21 Apr After Chauvin Verdict, SCLC calls for Healing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2021
Press Contacts:
Jerry Thomas:jerrry@jerrythomaspr.com, (312) 414-4016
America Is Seeing Accountability, Not Justice, in the Verdicts Surrounding the tragic death of George Floyd, SCLC Leader Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., Says
Justice, he said, Will Not Be Served Until All Americans are Treated Equally and the Healing Begins from the Transatlantic Slave Trade
ATLANTA – The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) issued the following statement today calling on Americans to begin the healing process to end racism and secure equality and justice for all following the legal victory surrounding the death of George Floyd, the Black Minneapolis resident who died shortly after a white officer planted his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in May 2020.
“Justice has not been served in the verdicts handed to the former Minneapolis police officer who brutally took the life of George Floyd. It is just accountability. Justice will not be served until everyone in America is treated equality.
The verdict does not mean society is shifting. Society has been served notice by this case which has become a catalyst for change. The case showed what can happen when we are included in the process for justice, and the tragedy brought people of all races and religions together. But the American society has not shifted on race, and it will not shift until we make the adjustments in society where everyone is treated equally. We must realize that racism is a threat to public health.
Racism is a virus. it is contagious. It is transferable. It is transmittal. It has been proven by the CDC and the scientists that racism, if not healed, is passed on from one generation to another. We – white and Black Americans – must be healed from the inhumane and horrid experiences from the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We must be healed because we were forced into slavery from Africa to America. We have never sat at the table to discuss the healing mechanism needed to bring us into one society. It will never happen until this country recognizes we must be healed from the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Before justice can be achieved and before any concrete adjustments will be made in the American society, we must begin the healing process. If we do not start with healing, we cannot move on to steps one, two, three and four. Until then, nothing else matters. It is transferred from the DNA, one generation to another. If we are not healed, it is still in the DNA.”
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ABOUT THE SCLC: Established in 1957, the SCLC, whose first president was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is an international organization made up of chapters and affiliates with programs that affect the lives of all Americans: north, south, east, and west. Its sphere of influence and interests have become international in scope because the human rights movement transcends national boundaries. For additional information about the SCLC, visit www.nationalsclc.org.To arrange an interview with Dr. Steele, contact Jerry Thomas at jerry@jerrythomaspr.com, or (312) 414-4016.
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