“FAITH &…” 40 Days and 40 Nights

20150712_210956_resized-1A major movement is going across the southern United States. It’s America’s Journey for Justice (http://www.naacp.org//ajfj) sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (www.naacp.org) An 860-mile march from Alabama started earlier this month at the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge.

…You remember the Edmund Pettus Bridge, don’t you? It’s the site where 600 peaceful protesters were met, on a Sunday in 1965, with tear gas and violent billy club beatings by state and local police, simply for attempting to go from Selma to Montgomery to claim the right to vote for Black people in Alabama. It’s the site where that horrific event, now known as “Bloody Sunday”, occurred. (http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al4.htm) This is the site where America’s Journey for Justice started…

Just before the march started, Rev. Theresa A. Dear, NAACP National Board Member and one of the justice marchers stated, “We are doing something of biblical proportions.”  “Of biblical proportions” INDEED! For this journey for justice will take place over the span of 40 days and 40 nights.
The number “40” appears numerous times throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Some people may think that it’s just a random number that appears throughout the sacred and holy texts. But others believe that the number “40”, whether it’s 40 years or 40 days, has significance and that it represents a period of waiting, testing and preparation. Think about…

The “Great Flood” that caused Noah, his family and the animals to be shut up in the ark, was the result of 40 days and 40 nights of rain. (Genesis 7:4, 12) While on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, Moses received commandments and instructions from God, which he wrote on stone tablets. (Exodus 24:18) After breaking the tablets, Moses returned to Mount Sinai for another 40 days and 40 nights to receive and write the commandments of God again. (Exodus 34:28) The men whom Moses sent to spy on the land of Canaan, which was promised by God to the people of Israel, were gone for 40 days (and presumably 40 nights). (Exodus 13:25) The giant Goliath confronted and taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days and 40 nights, once in the morning and once in the evening, before he was defeated by David. (I Kings 17:16) The prophet Elijah, after eating a single meal, was strengthened and traveled for 40 days and 40 nights. (1 Kings 19:8) Jonah warned the people of Nineveh that they had 40 days to repent and return to God or their city would be destroyed. (Jonah 3:4) Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:2) And after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples over a period of 40 days, speaking to them about the Kingdom of God and the promise of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:3)

All of these events lasted 40 days and 40 nights. All of them represented a period of waiting, testing and preparation. And at the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, great and mighty works were eventually accomplished. The same is sure to be the story when America’s Journey for Justice completes its 40 day and 40 night march, stopping in 5 southern states: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, to rally additional supporters and marchers and to focus attention on their agenda before ending at their final destination.

The agenda? “To advance and protect the right of every American to a fair criminal justice system, uncorrupted and unfettered access to the ballot box, sustainable jobs with a living wage, and equitable public education. “ The destination? Washington. D. C., the nation’s capitol!

The advocates, sponsors and partners? Individual girls, boys, women and men, and a host of social, religious and civic groups and organizations, including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Women’s Law Center, the National Congress of Black Women, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and Greenpeace, just to name a few.

In the middle of the summer, 860 miles, 40 days and 40 nights, 5 southern states and the District of Columbia. In the words of Rev. Dear, “The days are hot. The march is long. The victory is certain.”

To become a justice marcher or to find out other ways that you can support America’s Journey for Justice, simply click this link. (http://www.naacp.org//ajfj)

Follow America’s Journey for Justice on Facebook (#JusticeSummer)

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