Racial tensions in the United States have been raised even further after the recent shooting of 29-year old Jacob Blake, a black man, by police officers in Wisconsin. This event, like countless others, has amplified the voices of Black Americans and others as they cry out seeking justice for the acts of violence perpetrated against their community.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America hears their voices and calls upon our churches and members to serve as conduits of peace and hope to our Black brothers and sisters. We recognize their pain and the injustice they face, and strive to serve as their voices when they are silenced by those seeking to quiet them. Let us call for changes in the way the Black community is treated by those put in positions of trust and protection.

When acts of racism and violence hurt the Black community, all of us are impacted. As God’s children we can and must do better in the way we equitably treat each other. Jesus Christ proclaimed, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matt. 12:25, NKJV).

This article was originally published on the North American Division’s news site