What comes next?
To the Editor,
Last week, the jury in the trial of Derek Chauvin found the former police officer guilty on all counts for the murder of George Floyd. While we experience some momentary relief that our judicial system held Mr. Chauvin accountable for his actions, we also feel sadness at the needless loss of George Floyd’s life. Mr. Floyd has become one more symbol of the need for dismantling the structures of racism that thrive in our nation. We hope that this decision will compel us to confront what comes next: the systemic reimagining of service and protection, and the true valuing of life, in all of our communities.
As faith leaders, we affirm that we are all created in the image of the Divine, and that all life is valuable and deserves dignity. This is why we affirm, once again, that Black lives matter. In this time, we extend our prayers of comfort to Mr. Floyd’s family and relatives, and to all who have been the victims of violence. We sit with the grief of ongoing injustice, including the shooting deaths of Adam Toledo, Daunte Wright, and Ma’Khia Bryant.
As faith leaders, we affirm our commitment to the work of dismantling racism and white supremacy in our communities, for we trust that our work is infused with the Divine vision of a just society for all. Now is the time for us to embrace the hard work of pursuing the beloved society. For we affirm the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that our destinies are intertwined, and that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We invite you to explore how you can do your part to make this vision a reality.
It is our hope that faith communities will help ensure greater visibility and justice for people of color in our shared community. United by our commitment across faith traditions, we pray that together we will be strengthened to create true and lasting change in the fabric of our society.
Signed,
Members of the Interfaith Council of Southern Delaware County
Rev. Alex G. Evangelista, Swarthmore Presbyterian Church
Rabbi Nathan Martin, Congregation Beth Israel of Media
Rev. Sarah Cooper Searight, Swarthmore Presbyterian Church
Rabbi Linda Potemken, Congregation Beth Israel of Media
William J. Oberfield, MD, Providence Friends Meeting
Rev. Lydia E. Muñoz, Swarthmore United Methodist Church
Rev. Joyce S. Shin, Swarthmore Presbyterian Church
Rev. Jennifer L. Casey, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Wallingford
Rev. Peter A. Friedrichs, Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, Media
Mary E. Chollet, St. John Chrysostom Catholic Church, Wallingford
Deacon Beth A. Barkhau, Reformation Lutheran Church, Media
Francisco Javier Burgos, executive director, Pendle Hill
Rev. Alina S. Gayeuski, Reformation Lutheran Church, Media
Venerable Amy Miller, Buddhist nun and teacher, Foundation for the Preservation of the
Mahayana Tradition, Inc. Rev. Wayne A. Matthias-Long, Reformation Lutheran Church, Media
Susan Elliot, Chester Friends Monthly Meeting
Joseph Troyan, member, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Wallingford
Berenice Saxon, member, Swarthmore Friends Monthly Meeting
Rev. Zuline Gray Wilkinson, executive director, Chester Eastside, Inc.
Sister Jean Ustasiewski, Sisters of St. Francis
