We cannot be complicit

To the Editor,

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his letter to religious leaders once said, “Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

We, as members of the Interfaith Council of Southern Delaware County, Pennsylvania, affirm the interrelatedness of our communities and states. When an injustice occurs in our society, we find it imperative to not sit idly by. We grieve when we see miscarriages of justice, and we name our grief with the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and many others who have been victims of systemic racism and who cry out for equity. For what affects one affects us all. This is why we cannot remain silent. For silence in the face of hate is itself iniquity. We cannot be complacent or complicit.

We feel we must speak up and speak out, and are united in decrying oppression, the upholding of white supremacy, and discrimination in all forms. We can and must band together to fight the ravages of overt and covert racism. As a consortium of faith communities, we will continue to pray and work to call out acts of hate that hurt and divide our community. We are one. 

The Interfaith Council of Southern Delaware County, Pennsylvania