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The United States has an infatuation with guns, and in the hands of someone poisoned with the spell and allure of white supremacy, we all too often get a horrific outcome like the one in Buffalo. If a white person harbors hate for Persons of Color, and that hatred is bolstered by racist tropes and a deafening silent majority, then a gun can amplify the feeling of inadequacy, frailty, and/or privilege. The key question we all have had to face in this long season is this: What have I done or not done to propagate the mythology of white supremacy? When have I remained silent in the face of ignorant, biased tropes shared in my presence? How have I mindfully and mindlessly upheld systems and structures that continue to harm my neighbors?
And then Uvalde happens. Perhaps motivated by a different flavor of hate…maybe even self-hate…a gunman heartlessly took twenty-one young and promising lives and wounded eighteen others. Brandishing an assault rifle designed to inflict quick and massive devastation in a military operation, a lost eighteen-year-old man entered an elementary school with evil intent. Do we blame the assault rifle or the evil intent? If either had been eliminated, then the Uvalde tragedy would have been avoided. What can be done, and is doing nothing likely a winning strategy? Once again, the silent majority sits quietly on the sidelines.
Dag Hammarskjöld, the second General Secretary of the United Nations, spoke these words on courage: “It is when we all play safe that we create a world of the utmost insecurity. It is when we all play safe that fatality will lead us to our doom. It is ‘in the dark shade of courage’ alone, that the spell can be broken.” The dark shade of courage gives us the strength to break out of our complacency. The dark shade of courage gives us the strength to break out of our ignorance. Ultimately, the dark shade of courage gives us the strength to break out of our silence.
Our focus is “HIGHER GROUND.” In this month of June, as we grapple with the news of the day, faced with a reality that there is more inner work than ever for us to do, let us commit ourselves to a vision of the HIGHER GROUND of goodness, compassion, and gratitude. Let us look inward to find the strength needed to be a people our neighbors, our city, and our world need: a people equipped with a dark shade of courage.
Radical social transformation begins with me and within me.
Radical social transformation begins with you and within you.
CHOOSE LOVE OVER HATE!
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National Day of Prayer Luncheon
On May 5, Thanks-Giving Square welcomed a record crowd of over 525 patrons at the 41st Annual National Day of Prayer Luncheon at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. The luncheon celebrated Dallas’ philanthropic and civic leadership and our quest to reach HIGHER GROUND. Thank you to all who attended!
The event included inspirational remarks from Honorary Luncheon Chairs, Dodee and Billy Crockett, and featured speakers including Matthew Randazzo, President & CEO of The Dallas Foundation; Nicole Small, President of Lyda Hill Foundation and CEO of LH Holdings, Inc.; Richie Butler, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Project Unity and Senior Pastor of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church.
The National Day of Prayer is observed each year on the first Thursday in May. Please mark your calendar for the 42nd Annual National Day of Prayer Luncheon on May 4, 2023.
To view the event video, click here.
To view the event photos, click here.
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Serving Up Gratitude
Thanks to the generosity of the North Texas Cares consortium of funders, The Square purchased more than 8,600 meals for frontline workers and provided more than $107,000 to 25 locally owned restaurants as part of the Serving Up Gratitude program from May 9-21.
These meals were donated to local heroes in eight Dallas hospitals, the Dallas Police Department, and Dallas Fire & Rescue. This was such a meaningful expression of the community’s gratitude to frontline workers for a job well done in the most difficult of circumstances.
To learn more about the Serving Up Gratitude program, click here.
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Café Momentum Graduation Ceremony
Congratulations to Café Momentum’s high school graduates! Thanks-Giving Square was proud to host these amazing students and celebrate their accomplishments during a special ceremony on May 25.
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June 10-13 – ACT NOW National Conference
The Square looks forward to hosting the first ever National Conference for ACT NOW, a national nonprofit that supports several local initiatives working to reimagine communities. Groups will travel from approximately 10 different cities to learn and share experiences.
To learn more about ACT NOW, click here.
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It’s no surprise that Thanks-Giving Square has been included in several articles as a place one must visit while in Dallas!
In a recent article titled, “Exploring Dallas, A Gem In The Heart Of Texas,” Thanks-Giving Square is listed among other iconic locations, such as the Old Red Courthouse and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Here is an excerpt:
“Thanks-Giving Square is a beautiful three-acre garden, chapel and museum in the heart of downtown Dallas. The garden, in a setting meant to inspire gratitude, is an oasis set apart from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The chapel, designed by world-famous architect Philip Johnson, has a unique spiral exterior and an interior spiral of 73 stained-glass panels created by French artist Gabriel Loire. The entrance to the chapel is at the end of a 125-foot-bridge that runs over a cascading waterfall.”
To read the full article, click here.
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Expressions of gratitude left by visitors on our Gratitude Wall.
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