It’s about lunch time in down town Grand Rapids. Beneath the Rosa Parks monument, about 20 people, all white, quietly hold up signs that read Black Lives Matter. The person behind the demonstration is Reverend Colleen Squires from All Souls Church.
“I think the role for us is to educate within our own circles and to advocate and be willing to not be silent within our white circles as well as when we are in the greater population.”
Squires says that given the political climate in the country, this conversation is an important one for her white congregants to engage in.
“People need to be reminded that black lives matter just as much, and it’s just important that people show support, so that’s why I’m here.”
That’s Amanda Hays a member at All Souls, she identifies as European American and says it’s not that white lives don’t matter, but that there is already a larger focus on white lives.
“Because I don’t think it’s good for anyone when we tend to value people of one ethnicity over people of another ethnicity.”
The first Wednesday of every month, Rev. Squires hits the streets with her team and her signs. But that team now includes congregants from Fountain Street Church, Plymouth United, and Westminster Presbyterian. Squires says they’ve joined in as white allies, not as spokespeople for Black Lives Matter.
