Robert Alan Glover has written for Global Sisters Report, the National Catholic Reporter, the Tennessee Register, Faith West Tennessee diocesan magazine, and Cross Roads diocesan magazine in Lexington, Kentucky. He lives in Lexington.
"We were not allowed to go into the ER when [the doctors] were working on him, but after Dr. King was pronounced dead, we were admitted to it, and the authorities gave us the time we needed to pray with him."
"As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, think of how different this Christmas will be for those who have lost so much," said Bishop John E. Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, in the eastern part of the state.
Commentary: As COVID-19 rages unchecked, I must add personal safety to my medical concerns, because my new organ must not be damaged — either by rioters, white supremacist vigilantes or an overzealous police response.
Since the coronavirus pandemic has reached the nation's local jails and state prisons, with inmates testing positive in the thousands, Catholic prison ministers are arguing for early release for non-violent and vulnerable offenders.
In the aftermath of a storm that produced seven tornadoes and caused widespread destruction in Tennessee, parishioners and volunteers are working long hours to help residents in need.
In Central Kentucky, groups like Catholic Action Center, The Downtown People, Room at the Inn, the St. John's Center for Men, and St. Vincent De Paul work to counter "clean up, clear out" policies against people who experience homelessness.
The Field Hospital: Known as a sanctuary congregation in the 1980s, St. William Church committed in October "to support the leadership of immigrant-led groups who work diligently to establish justice for all."
Commentary: President Trump's "American carnage" remarks at his inauguration referred to the prevalence of U.S. gun violence. The "carnage" continues in Lexington, Kentucky, where Trump will visit today.
The Field Hospital: For months, workers at a Kentucky coal mine have been struggling financially after their company took its employees paychecks to pay its own bills. A Catholic Church in Eastern Kentucky has been a source of support throughout the crisis.
In early July, the mining company Blackjewel declared bankruptcy, and soon afterward, some 300 mining employees discovered they no longer had jobs — in the worst possible way: Their bank accounts were empty, because the company's paychecks were no good.
Perspective: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to care more about negotiating economic deals with Russian-linked companies than putting forth meaningful gun reform.
The death of Eric Garner would, I believe, have occurred even if a black officer had "taken him down." Black men too often fall victim to the "us versus them" bias that black police officers grow accustomed to displaying. They are trained to do it.
