The US has never not been at war. Jesus followers must always work for peace.
<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-child-tries-escape-flames-after-israel-school-attack" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><source type="image/webp" /><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" height="715" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!q1ix!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6205e038-da5b-4090-a63b-b2e38869c343_1271x715.jpeg" width="1271" /><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg fill="none" height="20" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="1.5" viewBox="0 0 20 20" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image" tabindex="0" type="button"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2" fill="none" height="20" stroke="currentColor" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-child-tries-escape-flames-after-israel-school-attack"> Ward Jalal Al-Sheikh Khalil walking in the flames</a> after a missile hit a school-turned shelter in Gaza City</figcaption></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not represent those of my employer, any affiliated organization, or any institution with which I am associated.</strong></em></p></div><p><a href="https://mahometdaily.com/charlestons-forgotten-tribute-how-freed-slaves-sparked-americas-memorial-day-tradition/">May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina</a>, the first widely recognized Memorial Day ceremony took place. Soon after the end of the Civil War, it was organized primarily by newly freed Black Americans and white missionaries to honor Union soldiers—many of them Black—who had died as prisoners of war and were hastily buried in a mass grave at the former Washington Race Course, a Confederate prison camp. </p><p>In the days leading up to the ceremony, about two dozen Black residents of Charleston exhumed the bodies of <a href="https://mahometdaily.com/charlestons-forgotten-tribute-how-freed-slaves-sparked-americas-memorial-day-tradition/">257 Union soldiers from the mass grave</a>, gave them proper burials in orderly rows, landscaped the grounds, and built a 10-foot-tall white fence with an archway inscribed “Martyrs of the Race Course”. </p><p class="button-wrapper"><a class="button primary" href="https://thecrux.substack.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>The crowd of 10,000, most of them newly freed Black people, Black Union soldiers, and their families came together for remembrance and celebration. </p><p>Newspapers at the time described the tribute as a powerful and one-of-a-kind event that had never been seen before in South Carolina or the United States. It was more than just a day to remember fallen Union soldiers—it was also a celebration of freedom and a way to honor the sacrifices Black soldiers made for liberty.</p><blockquote><div class="digest-post-embed"></div><p><em><strong>A NOTE ABOUT MY WORK</strong><span>: On June 30, I am leaving my full-time job with InterVarsity USA. If you’d like to make that more possible, please become a paid subscriber. My new work will be with</span><a href="https://bit.ly/Support-CBR-ArochaUSA"> AROCHA USA // Center for Beauty and Resistance</a><span>. If you </span><a href="https://bit.ly/Support-CBR-ArochaUSA">DONATE</a><span> you will be made a founding member here. Thanks for your prayers, support and generosity.</span></em></p></blockquote>
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