Martin Luther King said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
This violence has not touched me directly. It involves those people, and it is committed by those other people. I don’t have to worry about it because I don’t live over there, I don’t look like them nor do I behave like them. I am safe. I live in a stable community. I have my doors locked, alarms on and when it is all said and done, I am a god-fearing man with a gun within easy reach.
We watch and listen in horror and amazement, yet once again as a member of the majority population violates without remorse members of a minority population. It is revolting to most of our senses and our idea of civility and our supposed sense of unity.
Benjamin Franklin said “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
We can either continue on this pretend reality of the American dream or come to the truth this dream continues to be a nightmare for a significant portion of our fellow citizens. When one of ‘them’ is violated, I am violated. This continued violence is continuing to shred the fabric of our society. We trust each other less. We don’t trust our government, our churches, our neighbors and even some family members. It will continue to destroy us as long as we hide behind our supposed secure spaces the bolts and locks on our doors and our personal retirement portfolios.
It will destroy our children and our children’s children. We ignore the violation of others at our own peril.
To that end, the Nazarene Narrative will work with the churches of Philadelphia region to sponsor a walk for peace this Spring 2021. We are asking all denominations, all ethnicities, all like minded citizens to join us. The date will be announced soon. In addition, Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church will sponsor the 4th Gun-Buy-Back event during that same week.