Dear Friends in Christ,
Nearly a year ago, George Floyd died in Minneapolis, during a prolonged confrontation with a police officer – a death that sparked protest movements across the country. Today, the police officer was found guilty of his murder. It is a verdict that has been awaited with both dread and anticipation, as the events of the past year have recalled the long history of racial injustice and inequality in this country.
We Christians take a baptismal vow to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” While a verdict may be thought of as one way justice is done, ultimately the work of justice requires all of us working together to ensure that we can build a peaceful and just society. We hope for a world in which people of color do not fear that interactions with police or others will lead to their deaths. We work toward a world in which all people can work, live, and socialize in a world that appreciates their diversity rather than holding certain groups back because their diversity is not appreciated or understood. We pray for a world in which people of all skin tones and ethnic backgrounds can live in justice and peace.
True justice will come as all of us live into our baptismal vow to work toward a peaceful and just society. Such a society will require systemic change, when those of us with historic power and privilege take an honest look at the systems that have held so many back in our country, and take active steps to transform those systems. In our diocese, many of us have started the process that leads toward transformation through programs such as Sacred Ground. The work continues with the Racial Justice Task Force that our Co-Missioners for Peace and Justice, The Rev. Rebecca Dinovo and Deann Rios are helping to create.
This verdict does not bring George Floyd back to life. I invite you to pray for the repose of his soul and for comfort for his family. And I hope you will join me in committing to the work of racial reconciliation, one of the three mission priorities of The Episcopal Church (along with evangelism and care of creation). As Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said in a statement earlier today, “May we not be paralyzed by our pain, our fear, and our anger. May we learn, as the Bible teaches, to 'love not in word and speech but in truth and in action,’ truth and action that leads to justice and healing.”
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
