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Race still

matters in

America. Reflections on Baltimore

The following articles are the personal reflections of three ordained Baptist pastors on incidents that occurred in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, in 2015. On April 12, Freddie Gray, a 25 year old African American

resident of Baltimore, sustained injuries following his arrest by the police. Gray, who had slipped into a coma, died on April 19, a week after being arrested. He had fallen into a coma as the result of injuries to his neck and spine sustained while being transported in a police vehicle. Gray’s death gained widespread national and

international attention. It led to demonstrations throughout the city, some of which turned violent. The six police

officers responsible for Gray’s arrest have been indicted for murder and a federal investigation has been ordered into the conduct and operations of the Baltimore Police Department. The Baltimore incident is one of the more recent in a series of events in the US involving the killing of unarmed African Americans by the police. It has led to the continuation of a vigorous debate on law enforcement’s relationship with African Americans and police use of force in the US.

Above: A large group assembled in a prayer circle near Security Square Mall in Baltimore (Photo courtesy of Karen Adams/NewsRadio 99.1)

theThree R By Walter Parrish III ecent events in Baltimore, Maryland,

in the United States, have given people around the world an opportunity to watch us as we once again wrestle with three R’s. This time it is not the reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic we learned in elementary school that brought Baltimore to the attention of worldwide media outlets. This time it was race, the realities of living in a challenging urban center and the response of various communities that brought Charm City into focus. As a product of this city and as one who now pastors in this city, I believe that what we learned from the events of the last week of April 2015 deserve ongoing conversation.

r’s revisited: Race Realities Response

Events connected with Freddie Gray’s death also occurred against a national backdrop of far too many recent deaths of black men either directly or indirectly caused by police officers, many of whom were white. At one rally I attended on April 30, Pastor Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple recited the recent deaths of black men in America and in so doing captured a reality of recent history for young black men that is both tragic and troubling. If one were to look through the eyes of a young African American person at the American landscape, one can understand the fear and frustration that ultimately lead people to believe that the only response available is to throw rocks, start fires, defy curfews and continue to remind us that “Black lives matter.”

JULY/SEPTEMBER 2015

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