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As the assistant professor of medical ethics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons for the past three years, I have had a front row seat to the trials and terror of the past couple of years. And while I am preparing to transition to another professorship, I cannot remain silent about the crisis at Columbia.

Lent is typically a time when Christians engage in fasting or self-denial and reflect on the ways in which we need to repent. In the most unexpected place, a Nosferatu-themed party hosted by a friend of a friend, I encountered an opportunity to engage in the Lenten practice of repentance.

Within the Christian faith, at least within a formal church setting, there is a liturgical element that I’ve never experienced: the sacrament of reconciliation — a practice more commonly known as confession. Rather than sitting in a traditional confessional booth alongside an ordained priest, I made a confession while sitting in a random bedroom. A flimsy blue curtain divided me and the person playing the role of the priest. It was arguably irreligious, a party trick meant to satirize the Catholic Church.

The Constitution isn’t just a symbol, it’s the base document for our democratic republic. And Jamelle Bouie says that in a time of crisis, it's important to remember that in a democracy, we have ownership over its meaning. 

For a Christian, standing up to oppressors isn't just a way to love the oppressed. It's also a way to love oppressors themselves by calling them to repentance.