The School Sisters of Notre Dame's Atlantic-Midwest and Central Pacific Provinces find that the guilty verdict and conviction of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd is an important step in uprooting racism from our hearts and to bringing a sense of justice to the people around the nation. Although the verdict will not restore the life of Mr. Floyd, it heralds a hope that racist mindsets, structures, and systems will not prevail nor obstruct justice for persons of color in the United States. This hope requires an unyielding commitment from all Americans to dismantle racism in all its forms and to uproot bias and prejudice in all our lives.
As a Catholic community of women religious, and as educators, we have dedicated our lives and mission in service of the gospel vision of human dignity, rights, equality, and unity. We understand that racism is deeply embedded in our nation, our policies, our communities, as well as in our lives. We acknowledge that white privilege has functioned to insulate many of us from the consequences of racism, and has contributed to the systems and structures that construct this egregious injustice.
“Our Sisters have a long and cherished history of ministry among Black and other minority communities. It has been our privilege to have collaborated with, as well as learned from, these communities,” says Sister Charmaine Krohe, Provincial Leader of the Atlantic-Midwest Province.
“The witness of those who have steadfastly advocated for justice for George Floyd renews our commitment to the Gospel-inspired mission of promoting dignity and equality for all and to finding nonviolent approaches to resolving the most intractable conflicts,” said Sister Debra M. Sciano, Provincial Leader of the Central Pacific Province.
Therefore,
- We recommit ourselves to the work of dismantling racism in our lives, communities and institutions;
- We commit ourselves and our resources to promote education in support of racial justice, interculturality, and equality for all;
- We will support policies and legislation that promote racial justice, especially in the educational, employment, housing, healthcare, immigration, and social services sectors of the United States.
We will continue to educate, advocate and act in collaboration with others for the dignity of life and the care of all creation.
