Cairo is Burning, Mr. President | Sojourners

Cairo is Burning, Mr. President

1100207-egyptprotestWhile watching live footage from Egypt over the past few weeks, over and over my question has been, so what can I do? As a person of faith, I believe we do not get to turn a blind eye to difficulty, violence, and oppression -- in fact, that is when Christians ought to step towards the pain. As a photographer, I long to be exactly where voices are being silenced. But from my office in the United States, what can I do?

The truth is that we each do our own small part ... to learn and to aid in awareness, to create avenues of engagement, and to be people of reconciliation, peace, and justice. This week I was not able to get on a plane and head to Cairo, but I was able to attend a protest at the Egyptian Embassy, joining people from around the world wanting to see change. I was able to talk to others working to bring peace to Egypt. I was able to encourage them and help raise their concerns and voices, as they shouted in solidarity with their Egyptian brothers and sisters, "Democracy, democracy -- let us live in dignity!"

Cairo is Burning, Mr. President from H Wilson on Vimeo.

Heather Wilson is associate web developer at Sojourners and a freelance photographer. She has spent the past 10 years working throughout the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East, doing photography and communications work for developmental non-government organizations. To see more of Heather Wilson's photographs, click here.