As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. 

Matthew 27: 57-61, The Bible, New International Version 

I am an unwilling participant in this movement. I would not have signed up for this. None of us would have. But I am here today for my son, Trayvon Martin, who is in heaven. And for my other son, Jahvaris, who is still here on earth. I didn’t want this spotlight. But I will do everything I can to focus some of that light on a path out of this darkness.

Sybrina Fulton, 2016

Despite the widely held belief among Friends that no day is holier than another, the Easter season is a time that many of us reflect upon the life and death of Jesus, and hold fast to other traditions that bring family together, through feast, fellowship or fun. It has perhaps become my favorite time of year.

It’s a treasured time even among a hard year such as this one. FGC, yearly meetings, monthly meetings and individual Friends have been engaged in important work on behalf of justice and equality. Other beloved Quaker institutions, like American Friends Service Committee and Friends Committee on National Legislation, continue their invaluable work, while Friends Journal continues to document it all.

But what can you do?  You, Joe Quaker?  You, Jane Quaker? 

Joseph of Arimathea was a Jewish man who had come to follow Jesus.  He was a member of the Sanhedrin, akin to a high court of religious and civic affairs. He had status and wealth. There is no earlier mention of him in the Bible, but he shows up and does this very specific, very hard thing: handle the arrangements for the funeral of Jesus, taking care of his body and donating his own tomb for interment. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary also do a very specific thing: keep watch.   

Sybrina Fulton was not an activist before the death of her son and acquittal of his killer.  She was an employee of the Miami-Dade County Housing Development Agency, a college graduate and a mom of two children.  Yet, a tragedy pushed her to the forefront of activism. She told Derecka Purnell for The Cut in 2022 “Don’t wait ’til it comes to your front door, like I did.”  Sybrina now engages in the hard things with regularity: speaking, marching, talking, advocating and lobbying.

We can watch the television in horror. We can doomscroll social media on our phones. We can watch while our empathy atrophies.

Or…and hear me out…

We can choose to do the thing (or things) that we do well, with the resources we have, under the guidance of the Divine. We can choose to do the things when times are unthinkable. In fact, that is when we must do them.

We could spend hours debating whether Joseph of Arimathea could have done more than what he did. That doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, let us be inspired that he did what he did, and then do what we can do. And trust me: there is plenty to be done in this defining era of our lives.

These are not the times I thought I would inherit, but they are the times that I am in. And despite being tired and sad, at least I get to be in these times with you, fellow Friends, bearers of Divine gifts that we need now more than ever.