“He was the most spiritual man I know.” What Courteney Ross had to say about her fiancé #GeorgeFloyd are the kinds of things I say about my friends on a daily. “He stood up for people, he was there for people when they were down, he loved people that were thrown away,” Ross said. “We prayed over every meal, we prayed if we were having a hard time, we prayed if we were having a good time…”
A Man Was Lynched By Police Yesterday
It’s sickening to admit how often scrolling through social media timeline is a traumatic event. Thumbing my way through images Tuesday afternoon was numbing yet again as I saw numerous friends post pictures of a black flag I was afraid to read the caption(s) under. It needs to be said that emotional trauma has physiological and relational effects. That is to say people affected by trauma tend to feel unsafe in their bodies and in their relationships with others. In many cases, regaining a sense of safety takes days to weeks with severely traumatized individuals or months to years with individuals who’ve experienced ongoing/chronic abuse. This is a reality none of us can escape. As a pastor with an education in counseling I just sat under lamplight well beyond 2am writing myself to sleep in an attempt to calm body tremors and a racing heart. All because my mind could not handle the compound grief incited by today’s news. We just did this with #AhmaudArbery and still hadn’t even been able to rap my mind around #BreonnaTaylor’s murder; let alone the countless others. I can’t breathe.
We Are George Floyd
I feel the weight of this every time we hashtag another name.
I’ve said the likes of “I am—” or “it could’ve been me” numerous times. As a black man navigating the America that says it’s wrong for Colin Kaepernick to take a knee, but it’s ok to take a life with one if it’s a black life, I feel the weight of this every time we hashtag another name. This time however, that reality hit even harder.
As I sat in the dark reading about George’s life and legacy this evening, I got a text from a friend with what would become this blog’s header image and a “who’s that at a bible study it appears” message. It didn’t take long to recognize the brother in the middle as the unarmed man I just watched die pleading for help. Only in the picture he was wielding a sword—his sword apparently. As I zoomed in on the image I read the gold foil inscription across the bible in his hand “George “Big Floyd” Floyd.” I wish I could said it got better, or easier, from here but this was just the beginning. I went on to find out that “Big Floyd” is connected to my beloved Christian Hip Hop community in Houston. It was @jmonty who first posted the pic above the caption “This is George Floyd. Protect the narrative.” J and others have since taken to social media posting videos and testimonials about Floyd’s life and community impact. “He was a person of peace!”… “He’d help us when we had church at the basketball court in the middle of the hood.”… “The man that helped me drag a baptism pool to the court in the projects so we could baptize dudes in the hood. The man that helped put down & clean up chairs at outreaches.” “This is the man y’all murdered,” @CoreyPaul wrote as he posted a video of Floyd rebuking those who promote gun violence and giving the youth an ultimatum “y’all so lost! come on home… one day it’s gone be you and God—you either goin up or down!”
I soon found out Floyd moved to Minneapolis to join a discipleship driven rehab program, did security, and worked at the Salvation Army. As I peered into Floyd’s personal and spiritual life in community, I couldn’t stop thinking about my own friends and family. My heart sank realizing we are George Floyd. Just Monday a couple of my closest friends drove up and spent the day in my home celebrating Memorial Day. When I look at pictures of us I don’t see much difference. When I listen to our conversations, I don’t hear much difference. When I think about Bates once working at the Salvation Army in Compton, BC working corporate security, KB as an educator working with at risk youth, Josh’s love for the next generation, E and One9 as Kingdom entrepreneurs, most of us preachers, some of us pastors, and yet all of us “fit the description,” I realize there’s not much difference between us and George Floyd beyond we’ve lived to see tomorrow—for now.
My heart sank realizing we are George Floyd.
Please, Please Help!
In an urgent plea to the Church a man who has and continues to invest in and train half the men pictured above, Dutch Reformed Pastor Ken Korver wrote:
“Please, Please, Please, I cant breathe.”
He was calling for help... (George Floyd.)
For many minutes... until the knee on his neck took his life away.
When someone calls for help... we help.
George F was not helped.
We have to do better.
Things have to change.
We all have to help…”
Ken went on to recount how when Rodney King was beaten... Los Angeles went up in flames but it led to the birth of a multiethnic noon service at Emmanuel Church, the start of the Compton Initiative and the planting of many life giving Churches for the city. Ken heard the cry of our community, saw a host of needs, and found a way to help. Ken invested in, encouraged, and helped me tremendously. He was the first person to push me toward pastoral ministry and church planting (he literally sent me out with their first church plant in 09 as a challenge for my growth).
We need more help. I listened to some friends have a raw talk on race this evening. One of the points they sought to drive home was that no matter how many protests occurred in the black community, it wasn’t until bus loads of non-black faith leaders joined Dr. King in the fight for civil rights that the movement saw change begin to happen. It was when white Christians stood up and spoke up in defense of Dr. King’s proclamation of the inherent dignity and equality of the image of God among all people that the world took notice and did something about the public beatings, mutilation, and killing of black bodies.
History has a tendency of repeating itself. As memory fades and cultures blend, events from the past creep up and become events of the present. This is undoubtedly the case today. As we watch the world continue to fracture and divide under the tyranny of sin, the Church united in Jesus Christ has hope and healing to spread across the globe to every tribe tongue and nation.