Clergy members emphasize empathy, actionable steps in church’s role in Black Lives Matter movement

By Sydney Kohne

Some leaders in the church feel the eyes of their congregations trained to them, pleading for guidance as the United States is riddled with protests, riots and demands for social justice. 

Since the revolutionary death of George Floyd in June, people of religion find themselves called to action to aid in the fight against injustice. But uncertainty arises. How does their faith urge them to respond?

Throughout the on-hour panel, the Religion News Association’s 2020 Virtual Conference held on Sept. 24 explored racial inequities’ impact on the country’s religious landscape. The discussion brought out passionate speeches by its participants – all of which were clergy members from minority ethnic groups. 

The four panelists, Reverend Myra Brown, Reverend Pausa Kaio Thompson, JaNae Bates and Marcos Canales, focused on the empathy rooted in Jesus’ teachings when they discussed the role clergy plays in the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“One of the ways that I’ve tried to (address the topic) is to sort of wake up some sort of consciousness in people to see that this is true Jesus,” said Rev. Thompson, head pastor of Dominguez Samoan Congregational Christian Church in Compton, California. “This is having empathy without having to be impacted personally by a situation and just looking through that lens of love.”

Removing the scales from the congregation’s eyes is fruitless if not accompanied by movement toward real change, the panelists agreed.

Rev. Brown, first Black woman ordained priest in America, emphasized the importance of putting that awareness into action through dismounting the existing oppressive police systems. 

Rev. Brown serves as senior pastor of Spiritus Christi, a progressive Catholic church in Rochester, New York. 

Not only did she found the congregation’s Racial Justice Team in 2007, but she has also been on the front lines of BLM protests. She stands as a human buffer between protestors and police and speaks with the city’s mayor and police chief at press conferences. 

“We need to dismantle that blueprint of policing and demand that we create a new one,” Rev. Brown said. “We will not tolerate this anymore. This is the time for change, change is coming. God wants it, God has given us an opportunity to do it, and shame on us if we don’t.”