In the wake of the violent death of Tyre Nichols – a young man who died as a result of injuries sustained due to a traffic stop by five police officers – I’ve been asking how to think and pray and respond. The feelings are easy: horror, despair, anger. But the response is harder.
The fact that I have so many questions about my own response has led me back to neither speaking up nor silence but rather to a posture of active listening.
I don’t want to passively let the news pass me by. I don’t want to avoid the larger systemic questions. I don’t want to ignore the deep pain experienced by women and men across this nation who cry out in response to yet another act of unnecessary and fatal violence. But I also do not want to pretend to have the answers or to know exactly what to say or do.
Rather, I want to take the time to listen, to turn my heart toward the voices of people who can teach me and lead me and guide me. (I’m including a list below of many of those people who you can follow if you’d like to join me in actively listening.)
The purpose of active listening, again, is not passivity or silence. Rather, active listening moves us towards lament and ultimately enables us to take an active response of love.
Listen. Learn. Lament. Love.
Here is a list of many of those people whom you can follow on Instagram:
@bethebridge
@blackcoffeewithwhitefriends
@blackliturgies
@jemartisby
@lisasharper
@raychang502
@thekingcenter
@sandravanopstal
More with Amy Julia:
- Free Resource: Head, Heart, Hands (an action guide for participating in the work of love to heal social divisions)
- Free Resource: Movements of Healing: Honesty. Humility. Hope.
- People to Follow Across the Political Divides
If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to receive regular updates and news. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Goodreads, and you can subscribe to my Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
