When the guilty verdicts were read shortly after 5pm April 20, holding the Minneapolis police officer accountable for ending the life of George Floyd, people felt a mixture of many strong emotions.  There is joy and celebration in the streets of cities across the nation.  At the same time, there are tears of relief and grief.  George Floyd was murdered, and so many other Black people have been murdered and continue to be targets of violence and hatred.  Even while people rejoice because justice in this case has prevailed, there is also anger that it is so rare for a court to hold a police officer accountable.  It is horrible that there was so much fear that the verdict would be “not guilty”, that the videos of the assault of Rodney King and the murders of Eric Garner and Philando Castile and others did not result in anyone being convicted of these horrible and deadly crimes.

Dear Ones, let us open our hearts to the joys, the sorrows, the grief, the relief, and the anger.  And, let us know that this is only one piece of a long journey. Let us commit and recommit to do the work of awakening ourselves and answering the call for justice in our society.  We pray for the family and loved ones of George Floyd.  We pray for the people of Minneapolis and for everyone affected by this and other acts of injustice. We pray for all those who are hurting and live every day with fear, especially our siblings of color. May they know a sense of peace.

Let us continue to be present to one another as we believe in the power of love and let us continue to work for our mutual liberation.