Masked Woman
Wikimedia Commons Photo CC4 International License
A United Methodist Insight Column
Raise your hand if wearing your face mask fogs your eyeglasses. Yep, me too. It’s annoying, to be sure. But what if you relied on reading lips hidden behind a face mask to understand what others are saying?
UM Disability, the collective blog of several United Methodist groups, tackled the obstacles that face masks pose for people with disabilities:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has led to widespread use of face masks. However, these masks are problematic for some people: one cannot lip read through the typical mask. Those with autism, claustrophobia, or related conditions often find it difficult to tolerate a mask.”
UM Disability is compiling a list of useful articles for adapting masks, using alternative attachment methods and related topics. The list will be updated as needed; here are some of the first entries:
HSDC, How to make an accessible, Deaf-friendly face mask (May 2020)
Episcopal Conference for the Deaf, "I cannot lip read through your mask" card (April 2020)
Delta Faucet: ear saver loop (July 2020)
Indiana Association of the Deaf, Tips for communicating with a mask (text and printable card) (July 2020)MIT Technology Review: The pandemic made life harder for deaf people. The solutions could benefit everyone. (May 2020)
Los Angeles Times: Face masks with windows mean more than smiles to Deaf people (June 2020)
UM Disability sponsors include the DisAbility Ministries Committee of The United Methodist Church, UM Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Ministries, The United Methodist Church Ministers with Disabilities, United Methodist Congress of the Deaf, and Mental Health Ministries. If you or someone you know are coping with coronavirus pandemic pressures placed on people with disabilities, check back often with UM Disability for helpful updates.
U.S. Climate Strike for Black Workers
Few were aware of it, unfortunately, but July 20 marked a significant episode of intersecting concerns with an event called the “U.S. Climate Strike for Black Workers.” According to reports, some 20,000 people across America left their jobs for eight minutes and 46 seconds at noon in their time zones as a sign of solidarity between the global climate movement and Black Lives Matter. According to the movement’s website, some workers chose to kneel for the allotted time while others held a moment of silence. Whatever the expression, the gestures were meant to show the connections between climate crisis issues and the discrimination that puts Black lives in greater danger from poor environmental actions and policies.
While led primarily by climate and labor organizations, the Strike for Black Lives also had faith-based sponsors such as the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. For more information on the effort’s goals and future actions, visit the Strike for Black Lives website.
Time for moral clarity like John Lewis
As tributes continue to flow for U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died July 17 from pancreatic cancer, many writers have noted that Mr. Lewis’ Christian faith laid the foundation for all of his civil actions. One of the best assessments of Rep. Lewis’ importance to racial justice came from Jon Allsop, author of Columbia Journalism Review’s “The Media Today” column. Mr. Allsop, who has been hitting homers these past few weeks challenging the media to take up critical reporting on values and ethics, wrote the following:
“Lewis’s life was a lesson in moral clarity. If his death teaches members of the press anything, it should be that such clarity does not demand a subjective free-for-all, but rather the understanding that democratic rights—the right of free association; the right to protest without being beaten by the police; the right to vote—are fundamental, and that fighting for them is not playing politics, but what is right.
“Lewis reminds us, too, that the fight for these rights is the work of a lifetime, and not merely a function of sporadic tragedies and flare-ups. In many places, the protests that followed the recent killings of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and others have not abated. They have continued to attract coverage from independent and citizen journalists, local outlets, and, sometimes, bigger outlets—but as Fabiola Cineas wrote for Vox last week, they no longer occupy a central place in the national conversation, and when we return to them, it’s often to spotlight unrepresentative instances of violence or conflict. The rhythms of the news cycle—on TV, in particular—are ephemeral, and prioritize novelty; they thus discriminate against the stories of long-term, peaceful movements with simple, consistent demands, and coverage of intractable social crises. To be of any use, morally clear coverage must be sustained.”
United Methodist Insight is committed to ongoing coverage of justice-seeking movements in both church and society. You can contribute to this goal by sending us news of any faith-based justice efforts. Be sure to include contact information for yourself and the person or organization you recommend.
Media Mentions as of July 21, 2020
John Lewis’s faith was a source of strength in the face of cruelty – The Washington Post *
As pandemic wears on, faith leaders dig in on life or death decisions – Religion News Service
Covid-19 Pandemic Creates New Opportunities For Enterprising Zimbabweans – New Zimbabwe.com
Need some good news about covid-19? Here are six reasons for optimism. – The Washington Post
Should churches be excluded from mask mandates? – Deseret NewsStart looking, and you’ll see roads all over the Bible – The New York Times*
How a Christian summer camp ended up with 82 cases of COVID – Slate
Coronavirus, conspiracy theories, and the Ninth Commandment – The Dispatch
Texas attorney general says religious private schools ‘need not comply’ with local health orders to close – The Texas TribuneReligious leaders weigh in on mask mandate’s exemption for religious gatherings – The Oklahoman *
Religious faith was a lifelong constant for Rep. John Lewis – The Associated Press
‘A dangerous environment’: As churches reopen, outbreaks are sprouting and some are keeping doors shut – USA Today
Churches see reduced attendance, turn to digital platforms – The Lawton Constitution
Faith-based groups 'must evolve messaging' to engage 'COVID generation' – Religion News Service
Pandemic challenges music ministers, choirs – United Methodist News Service