Rev. Dr. Jimmie Wafer

We are living in a scary reality, which is an exhibition of the foundational racist threads that permeates and supports the fabric of America’s soul. The insatiable thread of racial hate seeks to steal, kill, and destroy the essence of black lives by blatantly murdering a black man on the world-wide screen in broad daylight. And that hateful, murderous, racist, xenophobic, misogynist, and evil thread put a knee of the neck of George Floyd to feed the destructive racist thread that exposes the DNA of white superiority. Since 1619, Black men and women have suffered the rising and ebbing of an American spirit that finds satisfaction in killing those who gave precious blood, sweat, and tears for the development and accumulation of wealth.

Black Lives are valuable, but in this country, Black and brown lives suffer under the influence of small hateful minds who embrace visceral hate for Black lives.

Our country is susceptible to the viruses of covid-19 and rabid racism, and both cause premature death in vulnerable people. What does it mean for citizens to live as an essential part of a society that consistently violates, hates, marginalizes, and murders them indiscriminately? Here we are protesting and declaring that “enough is enough” after centuries of systemic and structural relationships that offer fear, oppression, destruction, and death for Black folk. After 400 plus years of various forms of slavery, Black and brown people are experiencing degrees of devastating racism, hate, ignorance, and arrogance that the sovereign of the universe probably struggles to comprehend. In front of a church with a bible in hand, a divisive figure stood spouting empty words in search of the authority to demand order that would quiet the cries, moans, and disenchantment of a hurting populous. The protestors are requesting change not found in the sanctity of the second amendment, and the bold threat of military action is old school and not an incentive to get off the streets and behave orderly. Historic America is struggling to maintain a level of injustice that sanctions death by kneeling on the necks of Black and brown people. If America is to survive and prosper, we must minimize and eradicate those destructive foundational threads of hate that hide in the DNA of the nation and fosters the desires to kill the truth that Black Lives Matter. Collectively, are we willing to witness the destruction of America so that the lie of white superiority might live another day? By faith, the superior power of LOVE is exposing and breaking the racist threads that permeate and support the fabric of America’s soul. My soul cries out that Black Lives Matter because I am Rev. Dr. Jimmie Talas Wafer, a Black citizen of America , but it matters most that the sovereign of the universe knows and loves me as a Black Man of justice, hope, love, joy, and peace!

Rev. Dr. Jimmie Talas Wafer is Pastor of New Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church and Board member, Ecumenical Theological Seminary and IFLC.