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Official Statement on the Buffalo Shooting, Replacement Theory, and White Supremacy
With broken hearts we mourn the senseless loss of 10 beloved children of God who were killed in a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 14. Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Katherine Massey, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter, Pearl Young, Ruth Whitfield, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, and Geraldine Talley were civil rights activists, community volunteers, parents, siblings, and friends. They were victims of a direct attack on a Black community â an attack that is emblematic of a rising wave of violence driven by white supremacists in the U.S. The alleged shooter sought to do more than kill. It was his intent to use this act of terrorism to promote the…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government Condemning White Supremacy
The women of Mormon Women for Ethical Government join together today in a clear and loud expression of faith. White supremacy in all its manifestations is contrary to the will of God. His highest commandments are unequivocal: We are to first love the Lord our God and second love our neighbor as ourselves. This simple and brief direction, when accepted by those with integrity, does not allow for racism, oppression, hatred, violence, or any intimations of racial superiority. Supremacy and equality cannot coexist, either in the sight of God or the law. We have grave concerns that the presidentâs failure to condemn white supremacy â and his legitimization of white…
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MWEG Deep Dive Recap: Michaelâs Story â Understanding Systemic Racism
In the wake of the terrible, tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, we have a new urgency to understand why and how such a thing could happen. We know itâs happened before many times to both Black adults and Black children, but this time is different. This time we were witnesses to the callous cruelty of an officer of the law as he knelt on Georgeâs neck until he was dead. We are beginning our journey to understand how our system of law, justice, child custody, schools, building codes, housing, healthcare, and social services interact to put young children and adults of…
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MWEG Town Hall Recap: “If All Lives Matter, then Black Lives Matter”
Last week MWEG was honored to host Dr. LaShawn Williams, clinical social worker and assistant professor at Utah Valley University; Charlotte Mountain, MWEGâs anti-racism committee lead; and Denise Grayson, MWEGâs senior director of the proactive root at our inaugural Town Hall event. The meeting was titled âIf All Lives Matter, then Black Lives Matter: Turning Frustration into Productive Interpersonal Action,â and each attendee came away more equipped to engage thoughtfully and courageously with others on race and racism in America. Weâd like to share a few quotes from the night, plus some questions attendees asked during the event and the link to watch the full recording in the MWEG Portal.…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government on Confronting Systemic Racism
The women of Mormon Women for Ethical Government join our voices with those calling for justice and accountability following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement officers and self-deputized citizens. The wave of widespread human despair triggered by the callous killing of George Floyd has been overwhelming. That both the brutality of his killing and the depth of public response were inconceivable to so many should stand as a profound indictment of white American indifference to the suffering of people of color. The inhumanity displayed by four officers of the law brought into focus the myriad ways…
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Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government on El Paso Massacre and White Supremacy
August 5, 2019 We spent the Sabbath mourning and praying for the families of the innocent who were gunned down Saturday in pre-meditated massacres in El Paso and Dayton, as well as for precious children of God killed in Gilroy last week. Familiar with the image of a Maker who weeps with us, we feel deep sorrow in our knowledge that the shooters are âwithout affection, and… hate their own bloodâ (Moses 7:29 and 33). We refuse to become numb or to believe that mass shootings are a way of life in America and will never accept this horror as inevitable or unstoppable. We actively pray that the hearts of…
