Dear Foothills Community,
We breathe deeply in relief for the news of Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict on all three counts. We pray that this brings some amount of solace to George’s family. We hope it signals a turning point in our nation’s willingness to hold police officers accountable – an outcome that so many black families have been denied.Â
Yet, we also know that this verdict does not represent justice. Justice requires systemic change and a world where Black Lives always Matter. Justice requires ending the school to prison pipeline, the new Jim Crow, the insidious persistent presence of white supremacy within each of us and across our lives. Justice requires repentance. Justice demands an accounting of the violence and harm that reside at the root of our nation and the caste system that keeps us all from true freedom. Justice demands a true change in how we operate, a turning away from this culture of death. Â
We also know that no verdict can take away the trauma and the grief of what happened to George Floyd or the accumulation of pain after incidents just keep coming, especially for people of color. We are especially holding in our hearts the people of Minneapolis and those closest to this trauma. No verdict can change what happened at the end of the 9 minutes and 26 seconds. And so, even as we are grateful for this outcome, we lament and we rage. We demand change. Â
Unitarian Universalists of color are leading a vigil tomorrow, Wednesday, evening at 6:30 PM MST. We encourage everyone to join in this space to pray and hold space together. Please invite anyone you know who is seeking community to be together, to breathe together, and to grieve and support each other – and to gain strength for the continued work ahead. Â
In solidarity,
Rev. Gretchen, Rev. Sean, and Rev. ElaineÂ