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SOCIAL JUSTICE
AT REDEEMER |
Scroll down to learn where our current conversation on Racial Justice & Equity began and how its evolved over the years.
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LAND & LABOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Written by Redeemer's Racial Healing & Justice Team, and adopted by Redeemer Church Council June 2021
Written by Redeemer's Racial Healing & Justice Team, and adopted by Redeemer Church Council June 2021
We acknowledge that we are living on the stolen ancestral lands stewarded for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. We acknowledge that labor forced upon people of African descent for more than 400 years and of Asian and Latinx descent for more than 170 years extracted their brilliance, energy and very lives while building much of this country. We celebrate the resilience and strength that all indigenous people and descendants of Africa, Asia and Latin America have shown in this country and worldwide. We carry these ancestors with us, and we are continually called by God to do better as we care for each other and our community.
REDEEMER'S STATEMENT ON THE DEREK CHAUVIN VERDICT
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Following the judge’s announcement of three jury-determined guilty verdicts for former police officer Derek Chauvin, a collective sigh of relief was felt as the weight of this case was lifted from the city of Minneapolis. It was an unprecedented moment in the history of Minnesota for a White police officer to be convicted for the murder of a Black man.
Three guilty verdicts in the trial of Derek Chauvin are an important public act of accountability. Before the entire nation, fellow officers took the stand in this trial and testified that their colleague did not protect and serve but abused power and killed George Floyd. We must meet this |
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public act of justice and accountability with federal legislation that will hold officers of the law accountable in every state, and we must continue to work in every community to shift public investment from over-policing poor, Black and brown communities to ensuring restorative justice and equity for all people.
This verdict is not in any sense a restoration, but may it be a first step toward healing.
As the prophet Isaiah declared, “It is a day acceptable to God …to lose the bonds of injustice” (58:5, 6)
Please pray for the soul of George Floyd, for his family, and for everyone everywhere who has suffered because of the sin of racism and oppression. Pray for all the people of Minneapolis+St. Paul. Pray for this nation that we may find the ways of both justice and healing. Pray for us all.
This verdict is not in any sense a restoration, but may it be a first step toward healing.
As the prophet Isaiah declared, “It is a day acceptable to God …to lose the bonds of injustice” (58:5, 6)
Please pray for the soul of George Floyd, for his family, and for everyone everywhere who has suffered because of the sin of racism and oppression. Pray for all the people of Minneapolis+St. Paul. Pray for this nation that we may find the ways of both justice and healing. Pray for us all.
REDEEMER'S CALL TO ACTION
In the wake of the verdict convicting Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd in May 2020, Redeemer's Service & Advocacy and Outreach and Evangelism ministry teams are asking you to engage in legislative action for police accountability and the restoration of public safety. The MN House and Senate bills are listed in the document to the right, along with directions for contacting your elected representatives.
This will take minimal time and offer maximal benefits for a safer, healthier community. The document can be downloaded -- please circulate it widely among your contacts and ask them to do the same. Time is of the essence; the MN legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on May 17th .
This will take minimal time and offer maximal benefits for a safer, healthier community. The document can be downloaded -- please circulate it widely among your contacts and ask them to do the same. Time is of the essence; the MN legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on May 17th .
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Be sure to read the full document for both state and national actions, and to learn how to find your your representatives. Download, print, and share widely!
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Racial Justice & Equity Statement MARCH 2020 This statement is an evolving document reflecting the hearts of an evolving people. Written by members of Redeemer Lutheran Church's Racial Justice & Equity Cohort |
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WE BELIEVE:
>> We are the Beloved Community.
>> Black Lives Matter.
>> Native Lives Matter.
>> Queer bodies as they are - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Non-binary, Asexual(+) - reflect the beauty
and infinitely resplendent Image of God.
>> People of all abilities and neurotypes reflect God’s unmatched creativity, and belong in the Body of Christ.
>> Racial, Gendered, Religious, and Ableist injustice poisons all of us; No one is free until all are free.
>> Black Lives Matter.
>> Native Lives Matter.
>> Queer bodies as they are - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Non-binary, Asexual(+) - reflect the beauty
and infinitely resplendent Image of God.
>> People of all abilities and neurotypes reflect God’s unmatched creativity, and belong in the Body of Christ.
>> Racial, Gendered, Religious, and Ableist injustice poisons all of us; No one is free until all are free.
WE COMMIT TO TRANSFORMATION BY:
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>> Becoming a place not of assimilation but of holy differentiation where our unique particularities are reflected and celebrated in our collective embodiment of Beloved community.
>> Standing in empowering solidarity with our Black, Indigenous, Queer, Immigrant, Refugee, and Siblings of Color. >> Dismantling systems of injustice and oppression, including within ourselves as part of a white-body supremacist society. >> Actions and attitudes of holy disruption and sacred subversion. >> Confronting both personal and systemic racial prejudices, stereotypes, discrimination, and institutions. >> Reducing harm and creating spaces for genuine healing and wholeness across races, genders, sexes, ethnicity, and abilities. >> Making rather than keeping Peace. |
>> Listening to and prioritizing the voices of the marginalized among us, and following the leadership of historically oppressed and underrepresented people in order to effectively embody equity and justice, in particular Black and Indigenous Womxn.
>> Creating sacred space for people of all genders, expressions, and orientations to worship and be celebrated and included. >> Creating accommodations as a critical foundation to affirming belovedness and belonging. >> Connecting…with each other, our neighbors, our partner churches, our friends, and our enemies. >> Persistently fighting racial injustice. >> Lifting up the assets and abundance in our community. >> Supporting each other and our community on the lifelong journey of Peace Making. |
The Birth of Redeemer's Black Lives Matter Coalition | 2015
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"In our God-given holy imagination, we proclaim that Black Lives Matter. Redeemer stands in continued solidarity with the community in strength and love, against an oppressive system of sanctioned violence and mass incarceration because we serve a God whose son was killed by the state for standing up for peace through justice..." |
The Black Lives Matter Coalition at Redeemer Lutheran Church grew out of a deep concern in response to the death of our neighbor Jamar Clark in 2015. Since that time, the Redeemer BLM Coalition met monthly to provide a safe space to support one another and to take communal action for justice, and evolved into the current Racial Justice Cohort that rose up in response to the murders of Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright. To get involved, join the Black Lives Matter-Redeemer Coalition. Read our initial statement from 2015 here, our most recent statement (above), and explore our evolution through the Seeing White Podcast (2018), White Fragility book study (2019), Racial Healing Handbook (2019), and Prophetic: Amplifying Queer and Colorful Voices event.
