Dear Friends,
I'm flying from my home in northern California to Baltimore now to join FOR staff on the ground working with Baltimore United for Change and other local leaders.
Sadly, I'm not surprised that we are again grieving the death of another black man resulting from the apparent excessive use of force and disregard for the sanctity of life by members of the police force.
Police brutality and the militarization of our communities must end.
FOR has been supporting local work in the Black Lives Matter movement through our partnerships in Hartford, New York, Boston, and St. Louis. In Baltimore, we are partnering with Baltimore United for Change, a coalition of organizations and activists with a long track record of working for social change, to seek justice for the death of Freddie Gray and for overall police accountability. Together we have provided two nonviolent civil disobedience (NVCD) trainings, one last Sunday and another last night, in preparation for upcoming actions.
Tonight, we will gather for a mass meeting featuring Dr. Cornel West who will reflect on "these times" and our moral courage and responsibility to love and to serve.
Baltimore's rising up against the systemic injustice under which its citizens suffer is but another example of the new civil rights movement that is burgeoning in this country.
Will you help FOR to assist and sustain leadership in this movement?
With your support, FOR can continue to provide trainings in the history, practices, and philosophies of nonviolence.
Your gift will aid in the further development of movement infrastructure in Baltimore and beyond.
FOR has been working for racial justice since the first Freedom Rides in 1947 and we will continue to work until all are free.
Heartfelt thanks to you for joining us in this struggle for justice and freedom.
In peace and gratitude,
 Rev. Kristin Stoneking
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Photos: Baltimore police courtesy of Wikimedia Creative Commons; Cornel West flyer courtesy of Baltimore United for Change; 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, FOR archives. |
