3rd June 2020

Dear Concern Community families in the surrounding areas of Northamptonshire.
 
We write to express our acute concern, anguish, and subsequent solidarity with George Floyd’s family. We are aggrieved by the appalling conditions it highlights not only for the bereaved family but for black people in our local, national, and global contexts. This communication also serves to  register the disgust we share with decent, humane and  intelligent black and white citizens here in Northampton about all forms of injustice, inequality and denigration as  has been brought to a sharp focus in America via this inexcusable act of violence by the police.
 
Furthermore, we are propelled by our Christian values to be the mouthpiece for the voiceless. With righteous indignation we echo George Floyd’s dying words, ’I can’t breathe’ with a challenge to ourselves and everyone here in Northampton to respond in ways that will bring about the restorative justice. This is indeed a big ask given the long history of systemic racism. A manageable start is well expressed in Gandhi’s counsel, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
 
“Due to the “lockdown” restrictions we have chosen for the time being to decline from any gathering unless it is safe to do so. We actively pray against all attitudes and actions that serve to suffocate the lives of people of all faith, ethnicity, age group and social status etc. We actively pray for humane dispositions that will enable us as individuals and institutions  to develop and nurture a culture of respect for others, black people in particularly at this time, whose plight brings to a sharp focus the statement: ‘Black lives Matter’   
 

Yours sincerely

Bishop Donnovan Allen

D Allen

Bishop Donnovan Allen (Senior Pastor)
Senior Pastor