My friends, what the Black Lives Matter movement is saying is that black lives are just as important as white lives, just as important — not more important, just as important. Why, why my white friends is it so very hard for so many of you to love us as humans with something of God in us? Why, why my white friends, is it so easy for so many of you to hate and want to do us harm because of the color of our skin? Why is it so hard for you, my white brothers and sisters, to get beyond just words and act in love for us blacks the same as each other? The Black Lives Matter movement is saying all human life should be treated with love and respect; after all, whether we like it or not, we are all God’s children and part of the human race.
Litany for Moral Monday National Day of Fasting and Focus
From the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
We see the violence of injustice.
We see the violence of racism against black people, Latinos, First Nations, and people of color.
We know this violence is a threat to all humanity and this yet-to-be perfect union.
We hear the cries of the poor and low wealth in a land of abundance.
Hear the call of God:
Racism: -Racism is prejudice with the power to enforce it.
-Racism is prejudice backed up by institutional power, based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining positive human traits and abilities.
-Racism holds that genetic or inherited differences produce inherited superiority or inferiority…
This list documents white supremist and colonizing behavior in the US. As we start to see the extent and insidious nature of this behavior we can begin to realize the importance of doing things differently. This awareness will help us move toward decentering the negative white behavior and instead center the resilience, survival and strength of people of color.
Examples of White Privilege: I can walk through certain neighborhoods without being stopped or asked questions. I can walk through a neighborhood without another culture giving me trouble. The first thing people see in me is not the color of my skin.
