President Trump, I wish you had done this instead

I think President Trump could have done better in helping faith and the religious traditions of the United States bring people together than what he did on Monday in holding a Bible that looked like it was borrowed from the local Motel Six in front of the St. John’s Episcopal Church.    

I wish he had asked me what he could do to bring healing to our country. If he had asked me what to do, this is what I would have said.

Mr. President, thank you for asking me about what you could do to help faith and the religious traditions of our country bring people together during this current crisis. I have respect for the burden that you and all political leaders are facing right now.  I can’t imagine the pressure of being a political leader during a global pandemic and racial tensions. 

The divisions that exist right now are not going to go away quickly, but you have the opportunity right now to help the country take steps towards healing.  I think you should create a religious service of different religious traditions that will focus on unity and healing and justice. 

This is what I suggest.

Have the service at the Washington National Cathedral. Get permission from the Cathedral before doing it. I know the Episcopals are mad at you right now, but if someone from your office shares the intention of this service, they most likely will allow the National Cathedral to host this service.

Start the service with a Jew blowing through a shofar.

Ask an African American choir to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Because of the pandemic and the need for social distancing the choir would sing this song over Zoom. It would be recorded and shared on big screens.

Have a rabbi read Micah 6:6-8.

Have a Protestant clergy to read Luke 10:25-37.

Have a choir to sing the song, “America” 

The song would be sung over Zoom. It would be recorded and shared.

Have a Muslim leader read selections about peace from the Quran.

Have someone from George Floyd’s family to speak about George Floyd’s life.

Have Senator Biden speak for ten minutes.  Tell him to say the following points:

·       Thank you, President Trump for inviting me to speak tonight

·       What an opportunity you have helped create for unity

·       You and I disagree about a lot and will share our different visions for this country in the coming election.

·       Tonight, we’re not here to disagree.  We’re here to take steps towards unity. I appreciate your desire to share a service that can help our country take steps in racial healing.

·       What happened to George Floyd is wrong. He should have never died. Just as many other African-Americans should have not died.  Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Philando Castille, Freddie Gray are names of some African-American men who have been killed by a police officer.

·       Our country is suffering from a significant divide. This divide has gone on ever since the slave trade started 401 years ago in this land.  As Jim Wallis has said, “slavery is America’s original sin.” That sin still affects us even though the Emancipation Proclamation was put into law in 1863.

·       I am committed to the dream of the beloved community that Dr. King articulated.

·       Racism is both personal and institutional. I commit everything in my power to be an example of anti-racism—both personal and institutional. 

·       America is better than what we’ve seen recently.  

Then you will speak for ten minutes.  You will say the following:

Thank you, Senator Biden for speaking tonight.

·       What an opportunity you have helped create for unity

·       You and I disagree about a lot and will share our different visions for this country in the coming election.

·       Tonight, we’re not here to disagree.  We’re here to take steps towards unity. I appreciate your desire to share a service that can help our country take steps in racial healing.

·       What happened to George Floyd is wrong. He should have never died. Just as many other African-Americans should have not died.  Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Philando Castille, Freddie Gray are names of some African-American men who have been killed by police officers.

·       Our country is suffering from a significant divide. This divide has gone on ever since the slave trade started 401 years ago in this land.  As Jim Wallis has said, “slavery is America’s original sin.” That sin still affects us even though the Emancipation Proclamation was put into law in 1863.

·       I am committed to the dream of the beloved community that Dr. King articulated.

·       Racism is both personal and institutional. I commit everything in my power to be an example of anti-racism—both personal and institutional. 

·       America is better than what we’ve seen recently.  

You can see that it is the same speech, Mr. President.

Then you and Senator Biden will lead everyone present and everyone watching the service on television and over the Internet to make the following pledge which was taken from the Evanston YWCA

I pledge to:

·       Notice all forms of bias, prejudice and discrimination in which I

participate.

·       Identify and eliminate any use of expressions of racism or racial

stereotypes.

I further pledge to:

·       Use my voice or my pen or my social media, rather than be silent,

when I hear racist words or see racist actions.

·       Actively work to support public policy solutions that clearly

promote racial equity.

·       I take this pledge, fully aware that the struggle to eliminate racism will not

end by me reciting this pledge. It requires an ongoing transformation within

me, as well as in the institutions and structures of our society.

Then have an African-American clergy person would say a religious prayer and give a benediction.

Mr. President— Why not have someone organize this service in the next week?

This service would would be remembered for decades to come.  And most importantly this service would help the people in the United States take steps towards healing. And people would forget the clumsiness of what you did this past Monday.