Mourning March

Mourning March on Holy Saturday

April 4th 2015  at Fountain Park

Mourning March commemorated the deaths of Jesus (Holy Saturday), Martin Luther King, Jr. (47th anniversary of assassination), Michael Brown (32nd week since his slaying). We were protesters and Jesus-followers partnering to mourn together -- to lament. We briefly disrupted intersections long enough to follow the lament-pattern of complaining and confessing: protesters complained about church apathy in light of Jesus' call for revolution and justice; Jesus-followers confessed our apathy and commitment to seek justice. Confessions came from Asian-American, White and Black church leaders.

At the concluding program Rev. Mike Kinman invited us to mourn, participants expressed their laments, and Rev. Traci Blackmon guided us in how to work with our grief. The Mourning March centered on conflict. At one point some of the marchers were singing "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" Police were demanding, "Move out of the streets or you will be arrested!" Others were yelling back: "Whose Streets? Our streets!" This is the mournful tension in which we live: between city streets that are full of terror (crucifixions, lynchings, and police executions) and holy hope by which we mourn and march.

The mission of Faith for Justice is to continue the story of biblical activism. The purpose for Black Lives Matter is to end police brutality and to live free from racist society.

We will continue to call Christians to offer our bodies and Bibles to serve and partner with the Black Lives Matter movement. We will follow Jesus in the revolution of making a just and Beloved Community.

Photos by Steve Pavey ~ Hope in Focus