God is in This

In early June, a group of BHS students led the Black Lives Matter protest on Bainbridge Island. Many students of all ages participated in the protest, along with parents, teachers and community members.

After the student speeches and prior to walking as a group down Winslow Way, the entire crowed kneeled for nearly 9 minutes in complete silence, mirroring the length of time the police officer in Minneapolis kneeled on the neck of Mr. George Floyd.

Within the first minute of silence, I recited to myself the Our Father and the Hail Mary, Then I had an epiphany - God is in this. Racism is counter to every single premise of my Catholic faith. Of course God is in this.

Now is the time for white folks to listen, read and reflect deeply. It is time for us to question the way things have always been. Because racism is in every crevice of society, it will take consistent, sustained participation on all our parts.

At St. Cecilia Catholic School serving preschool through 8th grade students, teachers and I have engaged in two planning sessions in the past month, discussing what we are presently doing and what we will do moving forward to ensure our school culture and curriculum are anti-racist. We will make certain our students learn that our country's history is layered, not defined by a single story.

It is time to listen to our brothers and sisters and to act. We are called to love one another has heightened meaning from here on out.

We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them. -Charles West-