Peace Procession Reflection
Sunday, August 16, 2020
By Ed Shurna
A friend from Minneapolis sent me a news clip containing footage of the killing of George Floyd. He said that every white person should see this video. I looked at the video but turned it off after a short while. I couldn’t watch another black man being killed by the police. The violence was too hard to witness. But my friend said that I should watch the whole video, to feel the impact of the unnecessary violence done to another human being.
That evening I went to bed but I had a very restless sleep. The violence was playing havoc with my body as I slept. The next morning I prayed and started to cry, not cry, rather I sobbed at the killing. This was not a new story but the footage was raw. This time it wasn’t sixteen rapid shots from a gun. This was more intimate, more personal, slower. George Floyd was killed by another man. We could hear George crying for air, calling out for his mother, asking the policeman to let him breathe. Witnesses watching on the sidewalk begged the police to get off his neck.
I wondered what people thought as they watched TV. Who did you identify with? The white policemen or the black man on the street? Did you watch in horror or did you think the police were justified in kneeling on his back and neck? Were you beginning to take sides?
We as a people are in a precious moment in history. Our eyes are being opened to who is most vulnerable during the pandemic. People of color are hit hardest. We are witnessing example after example of racist behavior on YouTube and social media. We are also seeing looting, burning, and property damage. The result is often fear. We can either start to address the inequality and systemic racism or we can turn away. I didn’t know what to do but I wanted to do something. I wanted the church to get involved because racism is a moral issue. I longed to hear church leaders cry out.
I called a friend at Old St. Pat’s and a friend from 1st Baptist Congregational. I had an idea. Would OSP and 1st Baptist take the lead in organizing a procession of white and black men? OSP is the oldest church in Chicago. 1st Baptist was once a part of the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves. Could we connect two of the oldest churches in Chicago and organize a faith event that spoke to the heart? Why only men? Because white men have done the most damage to the black community. Let’s put together a procession that expresses a different reality: “We are all in this together.”
There were a lot of demonstrations in Chicago with thousands of people participating. We wanted to do something with a different message. We would have a procession. We would walk in silence as an expression of our faith. We wanted our silence to speak louder than words. Father Tom Hurley, Rev. George Daniels, Al Gustafson, and I had an initial zoom meeting in May to test the idea. Father Hurley and Rev. Daniels wanted to ask members of their congregations what they thought. There was some legitimate questioning from the women in both congregations. We explained why it would be just men. We wanted men to step up and be counted. We wanted white men to join with black men to say that all lives don’t matter until black lives matter.
On Saturday, August 1st 200 black and white men met in silence at OSP and stood/knelt quietly for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while Rev. Daniel Jones read the words of George Floyd. We walked in silent support of Black lives. Our shirts read: Peace Procession for unity and brotherhood in support of Black Lives. The police provided safe passage to 1st Baptist Congregational. The women of 1st Baptist greeted us at the church with snacks, water, and Gatorade. Then Carl Ellis and George Booker from 1st Baptist gave testimony to experiences of racism, and David Ryan and Ed St. Peter of OSP shared their thoughts. The CPD Deputy Chief Mike Piggott shared, “We are all in this together.”
This procession is not a one and done event. The men from 1st Baptist Congregational and OSP plan to get together one on one during August. On September 19th the men from both parishes will return to the parking lot at 1st Baptist for prayer and conversations about what we are going to do to support Black lives. We are also inviting leaders from other black and white churches to join with us. Can we create a movement of unity, fellowship, and action? Can the words of John Lewis inspire us to create “GOOD TROUBLE”?
If we are serious about supporting Black lives then we cannot just sit back and hope that life returns to normal after Covid-19. You may not know what to do. Marches and processions may not be your thing. But I hope and pray that the spirit of kinship would move us to see beyond our differences to our common humanity.
That evening I went to bed but I had a very restless sleep. The violence was playing havoc with my body as I slept. The next morning I prayed and started to cry, not cry, rather I sobbed at the killing. This was not a new story but the footage was raw. This time it wasn’t sixteen rapid shots from a gun. This was more intimate, more personal, slower. George Floyd was killed by another man. We could hear George crying for air, calling out for his mother, asking the policeman to let him breathe. Witnesses watching on the sidewalk begged the police to get off his neck.
I wondered what people thought as they watched TV. Who did you identify with? The white policemen or the black man on the street? Did you watch in horror or did you think the police were justified in kneeling on his back and neck? Were you beginning to take sides?
We as a people are in a precious moment in history. Our eyes are being opened to who is most vulnerable during the pandemic. People of color are hit hardest. We are witnessing example after example of racist behavior on YouTube and social media. We are also seeing looting, burning, and property damage. The result is often fear. We can either start to address the inequality and systemic racism or we can turn away. I didn’t know what to do but I wanted to do something. I wanted the church to get involved because racism is a moral issue. I longed to hear church leaders cry out.
I called a friend at Old St. Pat’s and a friend from 1st Baptist Congregational. I had an idea. Would OSP and 1st Baptist take the lead in organizing a procession of white and black men? OSP is the oldest church in Chicago. 1st Baptist was once a part of the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves. Could we connect two of the oldest churches in Chicago and organize a faith event that spoke to the heart? Why only men? Because white men have done the most damage to the black community. Let’s put together a procession that expresses a different reality: “We are all in this together.”
There were a lot of demonstrations in Chicago with thousands of people participating. We wanted to do something with a different message. We would have a procession. We would walk in silence as an expression of our faith. We wanted our silence to speak louder than words. Father Tom Hurley, Rev. George Daniels, Al Gustafson, and I had an initial zoom meeting in May to test the idea. Father Hurley and Rev. Daniels wanted to ask members of their congregations what they thought. There was some legitimate questioning from the women in both congregations. We explained why it would be just men. We wanted men to step up and be counted. We wanted white men to join with black men to say that all lives don’t matter until black lives matter.
On Saturday, August 1st 200 black and white men met in silence at OSP and stood/knelt quietly for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while Rev. Daniel Jones read the words of George Floyd. We walked in silent support of Black lives. Our shirts read: Peace Procession for unity and brotherhood in support of Black Lives. The police provided safe passage to 1st Baptist Congregational. The women of 1st Baptist greeted us at the church with snacks, water, and Gatorade. Then Carl Ellis and George Booker from 1st Baptist gave testimony to experiences of racism, and David Ryan and Ed St. Peter of OSP shared their thoughts. The CPD Deputy Chief Mike Piggott shared, “We are all in this together.”
This procession is not a one and done event. The men from 1st Baptist Congregational and OSP plan to get together one on one during August. On September 19th the men from both parishes will return to the parking lot at 1st Baptist for prayer and conversations about what we are going to do to support Black lives. We are also inviting leaders from other black and white churches to join with us. Can we create a movement of unity, fellowship, and action? Can the words of John Lewis inspire us to create “GOOD TROUBLE”?
If we are serious about supporting Black lives then we cannot just sit back and hope that life returns to normal after Covid-19. You may not know what to do. Marches and processions may not be your thing. But I hope and pray that the spirit of kinship would move us to see beyond our differences to our common humanity.