From the Anti-Racism Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania —
In the aftermath of the murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, our hearts are once again broken by the death of yet another person of color at the hands of law enforcement. Below, find statements from Episcopal church leaders as well as resources for prayer, education and action to help you and your communities respond —
“With the murder of Tyre Nichols, another mother, as in the biblical texts, weeps, with the mothers of Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others. A family grieves. A community fears. A nation is ashamed. Like the psalmist in the Bible, something in us cries out, “How long, O Lord, how long?” How long violence, how long cruelty, how long the utter disregard for the dignity and worth of every child of God? How long?
Read more through this link: Presiding bishop sends pastoral word on the death of Tyre Nichols by The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church (Jan. 28)
“Even if brutality like this has happened before and will happen again, we need to sit with this particular incident. We need to sit and wonder why traffic stops so quickly escalate into police brutalization and then to tragic loss of life. Sit and acknowledge the depravity human beings are capable of when mob mentality kicks in. Sit and feel our own broken, haggard spirits, still raw from deaths too numerous to count. In addition to all that, as a Black person—rest assured I’m not about to speak for all Black people, just from my particular experience living in this skin in this nation—I have to sit with the reality that we can commit racist horrors against our own.”
Read more through this link: We Must Stop Forgetting by The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation, and Creation Care
Created by The Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia’s Commission to End Racism, this series of special collects calls attention to specific issues still prevalent in our society today that we as a church must be ever mindful of as we work toward making the world a better place for all of God’s people. Worship leaders may consider using these prayers as an additional collect alongside the Collect of the Day, or as a part of the Prayers of the People, or in some other appropriate place within our common worship.
Episcopal Racial Reconciliation Resources: ACT, PRAY and LEARN
Becoming Beloved Community Where You Are
Office of African Descent Ministries’ Healing from Internalized Oppression Course
106 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
From the Pew to the Public Square – an Episcopal community action resource
Nine Actions on Police Reform by Episcopal Public Policy Network
#8CantWait – Bringing Change to Local and State Policing
You can connect with the Anti-Racism Commission on Facebook @ARCEpiscopalPA