Statement of Solidarity and Lament
George Floyd
Community Renewal Society honors the lament of those that have gathered across this nation in resistance, sorrow and hope from Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Charleston and Atlanta; to Louisville, Minneapolis, Oakland, Sioux Falls and Washington, DC. We share in the righteous lament of stolen lives and reject white supremacy and a normalized culture of violence that sanctions the undue lynching of Black and Brown bodies.
Enough is enough as we are "Sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
We understand the temptation to center on the methodologies of resistance to white supremacy, but we must choose to remain centered on the impetus for the unrest around this country that did not appear overnight. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says a riot is the language of the unheard. We are witnessing the resounding voice of the oppressed and we must listen even if it may be an inconvenient truth.
Why, during this period of Pentecost, when we recall the fire like tongues descending with the Holy Spirit, are we also witnessing fires and flames in our streets?
Why, in a period of God breathing life into the church, must we lament the cries of our brethren exclaiming, "I can't breathe!"? It is not an accident that in a season of Pentecost, we face a Kairos moment where we must choose our response, as believers committed to social justice, wisely. What is the body of Christ doing to help nurture the healing of the wounded and proactively work to shed preventive light on these truths today? How does the community as a collective begin to heal?
Stephanie Y. Mitchem suggested healing is a significant part of restorative justice and reconciliation work and it involves recognizing the root of the brokenness. Healing work is movement work and serves as an act of protest and resistance, too. For example, healing is needed in response to the triggered or protracted traumatic stress disorders marginalized communities still suffer. Mitchem believes healing can come through naming. We must name the pain and the sin before restorative justice and healing for the victimized can begin. What some call looting and riots, others call disrupting ignorance and silence around modern-day lynching. We must break the silence and be intentional as faith communities not to lose sight of what brought us to the streets – state-sanctioned murder and racism.
The prophetic process of love cannot begin, according to Delores S. Williams, until there is a point of self-realization. Are we willing to do the work of coming clean down to the bare bones? Is it easier to demonize resistance in the streets than to hold our elected officials accountable for covering up police brutality and murder and failing to enact proactive measures that will transform policing? Community Renewal Society and our coalition partners have appealed to our elected officials to meet us at the table to re-imagine police reform, together with civilian oversight. This is a watershed moment and we appeal to our officials to hear us and let us learn from the blood that cries out, "I can't breathe!" speaking prophetically for Black and Brown people across this land. We don't need another murder to do what's right. Let's begin right now.
We are here humbly at the feet of their crosses or lynching trees to honor their humanity and bear witness to state-sanctioned murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and innumerable others that have died silently under the guise of normalcy. Who will reclaim their bones and honor their truths?
Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak states solidarity means, "…every child on a cross is my child." Floyd cried out to his mother with the resonance of a child and every mother heard him. We all heard the piercing cry and the bottom fell out. There is a liberating message here for faith communities and their leadership and our nation as a whole.
The healing process involves remembering, naming, and telling one's narrative. There will be painful triggers for Black and Brown people as we do this work and we must affirm the pain and make space for lamentations. It is essential to have a community who is listening and reclaiming the names, narratives and bodies, even if, as in the case of the Maafa, lynching and enslavement, some bodies are woefully absent.
Community Renewal Society is committed to the prophetic work of truth-telling, honoring the narratives of the disinherited, partnering in the work of healing and restoration for the weary (Healing Circles) and holding public officials accountable by reminding our Mayor and alderpersons of both GAPA and CPAC proposals that can help our city proactively prevent police brutality while engaging Chicagoans.
I pray we will not miss this moment to be the change we hope to see.
In Solidarity,
Rev. Dr. Waltrina N. Middleton,
Executive Director, Community Renewal Society
P.S. Join us for a time of Prayers and Protest with Pastors from our member congregations on Thursday, June 4 at 4:00 p.m. (CDT). Register here.