By Jenny Jackson
Midlands USA Mission Center
Kansas City, Kansas, USA
Today we remember the BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) community as we acknowledge pain and suffering around the world.
As we strive for understanding when faced with perspectives outside our own, we pray for open minds, empathetic hearts, and courageous actions.
When we feel the impact of the marginalized communities standing up, may we stand with them, and not against them.
May we remember the teachings of your Son, Jesus Christ, as he calls us to care for one another as members of the human race, equally valued and connected through your everlasting love.
As we witness time and time again the silencing of BIPOC voices longing to be heard, may we find the courage to speak on their behalf with truth and compassionate wisdom.
We reflect on our dark history, acknowledging the foundation of systematic oppression that has shaped our society.
May we remember the teachings of your Son, Jesus Christ, as he calls us to care for one another as members of the human race, equally valued and connected through your everlasting love.
May we, as your beloved children, educate ourselves on that truth, respond by tearing down that foundation, and rebuilding our families and communities on equality, appreciation, and respect for diversity.
Remind us to bear one another’s burdens, share suffering, and love as the Savior has shown.
We recognize that we are all in this together. May the beauty of culture, colors, and all of creation no longer be responded to with fear or hatred. May we be beacons of love wherever we go, for all of humankind.
May we be a constant reminder to the rest of society that this is Christ’s true calling for Christianity: to love and defend the marginalized with unwavering passion and care.
We ask all this with the desire to be better and to do better with hearts ready to serve your kingdom on Earth, as we create Zion for all.
We pray for all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
This prayer originally appeared in a Prayer for Peace and was re-posted to reflect this month’s theme of Black history and minority justice.
About Black History Month
In the USA the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and US Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.
—Blackhistorymonth.gov