06/01/2020
S-LC Statement on Racism, George Floyd, and Community (May 31st, 2020)
Full text:
This statement was written by a selection of the Service-Learning Center staff, comprised of professional staff, student staff, and recent alumni. It represents that with which we could find consensus. As a group, we embody numerous salient identities, though certainly not all salient identities. We are seeking to represent us as individuals, our office, and our institution by not staying silent in the face of evil.
On this Pentecost Sunday, as we seek to remain open to the Spirit of God among us, the Service-Learning Center grieves injustice as always – today in particular we feel rage at racism and police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many other Black people senselessly murdered. We are acutely aware of the systems of oppression that so insidiously infect our society, our institution, and our office itself.
Our conviction to stand with our students, faculty, and staff of color, particularly with the Black members of our community at this time, is informed by our existence at a Christian institution. Our God flipped tables in response to the injustices He saw, and so too are we called to action now. As members of our local, state, and national communities, we choose to actively and wholeheartedly love our neighbors, acknowledging that this work should not fall on students, faculty, and staff of color alone. We condemn racism and hatred, standing with and amplifying the voices of Black members of our community, many of whom are rightfully angry and tired. We commit to educating ourselves, to being anti-racist in our classrooms and to dismantling systemic racism in whatever field we may find ourselves.
This past school year (2019-2020), the Service-Learning Center student staff came up with a staff covenant to remind ourselves of our commitments to seeking justice, dignifying human beings, being agents of renewal, and caring for others. We reminded ourselves to see the faces of our communities and world - to humanize people and issues, to stay attuned to the “good work” being done but also to lament suffering, oppression, and injustice.
We ought to today - and each day - lament the loss of Black lives in our communities, cities, states, and world. We ought to lament the pervasiveness of white supremacy, the oppressive and racist systems and structures in our society, and the individual biases and acts of racism that have led to the deaths of countless Black individuals. We ought to see the faces of George, Breonna, Ahmaud, and the countless others whose names we may never know. We ought to dwell in these depths of lamentation, grief, and sorrow knowing also that our lament ought to move us towards action and justice work. We see the faces, sparks of encouragement and actions in cities and states grieving and working towards justice (even if we don’t all agree on what this work looks like). May our anger and grief inspire us towards movement and justice. May we take time to grieve an unjust world. May we see the faces.
We See the Faces
We are the faces of the S-LC
Striving to bridge Calvin and the community.
We are the faces of Calvin
Breaking through stereotypes and reforming its identity.
We are the faces of Grand Rapids
Choosing to serve the community like it’s our home.
We are the faces of the world
Branching our horizons and understanding the people.
Rejoice: we rejoice that “there is a God of justice who sees and acts on behalf of the beleaguered peoples of the world, people like George Floyd. There is a king and kingdom. He has given us his Spirit to make him known to the ends of the earth.” (Taken from the Pentecost sermon of Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley, May 30, 2020).
Lament: we lament that this country is not as it should be, and that it remains so infuriatingly unjust for so many – Black, Latinx, Asian-American, Indigenous, and other marginalized groups. We lament our inaction, or paralysis in the face of this injustice.
We choose to actively and wholeheartedly love our neighbors
Choosing awareness of the broader community
Viewing ourselves as intersectionally connected to neighbors
Neighbors – those we live near, in our community, state, country, and world
Those we know, those we never will
In our borders, outside of them
We commit to encourage each other to pursue our passions, and in doing so, grow as a community.
Allow us to accept the things we cannot change. Grant us boldness to do what we can. Instill wisdom in us to know the difference.
Calvin University
This statement was written by a selection of the Service-Learning Center staff, comprised of professional staff, student staff, and recent alumni. It represents that with which we could find consensus. As a group, we embody numerous salient identities, though certainly not all salient identities....
