King's Chapel stands in solidarity with Black people throughout the U.S. who are struggling with the pain of yet another unconscionable and needless taking of a Black person’s life. We acknowledge the brutal killing of George Floyd last week, and the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans as a manifestation of the anti-Blackness that continues to plague our country. Our minister David Waters witnessed to this pain as part of the Interfaith Day of Mourning and Lament on Monday. See the moving video here: Since our country’s founding, those of God’s children with darker skin have been deemed less human that their lighter siblings, and were brutally enslaved. We bear witness to the continued atrocities that result from the conscious and unconscious racism our country has failed to root out.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed yet again the tragic consequences of the disparity in our nation’s health care, job security, income and wealth: lives are lost. The most vulnerable among us have been those most likely to die: the elderly poor, all who are poor, and persons of color. As a church, we demand real accountability and justice from our authorities. But we also know that as a church of mostly white people, we bear a special onus for remedying the injustices. The racism of white Americans is not a problem our Black sisters and brothers must solve. We need to. Legitimate despair can erupt in destruction. We commit to keeping our focus on lives lost rather than property damage sustained, and on the underlying causes of the despair that fuel destruction. Peace comes when justice is achieved. We stand with allies and partners committed to racial justice, such as our Community Action Partners: the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in Dorchester and the UU Urban Ministry in Roxbury. We must act and become effective white allies. It’s the work of God’s church to make real the words of our prayer: “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” Rev. Joy K. Fallon David J. C. Waters Senior Minister Minister for Education and Membership Comments are closed.
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