TEACHING OTHERS TO LOVE VETERANS
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), approximately 20% of our nation’s 23.5 million veterans are people of color. Like other racial and ethnic minority populations, minority veterans face a variety of unique health care challenges, ranging from chronic disease disparities and high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to difficulties in accessing medical treatment. Spiritual battles go right along with these challenges. Soul Wounds from war or over-exposure to death through military experiences may require unique spiritual care from Chaplains and other equipped to deal with the unique challenges faced by faced my minority and culturally-diverse veterans.
“Black theology emerged because I wanted to reconcile Malcolm and Martin, reconcile Blackness and Christianity.” Dr. James Cone
One of my favorite Ada María Isasi-Díaz quotes is from a speech in which she refers to the word Eschatology and says (paraphrasing), “I use these theological words and teach them to the women in my parish, because I paid a lot of money for them and it’s time we liberate them as well.”
Must Read: En la Lucha/In the Struggle: Elaborating a Mujerista Theology (Second edition, Fortress Press, 2003).
EMPOWERING CHURCHES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO LOVE VETERANS, THE MILITARY & families:
knowing HOW TO HELP IS OUR BATTLE!