This has been a painful and difficult week throughout our country. One week ago today, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers while bystanders pleaded for him while video recording the horrific crime. Once again we heard the cry, “I can’t breathe” while a black man was dying in front of our eyes. Combined with many other racist killings of unarmed black people throughout our country’s history in general and over the past few years in particular, cities erupted in protests of anger, pain, and grief. The vast majority of protestors expressed themselves non-violently but others chose to engage in property destruction. None of this should take away the need for all of us to take in the pain of ongoing racism. Using the imagery of breath, we need to deeply breathe in the pain and grief without jumping to arguments about the reality and legitimacy of the pain of ongoing racism. Only by being willing to take in that pain as much as possible, are we able to breathe out ways of moving forward to address and eliminate this national sin. With the image of breath in mind, I invite you to watch the two short videos posted below. The first one was done before George Floyd’s death but is a powerful expression of being with the pain of the deaths of unarmed black people. If any of the names in the video are unfamiliar to you, please look them up online to learn about why they are included in this litany of pain. The second video is a brief interview with Rev. Bernice King who is the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. She offers some important insights for this difficult time and for moving forward. So take time to breathe – breathe in the painful reality of the killing of unarmed black people, breathe out a commitment to finding how you can be part of a movement toward addressing racism and seeking peace and justice especially for those children of God who are the victims of racism.
