Georgia Fellowship of the Church of God
Reconciliation Taskforce
Letter to the Governor on Racial Reconciliation and Justice During This Time
The Honorable Brian P. Kemp
Governor of the State of Georgia
206 Washington Street
Suite 203, State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Dear Governor Kemp:
While we stand witness to a revealing of the deep divisions of our communities and souls and the oppressive exclusion of any people from free belongings intentional or unintentional, the world clashes and yearns for a new way forward. We call on our government to champion only what the majority of White Americans expect: to be treated with dignity and fairness in both word and deed, and afforded equal opportunities to participate and thrive.
We do not demand a utopian existence in this world, nor a government to have all the solutions, but we do join our voices with the church universal, and with those voices of good will throughout history insisting that government exercise its authority in love, for the sake of justice and toward the good order of unobstructed participation of all of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable. When full and free participation has been denied immediate action must be taken to remedy the injustice.
Therefore, as the Church of God in Georgia, we call on the government to listen to the voices of the oppressed, to those that are the victims of state violence and exclusion, whose lives and legacies are disproportionately marginalized in the exercise of their liberty and pursuit of happiness. We call on you to repent and to exercise your authority in service to all your citizenry, especially those exposed to persistent injustice, particularly our poor, our Black and our Brown fellow citizens. We call on you to do justice that provides for a worldly peace by setting right that which has stood against love, equity, community, and flourishing. To resist peace, by action or inaction, is a defiant act against a reconciling God.
If those in authority believe in their vocation, the requirements of their office, and in the oath they have sworn, then we specifically call on them to ensure that our poor, our Black and our Brown citizens are not impeded in casting their vote.
This includes:
Indeed, we call on authorities to take any positive actions to remove obstacles and prevent suppression; we call on them to celebrate the franchise even when it might not result to their personal or partisan benefit, because the vote is a right, responsibility and symbol of citizenship. Such actions by the government would show they are true to their stated convictions and calling.
As individual citizens of this Nation and State, we exercise our right to petition and expect our elected and appointed officials to act with integrity toward all citizens in carrying out their responsibilities. As a church body we admonish the state to serve justice and the common good as your highest calling and to protect the free participation and flourishing of those entrusted to your governance.
This is a modest proposal to expect the government and its citizenry to be true to their word that “all men are created equal.”
Reconciliation Taskforce
Letter to the Governor on Racial Reconciliation and Justice During This Time
The Honorable Brian P. Kemp
Governor of the State of Georgia
206 Washington Street
Suite 203, State Capitol
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Dear Governor Kemp:
While we stand witness to a revealing of the deep divisions of our communities and souls and the oppressive exclusion of any people from free belongings intentional or unintentional, the world clashes and yearns for a new way forward. We call on our government to champion only what the majority of White Americans expect: to be treated with dignity and fairness in both word and deed, and afforded equal opportunities to participate and thrive.
We do not demand a utopian existence in this world, nor a government to have all the solutions, but we do join our voices with the church universal, and with those voices of good will throughout history insisting that government exercise its authority in love, for the sake of justice and toward the good order of unobstructed participation of all of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable. When full and free participation has been denied immediate action must be taken to remedy the injustice.
Therefore, as the Church of God in Georgia, we call on the government to listen to the voices of the oppressed, to those that are the victims of state violence and exclusion, whose lives and legacies are disproportionately marginalized in the exercise of their liberty and pursuit of happiness. We call on you to repent and to exercise your authority in service to all your citizenry, especially those exposed to persistent injustice, particularly our poor, our Black and our Brown fellow citizens. We call on you to do justice that provides for a worldly peace by setting right that which has stood against love, equity, community, and flourishing. To resist peace, by action or inaction, is a defiant act against a reconciling God.
If those in authority believe in their vocation, the requirements of their office, and in the oath they have sworn, then we specifically call on them to ensure that our poor, our Black and our Brown citizens are not impeded in casting their vote.
This includes:
- an acceptable number of polling precincts and machines
- fair and efficient absentee ballot systems
- helpful and well-trained officials to assist with voting machines and processes while making
- certain the stations operate on time and competently
- adequate emergency and provisional ballots
Indeed, we call on authorities to take any positive actions to remove obstacles and prevent suppression; we call on them to celebrate the franchise even when it might not result to their personal or partisan benefit, because the vote is a right, responsibility and symbol of citizenship. Such actions by the government would show they are true to their stated convictions and calling.
As individual citizens of this Nation and State, we exercise our right to petition and expect our elected and appointed officials to act with integrity toward all citizens in carrying out their responsibilities. As a church body we admonish the state to serve justice and the common good as your highest calling and to protect the free participation and flourishing of those entrusted to your governance.
This is a modest proposal to expect the government and its citizenry to be true to their word that “all men are created equal.”
To download a copy of this letter, click the link below
| gaf_letter_to_the_governor.pdf |