More than words
A statement of solidarity from Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church –
June 10, 2020
Recent and ongoing events here in Canada and in the US call on us to be allies to the Black community in our region. These are not the first such events, and the injustices they highlight have a very long history. Yet, we have often failed to take action.
We lament the loss of life and grieve the deep rending in the fabric of our society. We stand with those who also grieve, who are angry and in fear and despair of ever seeing an end to racial injustice. We are frustrated by how such injustice continues year after year.
The murderous killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is not a singular event. In fact, it is all too similar to the deaths of so many others. It speaks to the political, social and economic systems that place little value on the lives of Black individuals and other people of colour. It is about treating them as if their lives don't matter. It is about unconscious racial bias—systemic racism built into our public institutions—and it is about white privilege—the unearned advantages enjoyed because of skin colour. It is about a pattern of racism and injustice that will continue unless we collectively step up and take action.
We understand the protests—including the peaceful solidarity march in KW on Wednesday June 5—to be a response to the violence that has been waged on the Black community for more than 400 years, in Canada and in the US. As long as there is this violence, then it is understandable that there will be deep anger and often a violent response in return. Martin Luther King’s words remind us that “riot is the language of the unheard” and together with him, we lament the violence and ask the same question: “What is it that America (and Canada have) failed to hear?”
We at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church believe that Christ calls us to love, to value every life because it is made in the image of God. Every person, regardless of their race, colour, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and economic status, is worthy of love, and should be treated with respect, fairness and compassion. We acknowledge that we have played a role in upholding structures that prevent many from full participation in our faith communities.
We commit to stepping into and doing the work to be allies with our Black neighbours, and others in our society who have been disproportionately affected by systemic injustice and systemic violence. We commit to a dialogue about privilege and how we in our faith community have benefited from that. We recognize that this work will not end when they fall out of the media spotlight, and we commit to continue this work until justice and equality are achieved for all. We join with other churches who also seek to heal and to be healed during these fear-filled times.
