“As much as we hear talks about a wall [at the border], a lot of people are not aware that there is an invisible wall around Hartford for those of us who are poor, and particularly for those who have black or brown skin like myself.” – Josh Serrano, CAC Organizer
At the First Church of Christ, Simsbury’s 10am Sunday service on January 27, Josh Serrano, shared his testimony as a resident leader of the Clay Arsenal Renaissance Apartments (CARA) No More Slumlords Campaign. Perched high in the pulpit with a brown wooden cross behind him and over 100 predominantly white congregants to his front, Josh candidly stated that when it came time for him and his fellow residents to relocate, “the message was clear: we were not wanted in communities like [Simsbury] with good schools, low crime, and other opportunities.”
Deeply convicted by Josh’s testimony, Rev. George Harris, Senior Pastor, decided to do the congregation’s “Our Common Life” moment from the pulpit instead of the chancel steps as usual. “It took a lot of courage, Joshua, to stand up here and say what you did,” responded Rev. Harris, “both to affirm the good work of the Christian Activities Council and this church, AND to say that you and others have been turned away by towns like ours, by OUR town […] I heard you, and I felt that.”
Josh — who is now a paid CAC organizer – ultimately shared his hope, however, that congregations like Simsbury organizing together with others can indeed bring about justice. You can find a full recording of Josh’s speech on CAC’s Facebook page by clicking here.
Josh was also invited by Pastor Chris Dion to Shepard of the Hills Lutheran Church in Simsbury to engage a group of congregants as they deepen their understanding of and commitment to this deeply relational work of organizing.
