Yesterday I was floored by the callous disregard for justice  – no, I’m used to that. What I was floored by was its blatentness. To have the only charges be for the walls of the neighbors’ apartments, and none for the senseless and terrible death of Breonna Taylor.

At this time of year, especially, we cannot allow this to pass. We must take action.

Just in case anyone has forgotten, every Black person was also made in God’s image.
Whenever we allow them to be murdered in their beds, on the streets, in their cars… we have stood idly by as someone put out a spark of the Divine.
Ashamnu
Bagadnu
We have failed to guard those precious lives
Gazalnu
We have allowed their allotted time to be stolen from them
Dibarnu dofi
Our poisoned speech has spread calumnies about Black victims of violence, blaming them for their own murders
He’evinu
V’hirshanu
We have encouraged those with the power of death to murder by not holding them responsible – over and over and over again
Zadnu
We have tolerated malicious racism
Chamasnu
We have allowed violence against them
Tafalnu sheker
We have falsely claimed there was nothing we could do
Yaatznu ra
We have told them “if you obeyed, you wouldn’t be killed.”
Kizavnu. Latznu
We have stood silent at racist jokes and ignored when our colleagues passed on racist memes
Maradnu
We have showed our disdain for God who made them.
Niatznu
We have made it about us
Sararnu
We have turned away from their pleas for justice
Avinu
We have claimed that it all happened long before our time so we aren’t responsible
Pashanu
We have claimed that bad things happened to us too and we got over it
Tzararnu
We have been too intent on how change might inconvenience US
Kishinu Oref
We have turned our faces away
Rashanu
We have participated in these deaths
Shichatnu
We have been corrupted by our own success
Tiavnu
We have become inured to abomination
Ta’inu
When begged for equality, justice and restitution – begged for us to do teshuvah- we have wandered slowly down winding paths that lead nowhere instead
Titanu
We continue to watch as holy souls are put out before us