Faith leaders eulogize FLOYD, TAYLOR, ARBERY

‘Prophetically address, boldly speak’ about thwarting racism

Religious leaders Sunday delivered a powerful interfaith memorial in Jamaica Plain for black victims of violence, issuing rebukes of racism in the United States and a eulogy promising hope amid civil unrest.

Hearses donning the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, slain this year in acts of alleged police brutality and racially-motivated

violence, led a procession of over two dozen cars on a gloomy afternoon from the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church through Boston.

Dr. Brandon Crowley of the Historic Myrtle Baptist Church spoke of the two pandemics in America: COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected black communities, and “the great American sin of racism.”

“I believe that this uprising of protesting and black solidarity has created a capacious moment,” Crowley said, “a decisive moment for the beloved community to prophetically address and boldly speak to the concerns of the melanated condition, the black condition, and the human condition.”

Floyd’s death last month at the hands of police sparked protests, including ongoing demonstrations in Boston that sparked looting and fires last Sunday.

Simone Marie Dear with her 5-year-old daughter, Nina, standing outside of the church closed to the public amid virus concerns, said she wanted her daughter to use her voice for positivity.

“She has to change the world,” Dear said. “And we have to use our voice to change the world, regardless of what color that we are.”

The Rev. Mariama WhiteHammond of the New Roots AME Church in Dorchester drew a parallel between the Boston Marathon and a marathon for social justice.

“(Arbery’s) offering us some training tips, so we could get further than the 2.23 miles they allowed him before taking his breath away,” White-Hammond said of the jogger killed by two white men now facing murder charges. “… George is being our encourager, telling you that you can’t back down but that you have to keep pushing toward justice. And when you get a little tired you feel out of breath, you can reach out to the witnesses’ EMT court and Breonna will show up with a little spiritual oxygen to allow you to get back into the race.”

NAncy LAnE pHOTOS / HERALd STAFF MOURNING: Congregates from Boston area clergy pray alongside hearses with the names of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor before a funeral procession leaves Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Sunday.

‘USE OUR VOICE’: Nina Simone Dear, 5, stands with her mother, Simone, before a funeral procession to memorialize the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor on Sunday.

CALLING FOR CHANGE: Matt Laurence alongside his daughter Sophie holds signs and the likeness of George Floyd during a funeral procession for Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.