Reaffirming Presbyterian Women’s Stance Against Racism
Presbyterian Women, Inc., reaffirms our commitment to dismantling institutional and structural racism, white supremacy, and white privilege following the recent and ongoing practice of police brutality and murders of people of color. We speak the names of recent victims while condemning the historic systemic racism that has caused the deaths and otherwise impeded the lives of so many of God’s children. AHMAUD ARBERY A 25-year-old who was chased down, shot, and killed while jogging by a retired police officer and his son in Brunswick, Georgia (February 23, 2020). BREONNA TAYLOR A 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was shot eight times by Louisville Metro Police Department officers who entered her apartment while serving a "no-knock warrant" (March 13, 2020). DREASJON (SEAN) REED A 21-year-old from Indianapolis, stopped for reckless driving, died after being shot at least eight times by an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer (May 6, 2020). GEORGE FLOYD A 46-year-old killed, after allegedly attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill, when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George’s neck (May 25, 2020), ignoring George’s repeated pleas that he could not breathe. We encourage all Presbyterian Women to:
Gracious God, we know you hear us, and we remember you said, “I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.”—Ezekiel 11:19. We continue to pray for change of thinking, change in actions, and change in policies towards people of color—and we continue to pray for health and peace in the world. The Moderatorial Team thanks Erma Jones, Presbyterian Women Search Committee Moderator, for her initiative and leadership in the preparation of this statement. On behalf of Presbyterian Women, Inc.’s, Board of Directors and Staff, JyungIn (Jenny) Lee Jo Ann Burrell Joy Durrant *Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Facing Racism: A Vision of the Intercultural Community (Louisville: Office of the General Assembly, PC(USA), 2016, p. 4. |