Eaton: We Need to Talk About Race
Citing recent high-profile events in Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island, Charlottesville and across the U.S., the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, notes that “we are not living in a post-racial society.” In a March 25 letter and video message to the 3.8 million-member church, Eaton expressed the need for conversation – not only among Lutherans but “all Americans” – about racism in “honest and productive ways.”
“I know it’s difficult to talk about race because too many Americans do not want to believe racism still exists in our country,” Eaton said. “Yet, as always, Christ promises to be alongside us, even in the most difficult of times, working for our reconciliation. Because of God’s promise, we can and must have a deep, honest and even painful conversation about racism.”
