Monday afternoon, the Lipscomb community gathered in the Beaman Library to support 2011 graduate and adjunct professor Michael McRay as he discussed and signed copies of his book Letters from “Apartheid Street.”
McRay currently works as a volunteer chaplain at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, hosts a Belfast-originated monthly storytelling event called 10×9 and is also a part of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).
In April 2012, McRay went on a three-month stay in the West Bank that included a two-month stint in Hebron with CPT. It was during this trip that the idea for Letters from “Apartheid Street” came about.
“Letters from “Apartheid Street” tells what happened when I was over in Palestine,” McRay said. “It’s a reflection on how to become peaceful and to truly love your neighbors.
“I joined the CPT and help out at the prison because I want to do my part in helping out the world. To go to a place like Palestine, you have to come to peace by being peaceful,” McRay said.
McRay took a few minutes to read a small part of chapter 8, which he feels is the central part of the book. He also explained a story in which he and others who were a part of the CPT would follow around soldiers singing hymns.
McRay’s family has been involved in Palestine, and he can really see there’s a need for helping the country and its people. Going to Palestine was just a way to do his part. Little did McRay know that going there would lead to him writing his own book.
“When I went on my trip, I sent letters and emails to my family and friends to show them where their money is going,” McRay explains. “It was only meant for them to see the emails and letters, so it’s a very honest book of what I was feeling and my experiences.”