June 9, 2020
 
We have seen with dismay, pain and horror the destructive mark of racism on the soul of the U.S. Throughout our history, racism being the backbone of this nation’s development and unjust enrichment of many has become the choking source of Black communities and people of color affecting every aspect of our collective life. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed these racial inequities that hurt Black and brown communities by hindering their access to health but also their development, freedom, and pursuit of happiness. George Floyd’s words became prophetic for as a nation, we can’t breathe anymore.
 
The brutal and disturbing deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade have shaken our nation to its soul and painfully demonstrated the daily danger of being Black in this nation. The resistance and slow response of the judicial system and the Law enforcement agencies to bring justice in these murders demonstrate that racism is deeply ingrained in our socio-political system and governmental policies. The recurring assaults on Black people and people of color (POC) prove again and again that these lives are not regarded as worthy.    
 
The undersigned organizations publicly denounce the murder of George Floyd, its race-related violence, including the police brutality shown, and demand that each one of the four police officers involved in his death face justice for all engaged in disdaining the worth of this man as a human being and as a citizen. As peacemakers, we painfully recognize the sinful prejudice ingrained in our hearts, the violent actions deflecting the affirmation of justice, and the biased attitudes justifying hurting other human beings just because of the color of their skin and commit ourselves to dismantle racial oppression however we can.
 
As religious-based institutions serving communities with all diversities;

• We call the state and national governments to acknowledge the right of the people to protest peacefully and without fear, and to recognize that the peaceful protests all over our nation are a demand for justice in face of murder of Black lives.
• We call the state and the federal government to avoid the use of the military as a response to quell peaceful protestors. The use of the military will exacerbate the divisions within our society and send our nation in a spiral of violence like no other in our history.
• We call our leadership from all sectors of our society – political, economic, education, health, media related, etc., – to acknowledge the rage, grief, and pain within our communities.
• We call the leadership from all sectors of our society and the state and federal highest leadership, to create a national table that starts meaningful dialogues with representatives from the grieving Black communities to engage, united, in a deep, authentic and sustainable social change to combat and dismantle racism and discrimination in all its forms.
• We call on the state and the federal government to stop using the forces, symbols, and themes of white nationalism to counter peaceful protestors. We stand against the forces of white nationalism, enforcing “law and order” amid peaceful protests organized and carried out primarily by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color for their rights.
 
We acknowledge our present time is difficult. We have become overwhelmed with a pandemic death toll surpassing 100,000 deaths, the desperation of millions unemployed, and the continuous disregard of Black human lives. While these successive “pangs of birth,” can madden us, as peacemakers, it is essential to remember that grace and forgiveness heal our hearts, that we belong to each other (Rom 12:4-5) and that justice will be done for we seek it (Matt. 6:33). Under this yoke of darkness our actions today will define the future we want to build. We ask the Spirit to break us free and help us breathe.  

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9 de junio de 2020
 
Hemos visto con consternación, dolor y horror la destructiva huella del racismo en el alma de los Estados Unidos. A lo largo de nuestra historia, el racismo ha sido la columna vertebral del desarrollo de esta nación y el enriquecimiento injusto de muchos. Hoy se ha convertido en la fuente asfixiante de comunidades negras y personas de color afectando cada aspecto de nuestra vida colectiva. La pandemia del coronavirus ha expuesto estas desigualdades raciales que perjudican a las comunidades negras y de color al obstaculizar su acceso a la salud; aprisionando su desarrollo, su libertad y la búsqueda de la felicidad. Las palabras de George Floyd se volvieron proféticas como nación, ya no podemos respirar.
 
Las muertes brutales y perturbadoras de George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery y Tony McDade han sacudido nuestra nación hasta sus cimientos y han demostrado dolorosamente el peligro diario de ser negro en esta nación. La resistencia y la lenta respuesta del sistema judicial y los organismos encargados de hacer cumplir la ley para hacer justicia en estos asesinatos demuestran que el racismo está profundamente arraigado en nuestro sistema sociopolítico y en las políticas gubernamentales. Los ataques recurrentes contra personas negras y personas de color prueban una y otra vez que estas vidas no son dignas.
 
Las organizaciones abajo firmantes denuncian públicamente el asesinato de George Floyd, la violencia relacionada con la raza, incluida la brutalidad policial mostrada, y exigimos que cada uno de los cuatro agentes de policía involucrados en su muerte sean juzgados, porque todos los involucrados despreciaron el valor de este hombre, como ser humano y como ciudadano. Como pacificadores, reconocemos dolorosamente los prejuicios pecaminosos arraigados en nuestros corazones, las acciones violentas que desvían la afirmación de la justicia y las actitudes sesgadas que justifican el daño a otros seres humanos solo por el color de su piel y nos comprometemos a desmantelar la opresión racial en todas las maneras que podamos.
 
Como instituciones religiosas que sirven a comunidades con todas las diversidades;

• Llamamos a los gobiernos estatales y nacionales a reconocer el derecho del pueblo a protestar pacíficamente y sin miedo, y a reconocer que las protestas pacíficas en toda nuestra nación son una demanda de justicia frente al asesinato de las vidas negras.
• Llamamos al estado y al gobierno federal a evitar el uso de los militares como respuesta para sofocar a los manifestantes pacíficos. El uso de las fuerzas armadas exacerbará las divisiones dentro de nuestra sociedad y enviará a nuestra nación en una espiral de violencia como ninguna otra en nuestra historia.
• Llamamos a nuestro liderazgo de todos los sectores de nuestra sociedad (político, económico, educativo, sanitario, relacionado con los medios de comunicación, etc.) para reconocer la ira, el dolor y el dolor en nuestras comunidades.
• Llamamos al liderazgo de todos los sectores de nuestra sociedad y al liderazgo estatal y federal más alto, para crear una mesa nacional que comience diálogos significativos con representantes de las comunidades negras en duelo para participar, unidos, en un cambio social profundo, auténtico y sostenible para combatir y desmantelar el racismo, y la discriminación en todas sus formas.
• Hacemos un llamado al estado y al gobierno federal para que dejen de usar las fuerzas, los símbolos y los temas del nacionalismo blanco para contrarrestar a los manifestantes pacíficos. Nos oponemos a las fuerzas del nacionalismo blanco, haciendo cumplir la "ley y el orden" en medio de protestas pacíficas organizadas por sus derechos y llevadas a cabo principalmente por negros, indígenas y personas de color.
 
Reconocemos que nuestro tiempo presente es difícil. Nos hemos sentido abrumados con el número de muertes de una pandemia que supera las 100,000 muertes, la desesperación de los millones de desempleados y el continuo desprecio por las vidas de las personas negros. Si bien estos continuos "dolores de parto" pueden enloquecernos; como pacificadores, recordamos  que la gracia y el perdón sanan nuestros corazones, que nos pertenecemos unos a otros (Rom. 12: 4-5) y que se hará justicia porque la buscamos (Mateo 6:33). Bajo este yugo de oscuridad, nuestras acciones de hoy definirán el futuro que queremos construir. Le pedimos al Espíritu que nos libere y nos ayude a respirar.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies / Sociedades Misioneras del Hogar Bautista Americano
Alliance of Baptists / Alianza de Bautistas
BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz

Signatures / Firmas:

Dr. Warren H. Stewart, Sr., African American Christian Clergy Coalition (Arizona)
Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley, American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York
Rev. Joel Eaton, American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire
Yana Pagan, ABHMS
Ned Allyn Parker, Andover Newton Seminary
Dean Sarah B. Drummond, Andover Newton Seminary
Rev. Dr. Brian Henderson, Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists
Rev. Dr. Chris Mason, Augusta Health Hospital
Dr. Timothy Tee Boddie, Boddie & Soul Ministries
Stephen V. Sprinkle, Brite Divinity School Baptist Community
Karla J. Fahey, Calvary Baptist Church
Eugenia Reyes, Calvary Baptist Church DC
Rev. Maria Swearingen, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC
Rev. Sally Sarratt, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC
Rev. Mark Meeks, Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church
Cabinet, Central Baptist Church of Wayne PA
Rev. Dr. John Henson, Church for the Highlands, Shreveport, La
Rev. Sarah Shannon-Wildt, Church of the Savior, Austin, TX
Pastor Adam Gray, Circle of Faith
Jessica Torres Torres, Comunidad Hispana Bautista
Laura Mayo and Jodi Bash, Covenant Baptist Church
Philip Kakungulu, Crossing Lines Africa - Uganda
Rev. Stephanie Swanson , Crossroads Church of Kansas City, MO
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey D. Vickery, Cullowhee Baptist Church
Rev. Tonya Vickery, Cullowhee Baptist Church
Robin Knauerhase, Disciples LGBTQ+ Alliance
Rev Mary Wilson, DMin student, Brite Divinty School
Rev. Justin Thornburgh, Emerson Avenue Baptist Church
Rev. Judith L. Myers, Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship
Rev. Deborah G. Vaughn, Endorsed chaplain, Alliance of Baptists
Dale Brotherton, Men's Group for Enhancing Spiritual Awareness and Growth
Rev. Douglas Avilesbernal, Executive Minister, Evergreen Baptist Association
Paul Bowen, First Baptist Church of Pitman
Lesli Scull, First Baptist Church of Pitman
Rev. Michael L. Strickland, First Baptist Church of Atchison, KS
Rev. Karen A. Mendes, First Baptist Church, Burlington, VT
Rev. Joseph Perdue, First Baptist Church of Cooperstown
Morris Price Jr, First Baptist Church of Denver
Rev Stephen Price, First Baptist Church of Hyattsville
Rev. Linda Pepe, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Moorestown
James K. P. Williams, First Baptist Church of Philadelphia
Randy Van Osten First Baptist Church of Pitman
Fran Yearwood, First Baptist Church of Pitman, NJ
William Serad, First Baptist Church of Pitman, New Jersey
Ministry Coordination Team, First Baptist Church, Pottstown, PA
Rev. Patricia Stratton, First Baptist Church, Rutland VT
Rev. Brent Newberry, First Baptist Church of Worcester, MA
Rev. M. Christopher Boyer, Good Shepherd Baptist Church (ABC)
Virginia Larson, Good Shepherd Baptist Church (Lynnwood, Wa.)
Florence Gituma , Good Shepherd Baptist church Lynnwood.
Wim Mauldin, Good Shepherd Baptist Church, Lynnwood, WA
Dennis Glover, Grace Baptist Church, San Jose California
David Robinson, Grace Baptist in San Jose
Rev. Lauren Efird, Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, Cary NC
Rev. Lauren Jones Mayfield, Highland Baptist Church
Veronica Garibay Bravo, Iglesia Bautista Shalom
Roberto da Cruz Melo, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia da Bahia -IFBA
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, Islamic Society of North America
Allyson McKinney Timm, Justice Revival
Pastor Jim Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church - Oakland, CA
Marie Johnson, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA
Rev. Michael Woolf, Lake Street Church of Evanston
James Nasamu, Liberty Baptist Missions Association Ghana
Sue Smith, LUCHA Ministries, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA
Stephen Guantai, Lynnwood International Fellowship
Rev. Susan Sparks, Madison Avenue Baptist Church of New York City
Tony Langbehn, Maryland United for Peace and Justice
JoAnn Sims, Moderator, McMinnville First Baptist Church
Yaheli Vargas-Ramos, Mesa de Dialogo Martin Luther King Jr.
Revs. Zachary and Claire Helton, Northminster Church, Monroe, LA
Oakhurst Baptist Church
Lauren Colwell, Oakhurst Baptist Church, Decatur, GA
Rev. Karen Bryant Shipp, Oakhurst Baptist Church (Minister of Music)
Rev. Nicole Iaquinto, Ogden Baptist Church
The Rev. Cody J. Sanders, Ph.D., Old Cambridge Baptist Church
Reverend Doctor William Edward Godwin, Peace Christian Fellowship, Desert Hot Springs, CA
Sarah Lockard, Peace Community Church
Roxanna Wright, POWER MainLine (Pennsylvania)
Edwin Mojica Pagan, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Juncos
Lee Canipe, Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte
Rev Dr Nancy E Petty, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
Rev. Brian D. Crisp, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
Christopher Jones, Restoring Hope Fellowship (Lavon, TX)
Jonathan J. Holley, Riverside Baptist Church, S.W., DC
Dr. David L. Wheeler, Roger Williams Fellowship
Rev. Dr. Michael L. Gregg, Royal Lane Baptist Church
Amy Ward-Meier, Royal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas, TX
Rev. Anita Peebles, Seattle First Baptist Church
Seattle First Baptist Church Executive Committee
Rev. Javier Ulloa Seminario Bautista de México/Iglesia Bautista Shalom de la Ciudad de México
Pablo Fernando Villarroel, Seminario Teológico Bautista del Ecuador
Rebecca Meriwether, MD, MPH, St Charles Center for Faith+Action, New Orleans, LA
Rev. Elizabeth Lott, St. Charles Ave. Baptist Church, St. Charles Center for Faith + Action
Rev. Dennis W. Foust, PhD, St. John's Baptist Church of Charlotte, NC
Sandra Cope, St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, CA
Rev. Mimi Walker, The Church at Ponce and Highland
Sarah Walsh, Chair of Trustees, The Gathering of Baltimore
Suzanne Webb, Tallowood Baptist Church, Houston
Marc Boswell, Together for Hope Louisiana
Rev. Rachel Gunter Shapard, Together for Hope, Black Belt Region
Rev. Carolyn D Pruitt, United Church of Christ minister
Bill Jones, Editor & Publisher, Weekly Baptist Roundup e-newsletter
Tom Clifton
Rev Paul Hardwick
Joseph R. Henry
Rev. Tami L. Higdon
Margaret Jack, MA
Rev. Harriet Platts
Rev Elizabeth Ritzman
Robert S. Turner