Faith in Texas Executive Director Akilah Wallace issued the following statement in response to former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin being found guilty on all counts related to his murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. “George Floyd should still be alive. As should all the other precious lives lost at the hands of those meant to serve and protect. I pray this verdict provides some consolation to the Floyd family as they continue the difficult journey of healing. Sadly, Derek Chauvin is not the only police officer who has abused his power, nor will he be the last. This verdict is accountability for one man and the only semblance of justice available to us now, but until we address the root causes of the conditions and climate that allowed for this tragedy to occur in the first place, we will continue to find ourselves here again and again. Case in point, as the Chauvin verdict was being read, a teenaged girl in Ohio was shot and killed by police. There was no time to process the developments of one tragedy before being gut-punched with yet another. As people of faith, we are called to, “Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed” (Jer. 22:3 NIV). For every victim robbed of their full life; for every family robbed of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and other irreplaceable members; for every community robbed of neighbors and friends––we can no longer let this call go unanswered. George Floyd deserved better. Daunte Wright deserved better. Ma’Khia Bryant deserved better. Adam Toledo deserved better. Diamond Ross deserved better. Botham Jean deserved better. Atatiana Jefferson deserved better. WE DESERVE BETTER. This complex, multilayered moment is part of a lengthy, ongoing journey to combat systemic injustice and co-create the Beloved Community we all deserve and desire. Faith in Texas will persist in the work to dismantle the oppressive systems that continue to target our most vulnerable community members, oppose legislation rooted in white supremacy and racist values, and reimagine true safety, justice, and liberation for all people.” ## Visit the coalition website to learn more about the Texas George Floyd Act currently moving through the Texas legislature: txgeorgefloydact.com. Join our Rapid Action Network to stay informed about how you can partner with Faith in Texas during the ongoing Legislative Session.
Faith in Texas Joins Over 100 Faith Leaders to Sign Letter Supporting Texas George Floyd Act
Today, Faith in Texas, along with CAIR, Texas Impact, and faith leaders across the state, held a virtual press conference in support of the Texas George Floyd Act. More than 100 leaders and organizations from diverse faith and religious backgrounds have signed on in support of the Texas George Floyd Act (HB 88) and all of its components. The George Floyd Act is comprised of several bills encompassing a range of reforms designed to prevent other people from enduring the police misconduct that George Floyd and other Black and Brown Texans have experienced. “In this legislative session, we have an opportunity to do something revolutionary to liberate oppressed people who suffer at the hands at times of law enforcement. These bills are the first step to addressing that. We should reimagine what safety looks like in this country and I think we can do it beginning in the Lone Star State. I urge Texas legislators to have the courage to do that new thing. To be a part of history that says we are contributing to the type of change that will allow people – all people – to be protected.” – Rev. L. Robin Murray, Faith in Texas Lead Community Organizer The letter reads, in part: “As people of faith, we yearn for peace. But peace demands righteousness and justice. We stand united in the belief that this moment, and George Floyd’s death, demands meaningful police reform. In this critical moment, we are called to address our policing culture at the very roots, not only for the Black community, or even the community as a whole but for police officers as well. The Texas George Floyd Act is a strong bill and a good first step towards addressing the injustice that George Floyd experienced at the hands of police and that many Texans experience every day. It is about correcting things that we know are wrong. It is about safety for all people. It is about peace, justice, strong communities, and safe neighborhoods.” View the full letter. “The George Floyd Act is long overdue for Texas and we are calling our faith leaders to join one of our State’s most important calls to action of our time by standing for justice. Now is the time for our Texas legislature to pass meaningful, common-sense laws that will hold law enforcement accountable and make our communities and their families safer. Racial profiling and brutal abuses by police are a reality that disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income people in the state of Texas and across our nation. To work on building unity and healing, we must begin by honoring George Floyd’s memory by working in solidarity across all faiths by supporting true reform that delivers that.” Ambreen Hernandez, Director of Operations, CAIR-Houston “Texas Impact supports the George Floyd Act because the power of the State should be used to strengthen minority communities and democratic institutions—not to protect white privilege. Our faith traditions teach that all people should have equal access, equal opportunity, and equal protection under the law because all people are created in God’s image.” Bee Moorhead, Executive Director, Texas Impact The George Floyd Act is supported by a growing statewide coalition of more than 70 groups. More information about the coalition can be found at its website, txgeorgefloydact.com.
Akilah Wallace for WOC: Empathetic Leadership During the Storm
“Lead with an iron fist,” some said. “Never let them see you cry,” others recommended. “You were born to lead,” many affirmed. Countless people have offered advice and encouragement to me as a leader over the years. Yet the idea of empathy in leadership has rarely been addressed. As a Black female nonprofit executive who this winter finds herself in a transparent and vulnerable moment, I felt compelled to write down some of my struggles in these extraordinary times in Texas nonprofit history. Layer on the pandemic, heightened racial tensions, and then—Boom!—a winter storm with near-zero temperatures that collapsed the state’s power grid and left millions of Texans in dark and unheated homes. I knew it wasn’t just going to be bad, it was going to be deadly. My first instinct was to reach out to my staff and inquire about their housing, food, and other needs. In my experience, employers rarely do wellness checks on their employees, other than to inquire if the employee will be working or not. And while nonprofits are quick to respond to community needs during a disaster, how many organizations offer direct support to their own staff? As an empathetic leader, I am always first concerned about those closest to me and then I expand my outreach. I considered my teams’ mental health and reminded them of our EAP program and insurance plans that could assist with counseling. With a team of majority women of color, I understood how responses to crisis and trauma live in our bodies. Science proves it lives in the DNA of African-American women with lineage to slavery, Jim Crow, and the modern-day lynchings of Black bodies on social media. In my role, I must consider all the harms against the communities my organization serves as well as my staff. And then I act to protect them. … … Being an empathetic leader likely isn’t the best long-term strategy, but I’m convinced Love Leadership written by John Hope Bryant, represents the legacy I prefer to leave. It focuses on leading with love and respect, recognizes that there can be no strength without legitimate suffering, nor power without vulnerability. As Black women, when we call for equity, protection, love, and healing, we are speaking with love and respect, with a history of legitimate suffering, and through our own vulnerability. Give us this moment to show our greatness. Unless you are one of us, you cannot understand what we go through to successfully exist, much less lead in America today. Excerpted from WOC. Read the full article here.
