October 5

Stetson Kenney, Phillip Berrigan, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Grace Lee Boggs

Author

David Barnhart
October 05, 2025

Jumping spider, Bolivia, 2008. Own photo.

Today is the birthday, in 1916, of Stetson Kennedy, an author and activist who infiltrated the Georgia Ku Klux Klan, 

Today is the birthday, in 1923, of Father Phillip Berrigan, a Roman Catholic Priest who was active in numerous nonviolent protests of war and racism. He went to jail multiple times, once for burning draft cards with napalm. 

Today marks the death, in 2011, of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, outspoken Birmingham civil rights leader, whose birthday we remembered on March 18. 

Today marks the death, in 2015, of centenarian Grace Lee Boggs, who spent the better part of seven decades as an author, philosopher, and activist for gender, disability, racial, and economic equality. 

Reflection: 

Grace Lee Boggs wrote: 

“When you read Marx (or Jesus) this way, you come to see that real wealth is not material wealth and real poverty is not just the lack of food, shelter, and clothing. Real poverty is the belief that the purpose of life is acquiring wealth and owning things. Real wealth is not the possession of property but the recognition that our deepest need, as human beings, is to keep developing our natural and acquired powers to relate to other human beings.”

Phillip Berrigan’s last written statement was: 

“I die with the conviction, held since 1968 and Catonsville, that nuclear weapons are the scourge of the earth; to mine for them, manufacture them, deploy them, use them, is a curse against God, the human family, and the earth itself.”

Relevant to today’s fascist administration, Stetson Kennedy wrote: 

“There is more than one way to be Kluxed, and we need to think about ourselves and the kind of people we elect into public office.”

and

“I recall Ghandi said ultimately all things devolve into the political, but I'd argue that all things devolve into pro-people and anti-people. And I can pose the question, which side are you on?”

Prayer: God, may we always choose the pro-people side. Amen.