It's really easy to look at what happened with the Capitol Hill riots and feel pretty despondent about our nation. It's is reasonable to look at the recent death of another young black woman just before the verdict of Derek Chauvin and feel hopeless about racism in our country. It's easy to believe people will never change. None of us would ever have imagined that an insurrection could be led by the sitting president. But at the same time, no one thought Derek Chauvin would be fully convicted on all counts for killing George Floyd.
When you feel overwhelmed with the state of our country today and when you are tempted to loose hope, I want you to think about people who cannot afford to loose hope. There many people in our country who do not have the privilege of loosing hope. Their safety depends on the possibility of change and therefore they are constantly pursuing the mark, holding onto hope and a vision of justice.
If we want to stay the course and remain in the fight for change, we must look to the leadership of people of color - especially African Americans - when we feel hopeless. We must allow their example to inspire us, to strengthen us, to remind us that justice is possible. It's not one battle one but a whole system changed. We have to read and study the words of Angela Davis, Malcom X, bell hooks, Tarana Burke - men and women whose work and very lives depend upon the possibility of change. These leaders are worthy of our attention, our respect, and our following. We must do everything we can to center their voices instead of succumbing to the lie that nothing will every change.
We must also look to LGBT people - especially those who continue to show up to love and serve their local church. The LGBT community has a special gift in dealing with the intersection of faith and (church) politics and can share volumes of wisdom on how to navigate differences. Every gay and trans Christian you meet knows very well how to keep the faith when things seem impossible.
Life will continue to expose us to the challenges befalling our society. Don't look away. Don't loose your faith. We cannot just throw up our hands and surrender to the weight of the challenge before us. There are too many people who simply do not have that privilege. We must actively reject that despondent mentality and humbly submit ourselves to those who know what to do. We must listen and follow those who have gone before us and who are in the thick of the fight.
Our society can do better. We just have to keep the faith.