March 2

Today marks the death, in 1949, of Sarojini Naidu, the first woman president of the Indian National Congress and an advocate for Indian independence from British rule. She was also a suffragist, poet, and friend of Mohandas Gandhi. 

Today is the feast day of Charles the Good, count of Flanders, who was assassinated in 1127. He was a devout Christian who had several opportunities to climb the ladder of power, but refused. When a famine affected his people, he planted vegetables on his own property to be distributed to the poor. He also prosecuted robber barons who extorted the peasants, including the Erembald crime family. They conspired to murder him while he was unarmed, in church. His legacy is not unmixed: he was a Crusader and enforced anti-Jewish policies in his realm.  

Today also marks the death of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1791. Wesley believed that the power of the Holy Spirit through disciplined small groups could bring renewed vitality to the church, both for individuals and for society.

There are several United States events that are relevant to today. On March 2, 1807, Congress passed An Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves. While it stifled the global slave trade, it did not stop the generational evil of human enslavement and trafficking. On March 2, 1859, Pierce Mease Butler, to whom I’m probably distantly related, held one of the largest auctions of enslaved people in U.S. history. 

On March 2, 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act established U.S. citizenship for people in Puerto Rico. Over a hundred years later, though, they still have limited representation in congress, meaning that they endure “taxation without representation.” Independence or statehood should be the logical policy, but their continued oppression is part of what allows our country’s political lopsidedness. 

Reflection: 

Part of a poem by Sarojini Naidu called “Harvest”:

One of Charles the Good’s policies was to restrict the use of grain to brew beer so that there would be more grain to bake bread for the poor. In stark contrast to the values of American laissez-faire capitalists, he is reported to have said that it was better for the rich to drink water than for the poor to perish of hunger. 

He was apparently informed of the plot to assassinate him, but replied:

When John Wesley died, his last words were:

Prayer: Lord of our being, Ineffable Ohm, we ask for the liberation of every human being on the planet from unjust systems, especially those that keep some people poor in order to enrich the wealthy. Bring us a harvest of justice. Amen.