First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

“First They Came” is a poem written by German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller in 1946 after World War II. The poem functions as a kind of confession, written by Niemöller after surviving his own imprisonment in a concentration camp. As the Holocaust Memorial Trust notes, Niemöller was “initially an antisemitic Nazi supporter, however, his views changed when he was imprisoned in a concentration camp for speaking out against Nazi control of churches.” This poem continues to remind me of the importance of speaking out against injustice when I see it, rather than waiting until it affects me. To be sure, as a Black man in America, I am always attuned to State violence because my people know, from deep personal experience, that we will always be impacted by such violence.

Christian Nationalist Fascism has a history of unfolding slowly in the West. Political parties often make broad claims when seeking majority power. However, once they achieve this power, most people expect the campaign rhetoric to give way to the routine of governing. But what if those in power are more interested in ruling than governing? In such cases, history shows that they do not openly announce intentions to dismantle checks and balances; instead, they change democratic rules to consolidate power and interpret laws to serve their interests. Power and fear then become their tools to control citizens, making us afraid to resist, speak out publicly, or document state abuses, lest we be labeled domestic terrorists for bearing witness.

The murder of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer shows me that the current political party is trying to scare us into silence, hoping we won’t speak out. But as the poem reminds us, if we don’t stand up for others when they face injustice, who will stand up for us? The actions you can take depend entirely on your situation. In his book, Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus, Frank Rogers describes six types of engaged compassion that align with Jesus’ spiritual path of radical compassion.

1. Generosity – Compassion often takes the form of offering resources to erase others’ suffering.
2. Service – Compassion can take the form of caring directly for the immediate needs of those who are suffering.
3. Witness – Compassion can involve bearing witness to the plight of those who suffer; nonviolent resistance and public protest, and activism.
4. Solidarity – Compassion can take the radical form of sharing the plight of those whose suffering eludes short-term remedies – living alongside those who are suffering injustice.
5. Empowerment – Compassion can empower those suffering from injustice with the skills, tools, and personal capacities to sustain their own survival and flourishing.
6. Justice – Compassion can attend to the structural causes that give rise to the suffering in the first place.

If you are interested in the activism that our church is participating in, please reach out to Everest Harvey, our Director of Youth and Social Justice, to learn how you can get connected to one of our groups.

Love and Solidarity,
Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter