On Friday we walked for Ahmaud Arbery. It would have been his 25th birthday. Instead he was gunned down in his Georgia neighborhood two months ago while jogging. The two men who killed him were finally arrested on Thursday after the video of his murder went viral. We joined thousands of other people across the country honoring his memory and demanding justice for by walking/running 2.23 miles (he was killed on February 23).
I wish this was an isolated incident, but unfortunately things like this and more, even to a lesser degree, happen all the time. My dear friend Latricia is a former math professor at a university and now a pastor; her Darryl is a professor and university dean. They both have doctoral degrees. They live in an affluent gated predominantly white neighborhood in Tallahassee and have lived there for a few years. They happen to be African-American. Twice this week Darryl has been on his normal morning jog in their neighborhood when white women have pulled out mace cans and aimed them at him. This has to stop. Exercising while black is not a crime. Our baptismal vows state that "we accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves." Racism is evil. White supremacy is sin. We're praying for it to be different. But more than thoughts and prayers, we're continuing to try to raise awareness and educate so that things might be different in the future.
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