Photo by: Isaiah Rustad
By Scott Hagan, Ph.D., President, North Central University
Our re-telling of these moments is like all the stories we tell of our lives and experiences: partial, situated, and incomplete. (Stacy Holman-Jones)
I’m 57 years old. Not quite old enough to remember in detail the social and political turmoil of the 1960s. I would come to learn that partisan and racialized executions destroyed our domestic psyche along with our illusions of civility. Alongside the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were the underbelly of the Vietnam War and the collapse of institutional trust. As the long and painful decade the 60s neared completion, Charles Manson unleashed his satanic horrors and further terrorized a traumatized nation. By late 1969 the American collective appeared destroyed. Whenever I watch documentaries of this era on the History Channel, I sincerely wonder how America ever survived.
By 8 a.m. this past Tuesday morning, I was once again wondering about America’s chance for survival. I watched as Minneapolis “PEACE” officers in broad daylight, on a busy street, killed a man named George Floyd without seeming to flinch.
Like many of you, I have seen past videos of law enforcement pulling the trigger and killing someone of color in a panicked surge of adrenaline, and leaving America in a state of debate and division about both action and motive.
For me, the death of George Floyd was different.
Seeing the prolonged use of physical force (in this case, a knee) elicits a different visceral reaction than seeing someone die from a split-second decision to pull a trigger. All death is tragic. But George Floyd died at the hands of those sworn to protect, and instead of mercy, context, and protection, the actions of the police involved at the scene revealed a deeper darkness, one that many white people like myself have wanted to believe no longer existed in America—especially in the church.
Collective awareness and change come slowly at a university. Because our campus family, both current and future, coexists in an ecosphere (Minneapolis) that is socially unbalanced and biased, I have to constantly examine our social and organizational barriers and see if I am actually contributing to racial disparity. As NCU attempts to flourish in diversity, it is crucial we stay humble and attentive. Beginning with the president.
When I first witnessed the video, I thought out loud, “Who is responsible for teaching these ‘techniques’ to police officers?” Long-term justice must include the transformation of policing methods. Without that change, the system allows guilty individuals to get off on technicalities while the chronic abuse of protocols continues. As citizens of Earth and of Heaven, we must make our voices known. We must call for change that allows for regular reprimand, removal, and even conviction of law enforcement personnel when warranted, and that provides protection and respect for those who are doing their job dutifully, professionally, and without bias.
The large-scale response of peaceful protests in the city was to be anticipated and is a right and just option that frequently leads to positive change. The haphazard destruction that has followed in the wake of Mr. Floyd’s death is painful to see and adds new layers of complexity in trying to resolve an already horrific situation.
I confess that what has happened in our city has left me with spiritual heaviness and I find myself wrestling with hopelessness. The racial cycle and embedded social structures right now can seem more entrenched and powerful than my prayers. But thanks be to God, I know that is not true! There is a major disconnect between heaven and our culture, and in many ways even the church; yet the Bible—and history—are full of examples of the people of God convening to effect great change.
The vocal outcry from church leaders has been swift. That is something substantive we can take away from this week. The church has been asking God for a spiritual awakening, but is quickly realizing that a reckoning—and repentance—must precede an awakening.
As a Christian university situated in the heart of our city, we are determined to be good citizens and even better neighbors. I am driven by grace and justice, not retribution. I believe North Central University is poised as a healing agent in downtown Minneapolis.
But healing must also start within our walls. My heart’s cry is that each and every student who walks our halls or interacts with us online, and every staff and faculty member, will know they are precious and esteemed. If there is a hint of racism in our midst, I want to know about it. We will come together in a spirit of love, honor, education, and reconciliation to address it and remove it. I want North Central University to be an anchor and an incubator of racial harmony that will spill out into our city and nation and world.
Yes, I am battling heaviness and hopelessness, but I also sense God showing up in my heart. I feel what Isaiah felt when he penned the central theme of Jesus’ life:
“The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace—a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit” (Isaiah 61:1-3 MSG).
It’s time for all of us to abandon passivity. I must seek personal transformation and the transformation of our times. We must remember George Floyd and pray that God, by His Holy Spirit, would guide us through this era of history and use it as a springboard to lasting change and peace.
And perhaps 57 years from now, should the Lord tarry, people will see documentaries about this era and marvel at America’s transformation.
