Pastoral Message to East Liberty Presbyterian Church Congregation

“If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name, then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” – Jeremiah 20:9

To the Family of East Liberty Presbyterian Church –

As people of faith, recent events require that we summon the courage to speak out once more on the topics of racism, violence by law enforcement officials against African American siblings, and persistent injustice in the United States. It is too easy to believe that lessons from the past have been truly learned and that acts of criminal racism have become less prevalent and, when they occur, prosecuted swiftly. For such is not the case. We are weary with holding it in. We cannot remain silent.

Over the past few days, news reports have revealed acts of explicit racism and unjust violence once again targeting people of color in America. Sobering enough was the long litany of names of people killed through violent, unjust police actions, such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor and others—as well as those, like Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin, who were killed due to vigilante actions of armed citizens. But in the course of a single day, Christian Cooper narrowly escaped false arrest amid racist accusations from a white woman in New York City, and then George Floyd suffered a fatal assault and lost his life beneath the cruel knees of a white Minneapolis policeman. It is too much to bear, and certainly too much to accept.

Despite the belief that there is little to be done about these cases, there is actually much we can do. Remember the victims’ names—literally say them out loud so they are part of your vocabulary. Know their stories and don’t let rationales or excuses deflect from the fundamental racial injustice laid bare in their deaths. Learn about the legacy of racism, about white privilege, about what the laws are in Pittsburgh and what has been done since the tragic shooting of Antwon Rose—and if it has not been enough, learn what more needs to be done. See with the eyes of parents who fear for the safety of all children of color in every American city. Pray to a grieving God who extends hands of grace to comfort, but who also compels us to protect one another from the crosses, lynchings, and suffocating violence still plaguing our land.

It can feel like too much. For now, our faith calls us to lament and repent. Only then will justice be like a fire in our bones. Only then will it refuse to be held in any longer. Only then might we live as we ought—doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly with our God.