An open letter to white clergy ...

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence??We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him,?“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, driving home from the ‘sun-down’ town of Orchard Park, New York, I started to receive texts, calls and Facebook messages from family and friends asking me if I was safe. There had been a shooting in Buffalo. Firstly, there had recently been an increase in gun violence in Buffalo, and I assumed this incident was more of the same. Secondly, I was currently on a highway that takes me in a literal circle around the city of Buffalo to a second ‘sun-down’ town called Kenmore, New York, where I live on a quiet, tree-lined street with my dog. Yes, those of us who live, work, and pray in the suburbs surrounding Buffalo, marked ourselves as ‘safe’ from gun violence on that day.

On Saturday, May 14th, eighteen-year-old Payton S. Gendron from Conklin, New York traveled over three hours to the Tops Friendly Markets grocery store on Jefferson Avenue on the East Side of Buffalo, New York to kill African American people. Gendron chose the community based on the zip code and had carried out reconnaissance to learn the busiest time of the week to inflict the greatest harm. Gendron killed ten African American people and injured many others. His act of terror was premeditated, unflinchingly targeted and racist; and he live-streamed his violence.

On Wednesday, May 18th , I participated in a prayer vigil held by the historically black Episcopal Church in Buffalo, St. Philip’s down near the site of the mass violence. This would be the first of many trips I would make to the area in the past two weeks. There was an eerie hush like being in a war zone or the aftermath of a natural disaster. The streets around the grocery store had been blocked off to traffic and there was heavy police presence everywhere. Various organizations lined the streets with (sometimes makeshift) donation stations to hand out free food. Tops was an oasis in a food desert, there was a push to get food to people in the area.

A team of comfort dogs and handlers roamed the area. There were news anchors conducting interviews, politicians and several members of the Buffalo Bills taking selfies with people – and an occasional outburst of anguish or laughter. Staff persons from Starbucks handed out free coffee from a card table. This was a crazy mixture of a military zone, a defiant, celebratory, street-fair and a mass, black church funeral.?

The parking area around Tops Friendly Markets was lined with police tape, and surrounded by tributes of stuffed animals, flowers, cards, and candles. Someone left a note printed on yellow paper, which simply said "stop racism”. We sang “Amazing Grace” and read the names of the people who had been killed. I comforted a young man who wept openly. I felt so small and helpless.

Those who spoke at the vigil seem to understand the deep roots of this tragedy beyond the loss of life. East Side neighborhoods of Buffalo are choked off from resources, jobs, adequate public transportation, fresh air, and fresh food. White supremacy is the mechanism through which segregation is maintained and black suffering is permitted. Segregation allowed a young white man to find victims by zip code. Segregation is violence; segregation is sin.

In Luke 23, Jesus, flanked by two criminals, is hanging on the cross and being ridiculed by passersby. One of the criminals joins in with the mockery. The other stands up for Jesus and holds himself accountable for his own wrongdoing. By asking Jesus to remember him, the second man acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah while also asking for forgiveness. Jesus then welcomes the criminal into the Kingdom.

What we learn through Jesus’s interaction with the penitent thief is that it is never too late to repent. Repentance involves turning away from sin. If the events of the past few years or even this past week, have helped you to understand white privilege for the first time, then this is your opportunity to turn things around. It is not too late. We need you in the struggle. There is no need for perfection. The situation simply calls for a commitment to doing what is right even when it is hard.

Begin where you are. And start with yourself. With the deepest compassion, find those spaces within yourself where you believe that white life is more valuable or see whiteness as the standard or the norm. Segregation is sin, but so is apathy. See if there are ways that you disregard or dismiss the pain of others. By working on yourself first, you will be better equipped to help others get there. Next, white clergy and all white people of faith must flood predominately white communities with messages of love and redemption. Why are white supremacists better able to reach young adults like Payton S. Gendron than we are? Gendron is not a monster; he is another victim of white supremacy. And we are as responsible to him as we are to black victims. This young man is not alone in his conviction that you condone his behavior and agree with his beliefs.

Now is the time for all of us to be bold and courageous witnesses for Jesus Christ. We all must commit to the challenging and uncomfortable work of excavating white supremacy from hearts and minds, our communities, our streets, our churches, our government, and our nation. ?

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