Today at 11 a.m., a private funeral for George Floyd will take place in Houston, Texas. By the time the funeral occurs, everyone reading this letter will have had 15 days of breath and life that were denied George Floyd. That is more than two weeks for everyone to consider what he or she can do to represent the “better angels of our nature.” Two weeks to think about how he or she can move our country toward our Constitution’s call to form “a more perfect union” and Dr. King’s call not to judge people “by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
I encourage members of this community to take time today starting at 11 a.m. (noon Warsaw time) to quiet themselves and reflect or sit in silence or stand in peaceful contemplation or pray. I ask you to consider taking time tomorrow to pay respect to a person – a fellow citizen – a fellow human being – whose life was taken from him, from his loved ones, from his community and from our society before our eyes. Please think about what you can do to advance decency in our democracy and equity in our society. Then move in that direction. There are many reasons to do so. Here are two: George Floyd mattered. He still does.
