye nama-60s njengoba uDamu ayekhula eba umuntu omdala.
Bonke babengabantu abangokomoya abajulile ababethembele futhi bekholelwa kuNkulunkulu. Akungabazeki ukuthi le nkolelo yayiwumthombo omkhulu wamandla kubo. Kwagcina amehlo abo, izinhliziyo zabo, izingqondo zabo kanye nemiphefumulo yabo kugxile emklomelweni wezwe elihluke kakhulu.
Nokho abekho kubo, njengoba ngizibonela ukuphila kwabo, ababegqoka lezo zinkolelo “emkhonweni wabo.” Abantu abaningi ababebazi kodwa ababengazi kahle cishe babengalazi ingokomoya labo.
Angazi noma ukhona yini kubo owake wabona amazwi kaHelen Keller acashunwe ngenhla, kodwa ngingalindela ukuthi uma benza lokho bazihlanganise nabo. Bonke, njengo-Helen Keller, babengenalo uhlelo olubeka inzuzo yebhizinisi ngaphezu kobulungisa kanye ne-ecosystem enempilo.
Ngokungangabazeki, bonke benza konke okusemandleni abo “ukwenza yonke into ngezisusa eziphakeme kakhulu.”
Ngalolu suku lweSikhumbuzo onyakeni abashona ngawo, masikhumbule u-Anne, uDamu, uVickie kanye nabo bonke abagcine ukholo kwaze kwaba usuku abashona ngalo, izibonelo zokuthola amandla nokuzilingisa ngokusemandleni ethu ukuya phambili.
U-Ted Glick usebenza neClimate Crisis Coalition
(www.climatecrisiscoalition.org) kanye ne-Independent Progressive Politics Network (www.ippn.org). Angafinyelelwa ku [i-imeyili ivikelwe] noma P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J.
07003.
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa kuphela ngokuphana kwabafundi bayo.
Nikela