A Hurting World

by Susie Brooks, Founder and President

2020 will be remembered as the year when everything that could go wrong went wrong. What started out as a mild concern of a new virus quickly turned into a global pandemic that meant ways of expressing brotherly kindness and love to one’s neighbor through physical contact, may be a thing of the past. As an educator, placing a hand on a student’s shoulder or arm has always been a tool I use to assure the student that all is well. A simple facial expression communicates more than words; it assures the student that he or she is on the right track. My open-door policy allows students, especially the younger ones, to run to me for their daily hugs, sometimes multiple times a day. As we slowly recover from the threat and effects of COVID-19, new health guidelines are threatening to take all that away. But hopefully, the need for masks and social distancing is a temporary measure that will soon become unnecessary.

As if a global pandemic wasn’t bad enough, another enemy, far worse than a deadly virus, has entered the equation. The death of George Floyd, a black man, under the custody of Minneapolis Police officers led to an outrage that resulted in unprecedented conversations about race. Many are discovering for the first time that, underneath a fractured, racially-divided society, is a massive volcano, filled with decades of hurt, anger and frustration, that, as we witnessed recently, can lead to the worst civic eruption that has ever been witnessed in our country. But, could this be the beginning of healing for America? Could it be an opportunity to engage in healthy dialogue? Could any beauty come out of the smoldering ashes that destroyed thousands of commercial properties in Minneapolis and spread through other parts across our nation? America is in distress, and we must find a way to help heal our nation.

The outcry that happened in Minneapolis, before the riots, was to some extent, a release of pent up anger from decades of prejudice and bias against blacks. But there is hope! Through George Floyd’s death, the door has been opened for us to come together and begin to have honest conversations and to learn from one other. In the past, such dialogue has been difficult or non-existent in certain contexts. Recent Barna data (June 4-15, 2020) show that, in light of current events surrounding racial justice and reconciliation, just under two-thirds of Protestant pastors (62%) say their church has made a statement on the recent protests happening across the nation. In addition, a large portion of pastors (65%) feels well-equipped to lead in this moment (18% completely true, 47% mostly true), though one-third expresses doubt or admits they are not well-prepared to lead (24% somewhat true, 8% somewhat untrue, 3% mostly untrue). To read more about this research, visit: https://www.barna.com/research/racial-justice-and-reopening-churches/.

Veritas Academy equips students with tools that will enable them to lead with clarity and virtue, and together, we can build strong nations that celebrate truth, goodness, and beauty. Our world is hurting, but there is hope for healing because we are always willing to work together as a community.