As we continue to see police and citizen violence on Black and brown bodies, most recently with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we ask what is our work- what is my work?
This violence and white supremacy is not new, it is a tale as old as settler colonialism- it must end. The systemic devaluation of Black lives and bodies at the hands of the police and authority is horrifying, and we must do everything in our power to end it. Our silence maintains a status quo which does not allow us to honor or value “that of God in every person”- which Quakers understand as a spiritual truth. We condemn anti-Black violence that is lifted up through our police forces and white supremacist culture in the US, which leads to the taking of Black lives.
We stand in solidarity with all oppressed people and particularly Black people whose oppression is at times very visible and other times taken for granted.
As George Floyd was murdered blocks away from the QVS Minneapolis house, MSP QVS Staff has put together some resources and action items below:
Actions
- Call Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman and demand that he bring charges against Officers Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, TouThao, and J Alexander Kueng (the 4 involved officers). Call him at (612) 348-5550. You can also email at [email protected]
- Sign a letter from faith leaders to Mike Freeman to demand the arrest of the 4 officers here.
- Call Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at (612) 678-2100.
- There will be a socially distant protest and justice caravan this Saturday, May 30th at 2 pm. More information is available here https://www.facebook.com/events/563296627946390/.
- Drop off supplies at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 2730 E 31st St (if you are able). List of supplies needed can be found here.
Groups to Support
- Official #GeorgeFloyd Memorial Fund (confirmed for the family): https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
- Black Visions Collective
- CTUL
- Black Immigrant Collective
- Reclaim the Block
- Racial Justice Network
- Black Lives Matter MN
- COPAL
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- TakeAction MN
- Minnesota Voice
- NAACP MPLS
If you have additional resources to share, please comment below. We know right now is a moment in a movement and the situation is shifting each day.
This from Valerie Kauer:
So the mother in me asks what if?
What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb?
What if our America is not dead, but a country that is waiting to be born?
What if the story of America is one long labor? What if all of our grandmothers and grandfathers are standing behind now, those who survived occupation and genocide, slavery and Jim Crow, detentions and political assault?
What if they are whispering in our ears “You are brave”?
What if this is our nation’s greatest transition? What does the midwife tell us to do? Breathe. And then? Push. Because if we don’t push, we will die. If we don’t push, our nation will die. Tonight we will breathe. Tomorrow we will labor in love, through love, and your revolutionary love is the magic we will show our children.