St. Luke's Episcopal Church invited the Ypsilanti and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) community to a festive a dinner where students and beyond could come to a safe place to discuss the election results, respond and move forward.
Parishioner Dr. Diane Jacobs, said her advice to students following the election results, “Seek commonality in each other to try and help one another out, and try to look for the positive and the good in each other, and use that to agitate for good policy.”
The Episcopal church is welcoming to people from all backgrounds, and the church isn’t prone to asking, “do you believe in god?” It is place where people no matter the person can come and test ideas. Within the church students have access to personnel with backgrounds in fields of study such as political science, law, physics, communications and more.
St. Luke’s isn’t doesn’t fear becoming a hub for radicalism and Jacobs said people are welcome to, “prime the pump of discussion” because this church isn’t afraid of posing or answering the hard questions.
“Historically, churches, at least in the black community, have always been a place for organizing and strategy for any type of movement. I'm hoping that churches again become a safe place for organizing and strategy for all kinds of marginalized people,” said Priest JoAnn Salter, priest at St. Luke's for about 15 years.
“This is our opportunity to tell the EMU students they are important and we would like to be a safe place for them,” said Dr. Diane Jacobs, 10 year parishioner, EMU Department of Physics and Astronomy. “The key is we all have to unite and all be decent to each other and treat each other with human dignity.”
In addition to food and discussion St. Luke's offered safety pins to the people attending the diner. Allies wearing safety pins is a tradition that started in England during national turmoil. People wearing the safety pin are identified as allies to people people seeking refugee from a world of hate. The safety pin symbolizes safety and signifies that a person is an ally.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church is located at 120 N.Huron Street in Ypsilanti. Church service is every Sunday at 11 a.m. and future events and meeting spaces are open to interested students.
