Faith leaders pledge to advance social justice in Fresno by re-imagining their lives

We are Fresno faith leaders from different faith traditions with different religious perspectives. But we are unified in a shared belief that Fresno has been propelled into a new chapter of the Civil Rights Movement.

We share a belief that none of us can remain unchanged in this moment of uprising and lamentation, as long ignored and systemically perpetuated racial inequity and police brutality against Black and Latinx people are lifted up with new intensity and resoluteness. We ask ourselves: “Who is this moment calling us to become as religious leaders? How must we re-imagine our role to advance racial justice?” We each answer this query differently, but as we wrestle with the challenge of these times, we invite you to do the same: “Who is this moment calling you to become? How must you re-imagine yourself to advance racial justice?”

Rev. Deacon Nancy Key

As a deacon of St. James Episcopal Cathedral, I am called to interpret to the church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. To fulfill my vow, I aspire to speak the prophetic truth courageously and clearly. Racism was woven into the fabric of this country’s culture at inception —but the urgency of this failure is transformational for me as a minister, and I hope all people of faith.

The murder of George Floyd, though committed in Minneapolis, translates locally to the shootings of unarmed Black and Latino males killed in Fresno at rates well beyond rates for whites. In no time has the prophetic voice of the faith community been more needed. I pray that we may use this terrible moment to change not only hearts and minds, but institutions, policies, and laws. We must call on our faith communities to listen and to keep listening to the voices of prophets and to those subjected to the violence of racial injustice. Called to action, our communal role is to journey with others — in demonstrations, in testimonies, in hearings. Our role is to proclaim — to speak truth to churches, institutions, and legislators. Our role is to sustain this moment, to remember all the past moments of injustice, so they may be repented, corrected, and never repeated.

Sukaina Hussain

As outreach director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, I am called to be intentionally anti-racist. Claiming to be “not racist” is not an option. Deciding to be neutral observers, who lack responsibility because we do not overtly act racist, allows systems of racism to continue. Silence is complacency.

As a non-Black person of color, my own Muslim community may also be complicit in systems perpetuated by white supremacy. The leadership of Black communities has paved the way for liberties for all communities.

My family was able to immigrate due to policies such as the Immigration and Nationality Act, which succeeded the Civil Rights Act. My community cannot separate itself from the struggle of Black communities. We need to understand that our liberty is intertwined and that when Black lives matter, we will all win.

As a Muslim, I am called to live into my faith, guided by the prophetic tradition that requires me to use my body, voice, and heart to stand for justice — dismantling systems that uphold the evil of white supremacy.

Rev. Tim Kutzmark

As the white minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno, I, am called to understand that my comfort cannot be my priority.

If I instinctually recoil when I hear the phrase “defund the police,” I need to sit with that discomfort and listen to the centuries of pain and rage that are causing Fresnans to demand a redefinition of public safety and a redistribution of resources so that a uniformed, armed police officer is not our only definition of “protection.”

Just as I learned that “Black Lives Matter” doesn’t mean that my white life now mattered less and that “white supremacy culture” didn’t mean I was a member of the KKK, I need to understand the meaning of phrases of liberation before I negate them. A white minister, I must also curb my impulse to lead and accept that these times require me to follow the leadership from Black and brown communities of Fresno, such as the activists from Fresno State’s chapter of the NAACP, as they demand more than superficial change from the Fresno Commission for Police Reform. If I disagree with some of their proposals, I must realize that my disagreement doesn’t mean I’m right. It probably means that I need to listen, learn, and change.

Join us as we re-imagine ourselves, the role of faith communities, and all structures of authority, and work collectively to advance racial justice in Fresno.

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 11:25 AM.