I also come humbly as a white man who has enjoyed countless privileges of safety and ignorance over the years; to apologize. I apologize on behalf of FCM for our not speaking up earlier. Our collective lament today as a Federation is not new. It joins the chorus of voices from people of color since the founding of this country. Those who were slaves, those who have been marginalized, those who have been treated with racist intent (conscious or unconscious) over the years. It joins with those who have been assaulted and killed simply because of the color of their skin.
Our lament joins the generations who have been crying out against these injustices over the years. God have mercy.
My wife and I lived less than three blocks from the 4th Precinct here in Minneapolis in 2015 when Jamar Clark was killed.
Today we live mere minutes (still Minneapolis) from where Philando Castile was killed in 2016.
Finally, on my way into work this morning I passed by the ongoing smoldering devastation wrought by this most recent example of racism and prejudice.
Yet simply living near to or passing by a tragedy is not the same as experiencing that tragedy. At best, we can cry with those who cry. We can with utter humility learn from them. We can listen to them share their experiences which we ourselves have never known. We can sit quietly and be honest about the fact that in many ways, we know nothing at all.
May our Region today sit and learn. May we learn from one another. May we sit and cry. May we take an active role in creating a better future. May it be a future where my toddler daughter, as we drive by doesn't have to ask; "Why that building on fire dada?" May we create a world together where I don't have to tell her that "a riot is the language of the unheard."
Grace and Peace to all of you today and everyday. Stay healthy. Stay safe.