A Perspective on “Which Lives Matter?” Reflections from Faith D’Urbano+

Reflections from Faith D’Urbano+:

What was my first response in coming upon “Which Lives Matter?” (Beth Maschinot, National Catholic Reporter)? Resistance. I didn’t and don’t want to touch the article’s question with a ten foot pole. It isn’t that I don’t stand up against racial injustice. Still, I found myself avoiding the uncomfortableness of this difficult topic. In fact, up to this point, I’d avoided the stir around “Black Lives Matter.”

After several readings of “Which Lives Matter?” I come out at a different place than I was when first seeing the title. I still feel discomfort, and probably even more sharply so around a topic that feels too edgy for dialogue, but requires it.

Perhaps serendipitously, the Episcopal Diocese of Central PA provides me a handle for picking up the ten foot pole. Its 2/13/16 THRIVE event, “Eliminating Racism,” will focus on restoration and reconciliation. I quote Bishop Audrey Scanlan: “Addressing racism in all its forms is a priority in this diocese, in our Church and in God’s Kingdom.”

I invite your perspective.