First and foremost, we send prayers of love, comfort, and healing to the family of Keith Lamont Scott and all other families in North Carolina and beyond who have lost loved ones as a result of state-sanctioned violence.

As a coalition of LGBTQ affirming people of faith, we are committed to equality and justice for all people. As social justice organizations dedicated to mobilizing people of faith to fight for liberation of all North Carolinians, we cannot be silent. As people of faith, we have a moral obligation to stand on the side of love and continuously fight for justice.

This is a significant moment for all those who care about liberation. None of us are free until all of us are free. We stand in solidarity with black and brown people in Charlotte. We stand in solidarity with all those who continue to live with the realities of state-sanctioned violence, excessive police enforcement, and police brutality every day.

It is past the time to have open and honest conversations about race in this country. Now is the time to truthfully confront racial injustice and inequity and understand the ways that our nation’s criminal justice system does harm to the most marginalized of our communities. Now is the time for transparency between the police and the communities they serve. In such a time as this, it is time for accountability and a willingness among all people to be responsible for one another in a new way.

For this reason, we have postponed our October 7th faith organizer training as an act of solidarity with those who continue to stand against injustice in Charlotte and across North Carolina.

In the coming weeks, we will put our faith forward and turn our affirmation into action by using our faith and our voices to continue to combat injustice everywhere. We will mobilize faith communities to show up, be a voice, and participate in community initiatives that will bring about radical change in North Carolina. Join us.