UPDATED 10:20 a.m. May 27*
A United Methodist Insight Column
Here's a thought for all United Methodists to ponder in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer: Why are we meeting next year in Minneapolis when we’ve already rejected meeting in another country because of police oppression?
That’s right. The church-wide Commission on the General Conference withdrew plans to meet in Manila partly because of the precarious political situation in the Philippines caused by police oppression of poor people, land reformers and human rights activists. (The commission gave "lack of facilities" as another reason for the removal)
If we’re reluctant to put our delegates in harm’s way in the Philippines where United Methodists stand up for human rights daily, why are we meeting next year in Minneapolis where police apparently use the same kind of tactics against black people that police and military use in the Philippines?
For that matter, given what we're learning about racism in America, why are we meeting in ANY U.S. city without the promise of fairness and justice for its citizens?
I posted these questions on Facebook recently. They sparked some approval, but not much discussion. No church official gave an explanation for why a rationale of avoiding harm isn’t applied uniformly to decisions about General Conference. One respondent, a deaconess who has been in mission in the Philippines, posted: “How dare we say no to meeting in the Philippines when our own human rights record is more tarnished by the day? We in the US ignore the logs in our own eyes and do nothing to help human rights defenders in the Philippines, who are red-tagged, arrested, and left in jail for years without a hearing in overcrowded conditions! We are showing ourselves to be US-centric, racist, and unloving.”
Fortunately, United Methodists haven’t been completely remiss in condemning Mr. Floyd’s killing. Resident Minneapolis Bishop Bruce Ough issued a stern denunciation of the act and a vigorous call to action:
“Now, it is our responsibility as persons of faith, and particularly as followers of Jesus in the Methodist tradition, to address this pervasive pandemic of racism. We are compelled to address this pandemic with the same intensity and intentionality with which we are addressing COVID-19.
“We begin by acknowledging that racism is sin and antithetical to the gospel. We confess and denounce our own complicity. We take a stand against any and all expressions of racism and white supremacy, beginning with the racial, cultural, and class disparities in our state and country that are highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic. We sound the clarion call for the eradication of racism. We challenge governmental leaders who fan the flames of racial division for political gain. We examine our own attitudes and actions; all change begins with transformed hearts continually yielding to the righteousness and love of God.”
The bishop’s commendable call to action lacks a key component, however. Why isn’t The United Methodist Church examining whether meeting next year in Minneapolis meets the criteria Bishop Ough gives for challenging racism?
From the perspective of those who responded to my Facebook posting, moving General Conference 2021 from Minneapolis, just as it was removed from the potential site of Manila, would be the strongest, most visible way to confront racism in the city where George Floyd was killed. However, we know realistically that leaving Minneapolis would be deemed “unfeasible” by the Commission on the General Conference, because contracts have been signed and several years of preparation have gone into staging the global conclave. The commission is so bound by its current contracts that it wouldn’t even move the dates of General Conference away from the critical start of the academic year to accommodate youth and young adult delegates. Consequently, some other strategies must be pursued.
Some ideas that come immediately to mind:
- Demand a written assurance from Minneapolis city officials that no persons of color or low-income people will be harassed or harmed by local police during the time of General Conference, Aug. 29 – Sept. 7.
- Include the 11 people killed by Minneapolis police since 2010 in the traditional General Conference memorial service.
- Stage a pilgrimage to the site where Mr. Floyd was killed, to pray and mourn his death.
- Hold at least one mandatory session for delegates on the sin of white supremacy and how to repent of it.
- Invite General Conference delegates, observers, and visitors to sign pledges to refrain from racist language and acts during the meeting. This should include promising to treat restaurant and convention center workers – many of them people of color in low-paying-but-essential jobs – with respect. And then, hold one another publicly accountable for our promised behaviors!
No doubt the General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Board of Church and Society can offer more and better suggestions.
No, we shouldn’t be meeting in Minneapolis next year in light of the Floyd killing. There’s not a city in America that could qualify to host the United Methodist General Conference if the event’s organizers, on behalf of all United Methodists, applied the same “do no harm” rule to U.S. venues that they applied to the Philippines.
Nonetheless, all we can do to stand up to racism we must do when we meet in Minneapolis. Otherwise, we’re as much hypocrites as those whom Jesus criticized in Jerusalem, “whitewashed tombs … filled with filth” (Matthew 23:27, paraphrased).
*An earlier version stated that Minneapolis police were "trained to use" excessive force in restraining suspects. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minnesota Police Officer Standards and Training Board said the tactics used against George Floyd are neither taught nor sanctioned by law enforcement authorities.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.