Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the first Freedom Ride that went from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans. The Freedom Riders were black and white civil rights activists who rode public busses across state lines to try to bring an end to segregation, and to see that the law of the land was enforced.
The Freedom Riders reminded us that as Americans, our fate is intertwined with one another. That it should not matter where we live, or what color our skin is, or how we pray, our country is one nation under God, and should forever stand indivisible with liberty and justice for all its citizens.
We pray to the Holy One, the Creator of us all, and give thanks for the freedoms we too often take for granted, we give thanks for those who have fought for, and even laid down their lives for, the rights given to us by God and the Constitution. May their sacrifices always be remembered and never taken for granted. May this be God’s will--AMEN
