What This Moment Asks of Us
Reflections from Euphrates Board of Directors on our Time in Montgomery & Selma
Visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice
As I reflected on our time in Montgomery and Selma, I also found myself thinking deeply about what is being asked of us right now. One thing that’s clearly needed in the U.S. during this time of uncertainty is helping people find calm in the midst of chaos. There's so much fear, mistrust, and confusion, and people need support. They need things to be explained, not just in political terms, but in ways that bring clarity and peace of mind.
It’s not always about confronting the problem directly in socio-political spaces; sometimes, creating space to help people calm down enough to think clearly is just as vital. We can't fully explore rational solutions—or take effective action against unjust, unfair, and inhumane systems—if we're always overwhelmed with anger, grief, and confusion.
Don’t get me wrong—those emotions are essential. They are the fuel for rising up. But we have to use them, not be used by them. Right now, we’re experiencing a collective sense of uncertainty, betrayal, and victimhood. I think it’s time we start addressing that together. We don't even need to name it that way, but title it in such a way that brings people clarity and rises above the chaotic energies.
As I reflect more deeply, I’m also reminded that our fellow peacebuilders around the world have been living in this kind of chaos and uncertainty every day for a long time. That realization fills me with even more compassion and empathy. Imagine enduring this level of lawlessness, fear, and instability—all the time—with the constant threat of retaliation for simply speaking out or standing up for what’s right.
It puts our current moment into perspective, and it also calls on us to respond with greater understanding, resilience, and care—not only for ourselves but in solidarity with those who have been holding this weight far longer than we have.
~Fran Faraz
Visiting the National Memorial for Peace and Justice
It was deeply stirring to visit the heart of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery, Alabama. More importantly, it affirmed the specific need for each of us to continue supporting this ongoing fight for justice and equality for all men, women, and children! May Euphrates do everything we can to emulate its purpose to inspire humanity to choose peace!
Walking through The National Memorial for Peace and Justice Memorial, created by the Equal Justice Initiative, which inscribes the names of 4,500 black men, women, and children, even whole families, who were lynched due to racial hatred and terrorism - whether enslaved or free - gave me hope. Each name was now being acknowledged with a renewed sense of respect and dignity. No person should ever be enslaved, dehumanized, beaten, tortured, hated, segregated, and denied their human and civil rights. May Euphrates and the world strive to humanize and embrace each other in peace!
Going to Montgomery was a powerful reminder of why we fight for justice and equality for all men, women, and children. No person should ever be enslaved, trafficked, marginalized, hated, beaten, tortured, and denied their human and civil rights. How easy it is to ignore this historical narrative of the American Slave Trade and that occurred for nearly 400 years. May Euphrates help the world strive to emulate its healing mission to Inspire Humanity to Choose Peace!