I’ve been letting my words sit for a little bit because I want to speak truth and life and have my emotions under control. But I have some words I need to share. If for no other reason than to get them out of my soul. I’ve done my best with my words, knowing and believing that words matter and words carry weight.
To start, I want to say that I am so sorry for the fatal shooting of Daunte White. And all the black lives that have been taken. I am grieving and mourning the lives that will never be. The trauma and suffering that is such a big part of life right now. It’s ugly and it’s wrong and it grieves the heart of God. It grieves my heart. I’m sitting in this grief and sorrow and mourning with the black community and people of color. You are seen and loved and valued and beautiful and made in God’s image.
To us white people let’s take a minute and evaluate. Let’s learn from the past and not do a few things that have caused pain on top of pain.
One, don’t justify murder by the character of the murdered. No matter what comes out of the character assassination that’s coming let’s not avoid hard conversations about police brutality or abuse of power or any important thing that we need to talk about. Let’s not focus on unimportant details at the cost of important conversations that we need to have. We need to talk about hard things and not sidetrack that work because of a possible criminal record.
Two, let’s move forward in control. Let’s not assume that our white perspective is truth. How I would respond is very different from how a black man knowing full well what happened to George Floyd would respond. I vividly remember listening to a black wife share about how
much anxiety she has when her black husband goes for a run. My husband runs several times a week and I have never once wondered if he would get chased down and shot on that run like Ahmaud Arbery. Compliance for a white person is a whole different world compared to compliance for a person of color. Let’s practice self-control with our words and emotions, particularly online. Let’s speak the truth but filled with grace. Let’s get angry at the level of injustice we see, but use discernment in our actions. Let’s take a step forward in our journey
to fight back racism, being honest and following the Holy Spirit to assess where I’m at and take a step forward.
Three, speaking of moving forward now is a great time to pause and evaluate. Now is a great time to take stock and see where I’m at. What has changed in your fight against racism since George Floyd was murdered. You put up that little black square right? What did you do next? Did you diversify your feed? Did you know about the murder of Daunte White because your feed is full of people that don’t look like you or sound like you or believe the same things you do? Are you listening to people of color and adjusting your words or your actions? Are you researching and buying from black-owned companies? Are you reading books and listening to music and seeking out cultures that are different? How willing are you to be honest, to change?
I don’t feel qualified to speak into this. I don’t feel like I have ground to stand on to give my opinion about racism. But this is my act of obedience. I’m leaning into my voice and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. I’ve let these words sit. Meditating and talking through it with a friend. Because now is not the time for rash words or thoughts purely driven by emotions. But I’m not speaking from a place of rash emotions. These words are intentional and from my heart, filtered and edited. I know they aren’t perfect and I’m learning and growing. But I’m not going to be silent. I have been listening and learning and now I know it’s time for me to step into the fight and publicly declare my thoughts. To be clear, I am not anti-police. I believe that there are lots of good and moral and certainly godly Christian police officers. But I also believe that racism is alive and well in our country and in the Church. I believe that systemic racism exists and I choose to fight against any system that works against people, minorities, those that suffer or start from behind. I am pro protecting and encouraging and lifting up all people. I am aligning myself with those mourning today, the people of color that I love, and pray for their physical and emotional safety every single day. So let’s listen and learn and love, and act.
Abigail Denton 