From Your Synod Associate Executive for Racial Justice

Language is a system of communication used by a particular community, a verbal or nonverbal method(s) of expression (Oxford Dictionary—Online).

What is your language? Do you express yourself employing one method? What strategies do you put in place when engaging in language? These are not your typical questions around the topic of language. Usually, phrases and questions like “I want to learn a new language.” “What language are you speaking?” “How many languages do you speak?” are often the focus on the topic of language. Language is more than a method of expression wrapped in vocabulary lists adopted by countries and dub them “official.” Language is more than thinking of French, German, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, English, Swahili, Nahuatl, Tzotzil, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, etc.

Language is not only the words we speak, but the ways we communicate with one another—through gestures, silence, touch, symbols, art, and the rhythms of culture. At its core, language is about expressing our emotions, desires, doubts. Language facilitates our ability to make meaning out of interactions, situations, and encounters. Expression, meaning, and consequently language, is never limited to a prescribed set of words or national borders. Despite this expansive way of expressing and meaning, our society tends to prioritize speech and written words over other forms of expression. Academic essays, formal reports, and sermons are often deemed more legitimate than storytelling, song, or gesture.

Theologian Walter Brueggemann reminds us that the Psalms themselves testify to the many languages of faith—lament, praise, protest, and thanksgiving—forms of speech that do not always fit polite or formal worship. Non-verbal and cultural languages—ritual, silence, rhythm, and movement—are often marginalized. Yet for many minoritized communities, these forms of language have been lifelines of survival, faith, and hope.

As we continue our commitment and desire to engage on matters related to racial justice, I invite us to consider expanding our understanding of language to be spiritual and practical. In a 2023 article titled, “Learning Languages is Important in Navigating the World” the author, Zayna Jamil asserts that “learning a language is an essential part of a human’s journey.” As such, we all must engage in “language cultivation” (Jamil, 2023). How are we nurturing our imagination? What are the sources we consult to make meaning out of the world and difficult circumstances? If your answers to these questions are less diverse than you would like, I invite you to incorporate the following three methods of expression into your language routine:

• Honor multiple forms of expression like storytelling, art, silence, music, and ritual. These are not “less than” words; they are central ways of knowing.

• Challenge erasure. Reclaim suppressed languages, celebrate cultural norms, and resist the dominance of one way of expressing and meaning making.

• Use language for healing. Our words, gestures, and rituals can repair harm, build trust, and speak life into wounded spaces.

  
  

Language has never been neutral. Colonial powers used language to erase communities: outlawing Native tongues, renaming sacred places, and imposing foreign vocabularies. In the book, “Decolonising the Mind,” Kenyan author, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o describes this as the colonization of the mind. Yet, language has also been a source of resilience. Enslaved Africans sang spirituals coded with both lament and liberation. The Civil Rights Movement lifted the phrase “We Shall Overcome” as both spiritual cadence and political promise. Today, movements for justice reclaim words once used to wound and insist on inclusive, life-giving language.

Language is not only the words we speak, but the ways we communicate with one another—through gestures, silence, touch, symbols, art, and the rhythms of culture.

“Language cultivation” (Jamil, 2023) can become a spiritual and practical discipline to engage in matters related to racial justice. Theologian Willie James Jennings calls the church to form a “new tongue” rooted in God’s reconciliation, one that resists the hierarchies of race and culture imposed by colonialism (The Christian Imagination, 2010). In what ways will you, us engage in the practice of “language cultivation” (Jamil, 2023)?

Last month Chip and I had the wonderful opportunity to fellowship around a meal with our Korean brothers and sisters within the Synod. Our evening was filled with excellent food, enjoyable conversations, and curiosity about our collective ministries and diverse contexts. We quickly realized that our common method of expression was a language that was not native to any of us. Communicating in a non-native language provided space for reflection about language in general and the particularities of the Korean, Spanish, and English languages.

As I reflected on this evening and this article topic, I was blessed by the laughter, the volume of the voices rising as we enjoyed each other’s company, the facial expressions of anticipation of whether I was going to like or not one of their favorite dishes, the look of panic in each other’s faces when we forgot how to say a word in English, or misuse a verd, or mispronounce a word, the sigh of relief when grace was given for not utilizing “proper English,” and the energy spent in feeling like we had to communicate in a non-native language.  These methods of expressions and meaning making cultivated the way I engage with language. If you are still unclear on how to practice “language cultivation” (Jamil, 2023), reflect on the following:

In your own life and community, whose language do you honor? Whose language is overlooked? How might your presbytery, church, new worshipping community, organization expand its embrace of diverse forms of communication?

Let us pray: God of every tongue and culture, teach us to listen beyond words. Help us to honor the languages of song, silence, laughter, ritual, and story. Let our words and our actions be rooted in love, so that all people may be lifted in dignity and hope. Amen.

Paz y bendiciones (peace and blessings)! 

Rev. Ruth-Aimée Belonni-Rosario

Associate Executive for Racial Justice

ruthaimee@synodofthecovenant.org

248-752-3697