Dear Concordia Students, Faculty, Staff, and Graduates,
We write to you in the wake of the cruel death of George Floyd in Minneapolis this week. With each of you and with citizens around this nation and the world, we stand appalled at this injustice, and with you we call out for an America in which being black does not put one’s life at risk.
We extend our deep sympathy to Mr. Floyd’s family, and to all who have been harmed by his brutal death. We lift up in prayer all in the Minneapolis-St. Paul community, affirming their cry for honoring human dignity and for achieving justice under the law. We stand with our students and alumni/ae in the Cities, recognizing the anger, fear, and sorrow they now experience, and not for the first time.
Concordia is a college of the church. Rooted in the Lutheran tradition and open to the faith experience of all, we know the love of God for every soul, and we know the call of our mission to turn our lives outward for the sake of our neighbor, nearby and far away. In the spirit of that faith and mission, we invite all to join us in a vigil to hold before God and one another the life of Mr. Floyd and the lives of others so senselessly lost, and to seek the wisdom and courage to build a life free from bigotry and violence, a life of mutual respect and care and love.
Join us on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. on Concordia Campus Ministry’s Facebook page. Please bring a candle for a time of prayer.
William Craft, President
Edward Antonio, Chief Diversity Officer
Dave and Kim Adams, Campus Pastors
Jon Leiseth, Minister for Faith and Spirituality in Action
Sophia Newcomb, SGA President