Ep. 178: Quilts, Comfort, and Activism

This episode is a culmination of comfort and activism. Quilts are usually a symbol of tranquility and peace, but this week we hear from a group that utilized quilts to advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement. First, we follow up with a group we met at the Parliament of the World's Religions: The Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry. We speak with Rev. Mark Koyama, Kathy Barrett Blair, and Dr. Harriet Ward. Rev. Mark Koyama grew up in South East Asia and New Zealand before coming to live in the United States in 1980. He was educated at Bates College, Union Theological Seminary (MA 1992), University of Massachusetts Amherst (MFA 2010), and Yale Divinity School (MDiv 2015). Mark teaches literature and religious studies at Northfield Mount Hermon School and is the settled pastor at the United Church of Jaffrey, in Jaffrey New Hampshire. Kathy Barrett Blair has a degree in Occupational Therapy from UNH, and worked as the preschool occupational therapist for the Keene School District for 34 years. She chaired the NHCUCC Ukama Mission Group in partnership with UCC churches in Zimbabwe. Kathy designed and coordinated the renovation of UCC Keene’s Elsie Priest Park and children’s playground. She expresses her creativity through fabric, including the design and construction of Quilt #4 of the George Floyd Quilts. Dr. Harriet Ward is a scientist and a Christian activist. Her doctorate from Brown University (1988) empowered her to serve infants and young children with vision loss, blindness and additional health and developmental challenges. Called by Christ to Antiracism work, Harriet is a powerful voice in the United Church of Christ where she has served on the Board of Directors of the National United Church of Christ and as Chair of the Anti-Racism Ministry group (ARMg) New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ. Then, we hear from Sara Jolena Wolcott. Sara founded her company Sequoia Samanvaya to champion the concepts of ReMembering and ReEnchanting our world. It is centered around rediscovering the spiritual connection to the earth she feels our society has lost. Sara was born into a Quaker family, an identity she still holds, but works with all varieties of different religions around the world. She has a wildly diverse and just plain wild resume, including degrees from Union Theological Seminary, the Institute of Developmental Studies at the University of Sussex, Haverford College, and the McKinnon Institute of Massage therapy, and experience as a consultant for the world bank, as a traveling singer in India, and as a correctional chaplain at Rikers Island Correctional Facility in New York City.