June 5, 2020
As people of faith, we are outraged, horrified, and deeply saddened by the murder of George Floyd, yet another African-American man, who was the victim of brutality at the hands of those who are called to “protect and serve.” We stand with the tens of thousands of peaceful American protesters expressing pain, anguish and anger in these last days, demanding that justice be served, that police brutality against people of color be ended, and that racial discrimination in our country be no more. We say: “Enough is enough.”
For many of us, outrage and frustration is not only our response to the Minneapolis murder and other recent incidents; it is also a re-awakening of rage against the institutional racism that is the “original sin” of American society, and manifests itself in so many ways, including longstanding violence against black people; historical poverty and blight in the African-American community; a corrupt system of mass incarceration; and, most recently, dramatically higher rates of death and illness for people of color in the current COVID-19 crisis. The graphic video of George Floyd's death by a white police officer brings all of these injustices to the surface. Many of us are not black, people of color, or from indigenous communities. As we break our silence against racism, we first admit our culpability. We have benefitted from systematic injustice and acknowledge that we failed to hear and respond to the pain of these communities.
Today, as leaders of houses of worship in Brookline, we stand united in our call for justice and commit ourselves anew to the work it requires of us. Despite the stressors and pressing needs brought on by this pandemic, we cannot be silent, we cannot stand by. We are called to pray and we are also called to action; to act out of prayer in love and peace for justice. Not to simply react, but to respond; individually and as a community.
To this end, we offer resources below. and we invite you to join in this critical work.
If you want to talk further, if you need a place for your grief and anger, to listen and to be heard, please contact any one of us.
In Solidarity,
Members of the Brookline Interfaith Clergy Group
brooklineinterfaith@gmail.com
Rev. Kent French
United Parish in Brookline
Convener of Brookline Interfaith Clergy
kent@upbrookline.org
Rev. Lisa Perry-Wood
First Parish in Brookline
revlisa@firstparishinbrookline.org
Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum
Temple Beth Zion
ravtiferet@tbzbrookline.org
Rev. Jeffrey Mello
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Jmello@stpaulsbrookline.org
Rabbi Claudia Kreiman
Temple Beth Zion
ravclaudia@tbzbrookline.org
Rabbi Andy Vogel
Temple Sinai
rabbivogel@sinaibrookline.org
Rev. Jonathan Gaspar
Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish
ReverendJonathan_Gaspar@rcab.org
Rev. Amy Norton
United Parish in Brookline
amy@upbrookline.org
Rabbi Marcia Plumb
Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Brookline
rabbiplumb@mishkantefila.org
The Rev. Richard Burden
All Saints Parish
Rector@allsaintsbrookline.org
Rabbi Moshe Waldoks
Temple Beth Zion
rebmoshe@tbzbrookline.org
Rev. Dr. Elise A. Feyerherm
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
efeyerherm@stpaulsbrookline.org
Rabbi Jim Morgan
Center Communities of Brookline
jimmorgan@hsl.harvard.edu
Rev. Candace Nicolds
Brookline Church of Christ
candace@brooklinechurch.org
Rabbi Audrey Marcus Berkman
Temple Ohabei Shalom
amberkman@ohabei.org
Rabbi Daniel Schaefer
Temple Ohabei Shalom
dschaefer@ohabei.org
Rev. Yumiko Nakagawa
Highrok Covenant Church of Brookline
yumiko@highrockbrookline.org
[Full list of signatories in formation]
Please take action:
Read “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice”
Read the statement from the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO)
Donate to organizations that support racial justice work.
Connect with Anguish and Action
Subscribe to Breakthrough Brookline
Learn more about racism and join in coalition with others.
