“I am tired of waiting for the ELCA as a collective body to take meaningful actions on race. Our congregations need to do more. We need to do more. The sin of white supremacy must be called out and dismantled at every opportunity.”
“As a pastor I try to use this event for calling attention to my racism and the racism inherent in our society. A formal day would give me further reason to continue to lift up our sin, and repentance.”
“This Emanuel 9 feast day is one way the ELCA can openly confess the racism and white supremacy within its walls and cast a vision of the church on Earth as a place where we following Jesus and racism has no place among us.”
Please do this no matter how many or how few people sign this petition, it’s the right thing to do. Thank you.
“…I hope that the prayers and litanies will be boldly grounded in true liberating theology, not in white comfort, and with Black authorship; that the financial support to the memorial is substantial and recorded transparently as a step of accountability…”
“I long for my church to more publicly and specifically confess and repent of the ways in which we contribute to white supremacy, and for us to more boldly follow the teachings of Jesus — resisting oppression and proclaiming true freedom.”
“Speaking as a lifelong, female, white member of the ELCA we bear corporate responsibility for this ethnic cleansing. Please pass this and strongly urge all pastors to implement this as quickly as possible.”
“It is SO important for us to be doing this at any time, but even more so given the racist and nationalistic stances of our current political leadership.”
” I support increased banning guns of mass destruction and restrictions on hand guns in the US. Please forward any thing I can support on this cause.”
“Worshiped and interviewed at Emmanuel before the shooting and was a seminary classmate of Rev Pinckney. We need to study the racism embedded in this country that led to the martyrdom of these beautiful people of God. The ELCA needs to lead. Please vote in favor!”
This beautiful step could significantly help move our understanding and our compassion in a positive direction.
“We cannot continue to be silent contributors to the discrimination and hate that is racism. We must take a stand against the hateful words and actions of citizens, representatives and leaders of the USA and this petition is a good place to start!”
“Thank you for your initiative! What a concrete way of repenting for the sins of our ancestors and our complicity in the oppression of God’s beloved.”