Maxine Harrison champions diversity

The tragic killing of George Floyd on 25 May, and the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement, has brought the issue of racial injustice to the forefront once again, but on a much more global scale. Although many people have been supporting the movement and fighting against racial inequality, there have also been some Christian brethren who, sadly, continue to overlook the issue. It is vitally important for the whole Church to embrace diversity, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The unfortunate reality of today, and throughout history, is that the black community is facing discrimination purely because of its ethnicity. It has got to the point where, for black people, discrimination can be fatal. George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Christopher Alder, Joy Gardner; these are just a select few names of people who died at the hands of police. This doesn’t just happen in the US. It happens in the UK too.

The Bible teaches us to stand against injustice. The prophet Isaiah urges us to ‘learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed’ (Isaiah 1:17). So, as Christians, it’s important to not only acknowledge the struggles that our brothers and sisters from all walks of life face, but to act. This includes fighting against racism. One of the ways we can stand up against racism is to challenge racist statements made by those around us, whether they are micro aggressions or more overt racist statements. We can sign petitions and research resources to help increase diversity, and move towards creating a more racially equal society…

Maxine Harrison is a freelance writer and digital marketer

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This is an extract from an article published in the October 2020 edition of Reform

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