69 conflicto, reconciliación y hermandad —a town about 90 minutes from my home— who were falsely accused of raping a white woman. The victims cannot be brought back, and their murderers cannot be brought to justice. Advocating for their innocence now cannot be deemed a success as the world understands success. But even 100 years later, we are called to bear witness to the truth, and to affirm the dignity of those who were murdered that night 100 years ago. Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie were children of God, of immeasurable worth, and we must proclaim and affirm their dignity for generations to come. So the third theme from Dr. King and Pope Francis, in responding to racism, we are called to bear witness to the truth of the human person, even when it seems hopeless. In the long run, that is the path by which relationships will be restored and human flourishing secured. I will close with one practical suggestion: in the struggle for racial justice, I believe we are all called to leave our comfort zones. We have had a lot of protests over the past few years in Minneapolis. I tend not to do protests. But I have a teenage daughter who struggles with the church because she doesn’t see the church engaging with pressing social issues as much as she thinks we should. When protestors in Minneapolis occupied the street in front of the Fourth Precinct Police Department, I heard that they would be holding a Christian worship service in front of the police station on the first Sunday of the occupation. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach because I knew I had to take my daughter to that service. We went, and it was powerful. And its power did not turn on whether I agreed with every tactic or objective of the protestors. Its power came from my LONG OVERDUE willingness to walk through the boundaries of my bubble and experience someone else’s story, while being reminded, as we sang hymns and prayed, of what we held in common. That is the path to reconciliation.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjg1NTM0OA==