TW: Charleston shooting, racism
On the evening of June 17, 2015, a white man walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and, after sitting in a bible study for a while, pulled out a gun and began shooting. 9 people have been confirmed dead, including the pastor of the church and state senator The Rev. Clementa Pinckney. The shooter made comments which made it clear that this act of terrorism was born of racism, of white hatred for black people,
Today, we mourn with Charleston. We mourn with the families who have lost loved ones. We mourn with Emanuel AME Church. We mourn and grieve with all those whose skin color makes them vulnerable to violence here in the United States. We are angry at the cowardly act of terror that was perpetrated in a house of worship, all because someone thought their skin color made them superior. This is the white supremacy that permeates America's history and remains a battle to be fought today.
Today, it is important that we examine American history and find context for this act, that we realize that this is not a sudden event with no precedent. Dr. Fatimah S. Salleh has written a guest post over on the femwoc blog, giving us a brief history of black Christian churches which provides us this much needed context and understanding. Please go read Radical Resistance: A Brief History of the Black Christian Church and take the words to heart. Ponder what you as an individual can do to help fight this issue and to combat racism in your home and in your church. I hope that this coming Sunday, white Mormons will stand up in our meetings and speak to condemn the terrorism and sickness of racism. But to do this, we must listen and learn. Let us do that now at the feet of Dr. Salleh.
Note: If you are looking for a way to help, please consider going to Emanuel AME Church's website and making a donation to the church.
Today, we mourn with Charleston. We mourn with the families who have lost loved ones. We mourn with Emanuel AME Church. We mourn and grieve with all those whose skin color makes them vulnerable to violence here in the United States. We are angry at the cowardly act of terror that was perpetrated in a house of worship, all because someone thought their skin color made them superior. This is the white supremacy that permeates America's history and remains a battle to be fought today.
Today, it is important that we examine American history and find context for this act, that we realize that this is not a sudden event with no precedent. Dr. Fatimah S. Salleh has written a guest post over on the femwoc blog, giving us a brief history of black Christian churches which provides us this much needed context and understanding. Please go read Radical Resistance: A Brief History of the Black Christian Church and take the words to heart. Ponder what you as an individual can do to help fight this issue and to combat racism in your home and in your church. I hope that this coming Sunday, white Mormons will stand up in our meetings and speak to condemn the terrorism and sickness of racism. But to do this, we must listen and learn. Let us do that now at the feet of Dr. Salleh.
Note: If you are looking for a way to help, please consider going to Emanuel AME Church's website and making a donation to the church.
No comments:
Post a Comment