Support For Prevention of Violence

I remember my mother coming home from seeing her dead 19 year old son’s body.
A soldier, yes; Her baby, absolutely.

She sank to the floor of our dining room in anguish.
Blood on her coat from her overwhelming menstrual flow—
The body does not lie.
This is a mother’s deep grief.

I know we are all having feelings . . .

Who needs us to see and hear and listen?
Who needs us to hold gracious space for them today?
Who needs us to come together for good, for light, for the love of our/God’s children, for the healing of our communities?

This letter was shared by Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Interim President and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches following the violence in Buffalo. It offers support for us to come together for the prevention of violence.