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Terrance M. McKinley One year ago, the murder of George Floyd shook our nation. As our news and social media feeds bombarded us with footage of another unarmed Black man’s brutal killing, we had to decide if we would pay attention, if we would endure the trauma of yet another Black life being destroyed, or if we would turn away. Many people in this country — and many others around the world — paid attention. We could not ignore the horror of Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes, 29 seconds as Floyd cried, “I can’t breathe.” Some of us watched as Floyd lay dying and unresponsive. That horrific moment is forever etched in our memory — and we reached a breaking point. We decried the violence and declared, “enough is enough.” “We were all spectators,” said Into America podcast host Trymaine Lee on a recent episode, “haunted by what we saw and what we felt, but distanced spectators nonetheless.” But as Lee noted, not everyone had “the privilege of distance.” The direct witnesses of Floyd’s murder included Christopher Martin, the then 18-year-old clerk who worked at the local store and called police about the reportedly counterfeit $20 bill; a year later, Martin told Lee he still wrestles with thoughts about what might have happened if he had not made that call. Darnella Fraser, the then 17-year-old whose video of the entire incident has been called “one of the most important civil rights documents in a generation,” testified during Chauvin’s trial that she was kept up at night because she wished she could have done more. What does this mean for us?
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Our Latest Encampments for the Unhoused Are Sacred Structures (by Hannah Bowman) Housing reform can create permanent housing while respecting the divine creativity of even temporary homes. Our Bodies Remember (by Danté Stewart) I work to liberate this country from its hatred while I feel the loss of George Floyd and so many others. In God's Economy, Racial Groups Are Not Competitors (by Jonathan Tran) America's original sin tempts us to believe that recognizing anti-Asian racism distracts from #BlackLivesMatter. An Open Letter to U.S. Christians from a Palestinian Pastor (by Munther Isaac) Peacemakers call things by their names; this is occupation, not a ‘conflict.’ |
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From the Magazine Will White People Choose Beloved Community? (by Lisa Sharon Harper) People of European descent have a simple choice. |
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El Camino: Sermons on the way to a robust understanding of immigration We invite you to read or listen to our collection of sermons and reflections from faith leaders who are shaping the way we think about immigration, accompany our communities, and advocate for just immigration policies. Join us tomorrow! Faiths4Vaccines National Summit CRITICAL MISSION: How people of faith can help finish the last mile of vaccinations. Join us Wednesday, May 26 to discuss how churches and faith-based organizations can help. Register today!
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