Document of Lament and Resolve from Seattle Presbytery's Executive Board
Seattle Presbytery
“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King1
The recent unjust deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd; and the harassment of Christian Cooper have outraged us as a faith community. As families and communities grieve their lost loved ones, we join our lament to theirs, crying out to God for justice and peace in our land.
We recognize that this response captures one moment in time. Yet, it bears witness to the long string of injustices that have been intrinsic to our nation’s history, and that have yet to stop. As our nation struggles with the loss of life due to coronavirus and its disproportionate impact on the Black community, we believe that communities of faith are called to speak out and to continue the labor of justice.
The Board of Seattle Presbytery, therefore, offers this document of lament and resolve as a commitment to our ongoing labor to claim our common humanity forged in the image of God until race is not a barrier to the experience of being fully human:
Appendix:
Resources for Communities of Faith:
We recognize that there are many resources that support the work of Antiracism. This list offers a starting point and is in no way meant to be comprehensive or exhaustive.
A Service of Grief and Remembrance for Ahmaud Arbery:
The Cross and the Lynching Tree: A Requiem for Ahmaud Arbery, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III
Resources for Identifying Racism and Implicit Bias:
https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist-1
Organizations that help to identify areas of racism:
Jared Chase
Dani Forbess
Brocc Snyder
Hugo Torres
Loretta Pain
Seattle Presbytery Executive Board
Heidi Husted Armstrong
J.P. Kang
Lina Thompson
Jesse Mabanglo
Leslie Ferrell