Greetings …
Like me, I’m sure that many of you have been affected by the news stories and images coming into your homes through the media this week. We are certainly living in an unsettled world and are witnessing the deep pain and frustration which is evident as people gather.
Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, protests have erupted around the United States, since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. Protests are now being seen in other countries throughout the world, including Australia.
We have heard President Trump use the language of division, rather than words of unity as he addresses the nation. We have seen him standing outside a church holding a Bible aloft, but have not heard him engaging with the message of love, welcome and inclusion that Jesus promotes.
These are certainly troubling times, but I am fully aware that as I, a white woman, sit in my comfortable lounge, I am not qualified to speak of how it is to live as a person of colour in our community. I say, our community, because the racism that is foundational in the American psyche is no less foundational in the Australian context. We live in a country that took children from their parents, did not recognise First Peoples in the census until 1967, and continues to have a higher level of incarceration of First Peoples.
I am encouraged by the words of Rev Dr William J Barber II (protestant minister and political activist). Rev Barber is also a member of the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and chair of its Legislative Political Action Committee.
To quote Rev Barber, “when we hear the cries of those who are mourning … mourning means people still believe things can change.
You don’t protest what you believe is unchangeable. Protest is hope. The hope is in the mourning. And it is deep. We must cry out with all who hunger for justice.”
As we continue to watch what is unfolding somewhere else, may we remember the injustices that many face in our own country, may we not brush them aside, but walk as those who cry out for justice for all peoples.
Peace be with you – Heather.