White supremacists shot five #BlackLivesMatter activists in Minneapolis last night.
As activists mourned the death of a loved one, they were attacked – twice. First by the white supremacists. And then by police who pepper sprayed them as they asked officers to pursue the shooters.
Dear white folk, you know what time it is.
Paul says to the Romans, the white people of his time, “…You know what time it is…it is NOW the moment to wake up!” (Romans 13:11, NRSV)
That time is now. That time is NOW.
Time to show up for Black and brown life. Time to break white silence about the horrendous damage white supremacism does to our communities, to Black and brown bodies, to our own souls.
Mother Emanuel AME, Sandra Bland, Jessie Hernandez, Syrian refugees, Jamal Clark…
Dear white folk, the time is NOW to show up and speak out and act for another America. Act for a prophetic vision of a whole and beloved community.
The time is now.
Be assured that white supremacist groups are actively inviting white people to join their side.
Just one example: “White Student Unions” are springing up on college campuses in the wake of people of color rising up against racism at #Mizzou and other schools.
White people, we need you. We need your good aching hearts. Right now. The time is now.
Speak up on social media, at your church, and around your table. Support the movement for collective liberation with your voice, your money, and your body.
Even if your voice shakes, even if it is messy and you feel uncertain, even if you have never done anything like this before.
We need you. We need your heart beating and acting for collective liberation.
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) suggests these action steps to get you started:
- Sign the Pledge and Donate to support Black Lives Matter Minneapolis.
- If you are a person of faith, see SURJ’s toolkit for more ways to bring racial justice to your faith community.
Love, Paul says, does no wrong to a neighbor. You know what time it is.
Time to wake up.
Rev. Anne Dunlap is an ordained United Church of Christ minister serving as a “street pastor” for racial justice and solidarity in the Denver, CO area. Rev. Dunlap is committed to the work of collective liberation, working in freedom movements with folks across race, gender, and class lines for more than 25 years, with a particular passion for solidarity with Black, immigrant, worker, and indigenous communities. Anne also serves as adjunct faculty at the Iliff School of Theology, and loves herbal practice, tending goats, and hanging out with friends and her beloved of over 20 years.
Twitter: @FierceRev