A Beloved Response to the Racially Motivated Jacksonville, FL Shooting

We here at the Beloved Community Center are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the horrific shooting that took place in Jacksonville, Florida last month. Our prayers and condolences go out to their grieving families, and to the entire city and community as they continue seeking answers and healing in the aftermath of this unspeakable display of racism, violence, cruelty, and hate.

This pattern of hate, devaluing of other human beings, and racial killings is likely to intensify unless its root causes are meaningfully addressed. 

Now, more than ever, America must embark on a process of truth, justice, and reconciliation — one that calls us all to acknowledge the factors that contribute to these acts of terror, bridges the divides that separate us, and fosters a culture of compassion, respect, and inclusivity. Such a process requires us to forge movements that challenge and encourage us all to listen deeply, speak respectfully, and believe in the power of humans, in all of our diversity,

In this time of immense pain, let us stand together as a beloved community, supporting one another and offering solace to those affected. Let us also honor the precious lives lost in Jacksonville and their surviving loved ones by committing ourselves to a future where senseless tragedies like this become a distant memory.

The Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, NC (BCC) initiated the nation’s first citizen-led Truth and Reconciliation Commission Process in response to the tragic daylight murders of five labor and community organizers, the wounding of 10 others, and the terrorizing of a predominantly Black public housing project by Klan and Nazis on November 3, 1979.  The City of Greensboro eventually officially apologized in October 2020 for the roles of public officials and now offers annual scholarships in the names of the five slain organizers to high school students at the City’s remaining predominantly Black High School. The BCC is currently immersed in a statewide Truth, Justice, Healing, and Reconciliation Commission initiative.