In February, when the red, pink and white adornments and matching candy parade through stores, shops and my home, I find myself curious. How did St. Valentine, the man martyred for resisting the Roman Empire with his love-anchored faith, persist throughout time, place, and culture to remain so relevant in our communities today? Each February 1, my child comes home with a list of 30 classmate names. This printout serves as a gentle invitation to widen the circle of our care and to see each classmate, to know them by name. This annual community practice of exchanging cards and candy reminds us to say to one another, “I see you” and “you are special.”
Widening the Circles
But this practice needn’t be restricted to the colorful walls of elementary school classrooms. What if we widened that circle to those who are working for the flourishing of our neighborhoods and communities? Dr. Cornel West, an American theologian and politician, says, “Justice is what love looks like in public, just like tenderness is what love feels like in private.” Imagine the elected representatives who walk the halls of power, striving their best to achieve justice in the best way they know how.
Consider those legislators, senators, and city council members who receive briefings, are buried in agenda items and committee hearings, and always need to read the fine print of any proposal. Then, visualize what it might be like for one of them to receive a hand-made Valentine. Think about a busy official blazing through the paperwork of the day and being disrupted by a red envelope exploding in stickers. Imagine his or her face when he or she encounters a brightly hued card dripping with glitter, covered in hearts, and adorned with lace.
Valentines for Justice Party
At last year’s Valentines for Justice party, our table was strewn with lace, heart stamps, glitter, fabric flowers, stickers, scented oils, scissors, tape and hot glue. A neighborhood mother and her daughter indulged in our table of ephemera and together we lingered over crafts and conversation. While the music of Nat King Cole played in the background, we talked about our work in the community, the ways we see change, the places where we long for more.
We shared stories of past career experiences and got to know each other on a deeper level as our children listened in. We wrote colorful cards that glistened with gold and addressed them to our county council member, thanking him for his work on housing affordability in the neighborhood. We made vibrant Valentines for our US Senator, reminding her that sensible immigration reform is necessary for our communities to thrive. And as we cut and glued and glittered, our sticky hands left fingerprints of love for our neighborhood all over the cards.
I can’t say what the Senator saw when she opened a glittery mess of words asking for legislative action. But I do know that they couldn’t have missed our fingerprints of love for our neighborhoods.
I don’t know what the council member thought of his one-of-a-kind Valentine. I can’t say what the Senator saw when she opened a glittery mess of words asking for legislative action. But I do know that they couldn’t have missed our fingerprints of love for our neighborhoods.
And I like to imagine that at least some of that pesky glitter from my eight-year-old’s card remains in the carpet of a fancy office in Washington, D.C., reminding the Senator of our love for our neighborhood and our neighbors, and asking her to strive to do the same. Love is glittery like that; even the smallest pieces keep glistening and won’t go away.
This Valentine’s Day, consider a Valentines for Justice party with your neighbors.
Make Your Own Valentines for Justice
How to:
- Invite neighbors over for an hour
- Make some tea and cookies
- Prepare a list of potential elected officials as recipients, along with their addresses
- Linger over a table of craft supplies
- Create something beautiful and inspiring
- Write a note that says, in your own unique way, “I see you”
- Think about the place you love. Remind them of an issue of justice in your neighborhood.
- Send in early February to ensure they receive their Valentine on time
Materials Needed:
- colorful papers
- glitter
- ephemera: ribbons, hearts, stickers, fabric flowers
- scented oils
- scissors, tape
- envelopes
- postage stamps
- list of the names and addresses of your elected officials (you can find a helpful list for your address at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials)
To learn how to make your own water color valentines, check out this YouTube Video.
Check out our other blogs for more ideas for making Valentine’s Day special in your neighborhood:
0 Comments