Message from UCC Conference

We are saddened and outraged by the murders of three black people by a white supremacist in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday.

We hold in prayer the families of the people who were slain and all who loved them. We pray for the entire community of Jacksonville and for black people throughout the U.S., who are again feeling the terror and vulnerability that are intentionally inspired by such targeted murders. And we pray for those who hold so much hatred that they are motivated to kill people simply because of who they are.

While only one person has been implicated in these murders, our broader culture is also responsible. The white supremacy of our country takes shape in popular media, interpersonal conversations, and the political rhetoric, public policies, and institutional practices that suggest black people are problems to be addressed rather than important members of our society. Similar oppressive language and structures are replicated in relation to other people of color, LGBTQIA-plus individuals, and other minoritized groups, claiming lives through visible violence as well as through slow, persistent discrimination, lack of access, and neglect.

We believe, however, that God’s love does not vary based on our personal identity. Rather, God loves all of God’s people, birthed us to be in good relationship one with another, and created our world with plenty for us all.

As we mourn with our siblings in Florida, let us also recommit to our work to confront white supremacy, racism, and other forms of injustice and oppression, both in the Southern New England states and beyond. Let us learn and educate others, speak up even when it is uncomfortable, show up when it is inconvenient, and use our money in just ways even when it is not most lucrative. As we work to create a just and loving world, let us be always reminded that our work must begin at home.

A prayer: