This is America.
It’s overwhelming to see all the ugliness in this world. Especially with social media putting it on a scale where it is hard to process the information all at once. But never before, have we had this chance to witness the evil in this world so easily, and acknowledging it is the first step.
The BLM (Black Lives Matter) Movement is NOT part of an agenda to diminish the struggles of other races such as our own. It exists to rally against the evident, continued violence towards Black lives. Again, if “all lives mattered”, we wouldn’t need to have this conversation right now.
The narrative of repeated injustice involving police brutality goes beyond than just a Black versus White issue. In 2014, Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old, unarmed, Black man, was shot and killed by Peter Lian – a Chinese - American police officer who served no time in prison but only five years of probation. Today, he walks free.
As fellow Christians, it should be an automatic response to stand in solidarity with the Black community. We must be accountable to acknowledge our biases, passiveness, and general complacency when it comes to the conversation of racism.
Yes, this means speaking up on and calling out anti-blackness within our own communities and churches so that we can unlearn these tendencies. We must hold each other responsible. We must learn to love like Jesus.
Wholeheartedly.
These conversations are not easy, but they are necessary. Anti-blackness within all communities must end – even in Christian communities. Because let’s be real, we’re not perfect. We judge.
And for this reason, we cannot be enablers of repeated oppression. Silence must not be an option.
May we all have:
“A mouth to speak out against injustice.
A nose to sniff out implicit bias.
Eyes to identify privilege.
Ears to listen to the POC experience.
A heart to cultivate empathy for the oppressed.
Hands to take action and make a change.”
- Daniel Coke
Written By: Adhey Bernika