Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM)
July 3, 2020
COREM Says In One Voice, Black Lives Matter!
I can’t breathe! Mama! Mama! Those were George Floyd’s last words. He called out to his mother as life slipped away. George didn’t sound that different from Jesus when He cried out to His father. The State snatched Jesus’ life away more than 2,000 years ago and continues snatching the lives of unarmed Black men and women away.
George joined a chorus of Black people whose lives police took too soon. Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Tony McDade, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice are just a few of those souls. Many blame state-sanctioned murders of Black people–by police departments nationwide–on poor training.
Let’s be clear. Research shows “policing” procedures in communities of color and dealing with people of color, particularly Black people, are grounded in the Slave Codes. Those procedures are also grounded in similar codes used to dehumanize and demoralize Native Americans. We are, at first, treated as people to be herded or overseen.
Knowing we’ve endured white supremacy-fueled dehumanization and demoralization for centuries, and God’s call to love thy neighbor makes United Black Christians, Ministers for Racial Social Economic Justice, Pacific Islander Asian-American Ministries , Colectivo de UCC Latinx Ministries, Council for American Indian Ministry, and United Samoan Ministries standing with our Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries partners imperative. We say with one voice, #BLACKLIVESMATTER!
The Council for Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM) is a ministry of racial and ethnic groups of the United Church of Christ – United Black Christians, Ministers for Racial Social Economic Justice, Pacific Islander Asian-American Ministries, Colectivo de UCC Latinx Ministries, Council for American Indian Ministry and United Samoan Ministries. COREM advocates for the racial and ethnic concerns within the United Church of Christ.
Pacific Islander Asian American Ministries (PAAM)
Council for Hispanic Ministries (CHM)
Colectivo de UCC Latinx Ministries
United Black Christians (UBC)