NETS
Angela Denise Davis

The past week has been full of heat waves, thunderstorms, and fireworks. The weather in D.C. has been grueling. We have had several days reach the 100 degree mark, and the humidity has been without mercy. I cannot imagine what this weather is like for persons who do not have the shelter of a home or a cool space.

The 4^th of July holiday was on a Wednesday this year, and so it offered us two little mountains of work days. I spent the earlier part of the week formulating a strategy for creating an online sign on to the IDAC statement, and then discovered that it was not going to work as efficiently as we had hoped. The latter part of the week was spent in recovery mode creating an email campaign instead of a web-based form. In addition to creating the vehicle upon which the outreach to congregations and religious organizations will be carried, I am also doing research to find out which of these groups would be the best to target for contact.

I did a great deal of reflecting about my work with IDAC this past week, and I am finally feeling like I have a viable plan. In some ways, I feel like my work is like someone who was charged to make a net, and then throw it into deep waters knowing that she will not be the one to retrieve it. Getting to understand how my supervisor works, creating an electronic database from which I can draw information, learning the IDAC members, and thinking about strategies to promote the statement of solidarity have been the net making process. I feel as if I started the casting out process last week with the formulation of how I was going to contact potential sign ons. It is a big net so it is going to take some time and energy to complete this task. I know that many of the congregations and organizations I contact must meet with board members before agreeing to sign on so I will probably not see all of what my labor will bring to surface.

On Friday evening, I had a chance to settle down from my long, reflective week. I met a friend, Stephanie, for some tea. She is a Deaf-blind activist who is fierce and gifted. I value her work, and enjoyed our time together. The next day I learned about an incident that occurred in California earlier in the week. Wendy Chadd-Guido was turned down by a mobile blood donation center because she is deaf. I was appalled when I learned about this. The blood center later apologized, but the damage had already been done.

There is still so much work that must be done on behalf of social justice in this world, and there is never a lack of evidence to support that statement.

Well, the weekend is over. I must now get back to my net.