Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity calls on The Episcopal Church to unite in prayer, action and solidarity for migrant communities
Bishop Julia E. Whitworth, clergy and laity from the Diocese of Massachusetts prayed, sang and stood with Blanca before her recent hearing at an ICE field office near Boston.
The Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice released a letter today, calling on The Episcopal Church “to unite in prayer, action and solidarity to proclaim that in Christ there are no strangers or foreigners, only one people reconciled in the love of Jesus.”
In its letter, the board of the non-profit coalition stressed the urgent need to live into being the Beloved Community and support our migrant brothers and sisters.
“The recent decision of the United States Supreme Court in Noem v. Vazque Perdomo, as well as current public policies, allows people to be detained simply for “looking foreign,” for speaking English with an accent, or for speaking Spanish on the streets. This reality has caused fear and silence in our communities. Latino congregations have been forced to lock their doors, suspend social media broadcasts, minimize their community activities, and even remove signs in order to protect their members from arbitrary, illegal and inhumane detentions.”
The 15-member board, which includes Episcopal bishops, clergy and laypersons wrote, “As a Coalition, we affirm that The Church cannot remain silent. The prophets remind us that in times of great injustice, God’s people are called to raise their voices and turn their hearts to the Lord. Jesus taught us that what we do for the least among us, we do for Him. To remain silent at this time would be to be complicit in injustice.
“We strongly denounce any policy or practice that criminalizes our siblings because of their language, skin color or cultural heritage. We urge the dioceses, parishes and ministries of The Episcopal Church to publicly support our migrant communities, to accompany them with pastoral love, and to be safe havens where fear has no place. We denounce all attempts by white supremacist groups to divide and perpetuate discrimination and social inequality by promoting second- and third-class citizenship.”
The letter also acknowledged the pain and fear of those being targeted and spoke directly to them. “To our siblings in faith who are today victims of discrimination, persecution, hatred and fear, we want to remind you that you are not alone. To the clergy and laity who struggle every day to make our society a Beloved Community, we accompany you and recognize your arduous and challenging task.”
The Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice is a community born out of the deliberate action of The Church at the 80th General Convention in 2022, when Resolution A125 was passed. This mandate called the Coalition to coordinate, encourage and connect the whole Church in the work of racial justice, equity and reconciliation, and to dismantling the structures of white supremacy that persist in our society and our Church institutions.
The signers of the letter are members of the Coalition’s Steering Group (board):
The Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas, Vice Chair
Diocese of Connecticut, Province I
The Rev. Nancy Frausto
Diocese of Texas, Province VII
The Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher
Diocese of Massachusetts, Province I
Rev. Angela Goodhouse
Diocese of North Dakota, Province VI
Rev. Edwin Johnson
Diocese of Massachusetts, Province I
Rev. Canon John Kitagawa, Chair
Diocese of Arizona, Province VIII
Alexizendria Link
Diocese of Western Massachusetts, Province I
Thomas Little
Diocese of Vermont, Province I
Canon Crystal Plummer, Secretary
Diocese of Chicago, Province V
Diane Pollard, Treasurer
Diocese of New York, Province II
The Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman
Diocese of North Carolina, Province IV
The Rev. Canon Connie Sanchez Navarro
Diocese of Honduras, Province IX
The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton
Diocese of Olympia, Province VIII
The Rev. Bryan Velez-Garcia
Diocese of Washington, Province III
The Rev. Canon Meg Wagner
Diocese of Iowa, Province VI
CONTACT:
THE REV. FR. BRYAN VÉLEZ GARCÍA
Vicar | Vicario
San José & Cristo Rey Episcopal Churches ~ Arlington & Springfield Latino Missions
Parish Office: 911 N. Oakland St. Arlington, VA, 22203
Office: 703-524-4716 | Cell: 703-785-1883