Ada Deer

August 24, 2023

I certainly didn’t know Ada as long or as deeply as Art, or Ben, or Joe, or Lynn, or many of you. In fact, when we met on the day after her 88^th birthday to talk about this service, I told her that there was no need for me to say anything, but she insisted. So if you don’t like what I have to say, or think I speak too long, blame Ada.

As I listened to the Menominee Second Island Drum and singers, I reflected on this historic event, and on this historic space. In the 165 years since Grace Church was built, it has witnessed thousands of worship services but I wonder what past parishioners would think of what we are witnessing today—a room filled with Native American people, their music, honoring someone who did so much for her people and is a icon of resistance and resilience.

I met Ada probably 7 or 8 years ago when Lynn brought her to Grace to attend an anti-racism workshop she had organized. It was after church; and as soon as I walked in the room, Lynn pulled me aside to introduce me to Ada. I sat down, and after introductions, almost the first thing out of her mouth was a rather salty take on Christianity. She may have been surprised that I wasn’t taken aback or offended. As a trained historian I knew about the effects of White settler colonialism on Native peoples, their culture, and their lives. From Ada and others I have learned a great deal more, especially about the horrors of the boarding schools that resulted in generational trauma.

I was surprised, deeply humbled and honored both for myself and for Grace Church, that Ada us to hold a memorial service in her honor. When I agreed, I wasn’t quite sure just what I was agreeing to. After her death, as I began to read the accolades in local, state, and national media, I began to realize more clearly how important Ada was to her tribe, the Native American community, and to our nation’s history. And I’ve been surprised over the last couple of weeks when I mention her name to friends and acquaintances in the community who are not connected with the circles of political or civic activism, the University or progressive circles, at how many people were touched by her life, people she didn’t even know.

 It speaks to her prominence and to her generosity of spirit and openness to others; it also speaks volumes about the deepening relationship she developed with Grace Church and its members as we have examined the history of Christianity and Native peoples, and begun to take steps toward restorative justice.

To take measure of a life like Ada’s is no easy thing and to place it in a larger context of the struggle for justice and equality of Native Americans, or American Indians as Ada preferred to call her community, is beyond the scope of what we can do on this day. That is something for historians to reckon with in coming years. Still Ada’s life is a testament to the ongoing struggles of American Indians and to their resilience in the face of centuries of oppression and violence.

Our scripture readings today speak to this moment and to our efforts to honor and remember Ada. From the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, words written over 2500 years ago that remind us of the passage of time, of cycles of mourning and joy, life and death, laughter and tears. Our memories of Ada evoke so many emotions: gratitude, love, respect. We may laugh as we remember her love of humor and her own beaming smile. We may cry as we feel the loss of her presence, and a world that seems just a bit smaller and less colorful with her passing. But the words from Ecclesiastes are words of comfort, reminding us that our grief will fade in time, even as our memories linger to be cherished and shared.

From the gospel, we heard the beatitudes, blessings that Jesus spoke to his listeners in his first sermon recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. They speak directly to us as well: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. More broadly, they reflect Jesus’ overall message calling into existence a new community, a new way of being in the world—a community of love, peace, and radical inclusion. It is a vision that has often been obscured and distorted to fit political agendas, military conquest, oppression. Those distortions were among the reasons for Ada’s distrust of Christianity. In our day these distortions have become even more pronounced, being twisted into the sins of White Supremacy and Christian Nationalism. But Jesus’ words continue to call out to us across the centuries, to work for justice, and peace, and to care for the most vulnerable; to welcome the stranger, and the alien; to build bridges across communities divided by histories of hatred, violence, and oppression. 

It was something of that same vision that Ada embodied in her tireless and inspirational work for justice for American Indians, in the vast network of friends she made over the years, in the community she built and nourished wherever she found herself. She called all of us to do better; to listen to the stories of the marginalized and vulnerable, to unite with those working for justice, to break the bonds of oppression, and to heal the wounds and scars of trauma.

We are here to mourn, to remember, to celebrate Ada’s life, to give thanks for all that she did in her long and illustrious career. But we would be unfaithful to her spirit if we left it at that. Today should also be a time when we renew our spirits, rekindle our hope, and gather our strength. Let us go from here into the world to share Ada’s passion for justice, to continue her work for equity, and to build community across difference. May we all one day, see justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.