March 12, 2015

The fifty-mile journey from Selma to Montgomery, being commemorated today by the African American community and others, bears witness to the courage, conviction and prophetic voice of those people of faith who, fifty years ago, through their peaceful protest, powerfully proclaimed the right of all human beings to be equal.

The horrific treatment they received on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on that "Bloody Sunday" shocked the American conscience and moved countless citizens, of all ages, colors and creeds, to travel from the four corners of our nation, to join hand-in-hand in solidarity with those who suffered discrimination in Selma.

In retrospect, history bears witness to the reality that the arrival of those peaceful protesters at the steps of the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery was just the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The journey to full equality has yet to be realized, both for the African American community in which the movement began, and for other communities.

Until we, as a nation, see an end to explicit and implicit bias, racial profiling, and roadblocks to education, employment and the right to vote, the dream of the Civil Rights Movement will not be fully realized.  Rectifying these remnants of discrimination is the task bequeathed to all in our time who espouse human and civil rights.

As recent events show, African Americans continue to experience the violence of racial discrimination. The San Francisco Interfaith Council denounces this violence, and joins in solidarity with those who march and work for full equality. We also hold, and proclaim to those entrusted with authority, that injustice for one is injustice for all.

For additional information, please contact Michael G. Pappas at (415) 425-9631.