Harlem Clergy Write to Mayor of Minneapolis; Other Diocesan Clergy and Lay Write in Support

Jun 4, 2020

Harlem Clergy Write to Mayor of Minneapolis Regarding the Murder of George Floyd

Other Diocesan Clergy and Laity Write in Support of the Harlem Message

Harlem Clergy Letter

“As the broken bread was scattered over the hills,
and gathered together and became one,
so may Your Church, be gathered together from the ends of the earth
into Your kingdom.”

Pentecost 2020

Open Letter to Mayor Jacob Frey regarding the Killing of George Floyd:

We, clergy and lay leaders of Episcopal Churches in Harlem (New York City), stand again in prayer to mourn and to express our rage as we absorb the news of yet another Black person murdered at the hands of police in the United States. Our grief is compounded by the disproportionate number of deaths of Black persons from the COVID 19 virus. The callous disregard for Black lives in the US is exposed again and again in the continuing inequities in health care, economic opportunity, and law enforcement for people of color.

The horrifying video of the killing of George Floyd cries out for the immediate need for a thorough, fair and transparent investigation into his death. The officers involved, not only the
perpetrator, but also those who stood by and did nothing, must be held accountable. The systematic targeting of and use of unnecessary force against Black and brown people has origins in the legacy of the Transatlantic Slave trade and Jim Crow in the US. We must dismantle this deadly and unjust connection that continues to manifest itself in law enforcement institutions and those who purport to emulate them (eg Greg and Travis McMichael and William Bryan who killed Ahmaud Arbery).

We call on Minneapolis authorities and law enforcement to act decisively now, and we will continue to call for accountable policing, government and social policies that prioritize equity and justice in every city and community. We need to continue to find new ways to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion in the core practices of all of our institutions including the Church. And, in our own families and communities, we need to discern and confront racism and other learned prejudices in our everyday lives, seeking to understand and dismantle ways that we have either benefited from or perpetuated discrimination and injustice.

The Rev. Dr. Mary Foulke, Dean of the Harlem Clericus; Rector, St. Mary’s Church, Harlem
Ms. Diane B. Pollard (Chairperson) and Members of the Manhattan North Interparish Council

And Clericus members:
The Rev. Luis Barrios, Ph.D., STM, Priest, Holyrood Church/Iglesia Santa Cruz
The Rev. Dr. Gene Bourquin, Deacon, COMS, Pastoral Missioner to the Deaf, Diocese of NY
The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of NY
The Rev. Dn. Kenton Curtis, LCSW, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel, III, DD, Dean, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Sr. Faith Margaret, Community of the Holy Spirit
The Rev. Curt Hart, Supply Clergy, Church of the Crucifixion, Harlem; Editor-in-Chief, Journal of
Religion and Health; Lecturer, Weill Cornell Medicine
The Rev. Matthew Heyd, Rector, Church of the Heavenly Rest, Manhattan
The Rev. Allan Jackson, Priest, St. Andrews Church, Harlem
The Rev. Edward Johnston, Retired, Assisting Clergy, St. Andrews Church, Harlem
The Rev. Ryan Kuratko, Ph.D., Episcopal Campus and Young Adult Chaplain for Harlem, Uptown
& the Bronx
The Rev. Cn. Steven Lee, Vicar, the Congregation of St. Savior, Cathedral Church of St. John the
Divine
The Reverend Cn. Terence Alexander Lee, Rector, St. Philip’s Church, Harlem
The Rev. Can. Patrick Malloy, Ph.D., Sub Dean and Canon for Liturgy & the Arts, Cathedral
Church of St. John the Divine
The Rev. Frank Morales, Priest-in-Charge, All Souls Church, Harlem
The Rev. Tom Newcomb, Priest, St. Martin’s & St. Luke’s, Harlem
The Rev. Rhonda Rubinson, Priest-in-Charge, Church of the Intercession, Harlem
The Rev. Dn. Jacqueline Sanchez-Shabazz, St. Mary’s Church, Harlem
The Rev. Maria Isabel Santiviago, Priest, Holyrood Church/Iglesia Santa Cruz
The Rev. Cindy Stravers, Associate Rector, Church of the Heavenly Rest, Manhattan
The Rev. Anne Marie Witchger, Assistant Rector & Chief of Staff, Church of the Heavenly Rest,
Manhattan

Letter in Support of the Harlem Clergy’s Letter

Pentecost, 2020

To Mayor Jacob Frey regarding the Killing of George Floyd

We the undersigned clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese of New York wish to add our voices of support to the statement developed by our colleagues in the Episcopal churches in Harlem (attached) calling for immediate decisive action in response to the murder of George Floyd by police on the streets of Minneapolis. There must be a full, fair and transparent investigation, and those responsible must be held accountable- not only the perpetrator but also the three who stood by and did nothing to stop this crime.

We stand in prayer, outrage and grief at the callous taking, yet again, of Black life by those sworn to protect all our people. And we join in commitment to advocate for policing, government and social policies that serve justice, equity and human dignity in every city and community. We likewise commit ourselves to discern, confront and dismantle racism in our own families, communities and institutions, including our Churches. We must understand and undo the ways that we have benefited from and perpetuated discrimination and injustice.

1. The Rev. Elizabeth G. Maxwell, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
2. The Rev. Patricia Ackerman, Ethics of Reciprocity Project, Nyack, NY
3. The Rev. Kevin Veitinger, All Saints’ Church, Briarcliff Manor, NY
4. The Rev. Matt Oprendek, St. James Church, Fordham, Bronx, NY
5. The Rev. Rose Richards, Church Our Savior, New York, NY
6. The Rev. Andrew Butler, III, Christ Church, Riverdale, Bronx, NY
7. The Rev. Susan Fortunato, Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, NY
8. The Rev. Anne Meigs Ross, Grace Church, Nyack, NY
9. The Rev. Winnie Varghese, Trinity Church, Wall Street, NY, NY
10. The Rev. Brenda G. Husson, St. James’ Church, NY, NY
11. The Rev. Nigel J. Massey, French Church du Saint Esprit, NY, NY
12. The Rev. Canon Jeff Golliher, St. John’s Church, Ellenville, NY (Missioner)
13. The Rev. Posey Krakowsky, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
14. The Rev. Dcn. Richard Paul Limato, St. Michael’s Church, NY, NY
15. The Rev. Katharine Flexer, St Michael’s Church, NY, NY
16. The Rev. Richard McKeon, Messiah Church, Rhinebeck, NY
17. The Rev. Anna Pearson, Church of the Holy Apostles, NY, NY
18. Ms. Pamela Tang, Church of Our Savior, NY, NY
19. The Rev. Maryann Younger, St. Michael’s Church, NY, NY
20. Ms. Andrea Dedmon, St. Michael’s Church, NY, NY
21. The Rev. Cameron Hardy, Millbrook School (Chaplain), formerly St. Peter’s, Lithgow, NY
22. The Rev. Yvonne Logan
23. Masud Ibn Syedullah, TSSF, St. Paul’s & Trinity Parish, Tivoli, NY
24. The Rev. Jennifer M. Owen, St. Augustine’s Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
25. Ray Luetters, St. Michael’s Church NY, NY
26. The Rev. Dcn. Denise LaVetty, St. Peter’s Chelsea, NY, NY
27. The Rev. Dcn. Elena L. Barnum, St. Michael’s Church NY, NY
28. The Rev. Julie M. Hoplamazian, St. Michael’s Church NY, NY
29. The Rev. Kathleen Liles, Christ & Saint Stephen’s Church, NY, NY
30. The Rev. Cn. Alan Dennis, Saint Mary The Virgin, Chappaqua, NY
31. The Rev. Mary F. Grambsch, Zion Episcopal Church, Dobbs Ferry, NY
32. The Hon. Michael Sabatino, Zion Episcopal Church, Dobbs Ferry, NY
33. The Rev. Adrian Dannhauser, Church of the Incarnation, NY, NY
34. Jr. Warden Niall Cain, Zion Episcopal Church, Dobbs Ferry, NY
35. The Rt. Rev. Dean Elliott Wolfe, St. Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
36. The Rev. Dr. Kris Lewis-Theerman, St. Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
37. The Rev. Margaret R. Rose, Church of the Heavenly Rest and The Episcopal Church Center, NY, NY
38. The Rev. Anne Sawyer, St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, NY, NY
39. The Rev. Susan Anderson-Smith, St. Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
40. The Rev. Canon, Victoria Sirota, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Getty Square, Yonkers, NY
41. The Rev. Susan Auchincloss, St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, Woodstock, NY
42. The Rev. Gwyneth MacKenzie Murphy, Church of the Messiah, Rhinebeck, NY
43. The Rev. Deborah A. Lee, St. Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
44. The Rev. Peter Thompson, St. Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
45. The Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee
46. Sr. Warden Christopher Canty, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Getty Square, Yonkers, NY
47. The Rev. Canon C. Allan Ford
48. The Rev. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Trinity Church Wall Street, NY, NY
49. David A. Lehmann, Vestry Member – Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
50. Tom Rice, Vestry Member – Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
51. Janet Fisher, Vestry Member – Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
52. Sr. Warden, Mary Ford Sussman
53. The Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng, EDS at Union Theological Seminary, NY, NY
54. Heather K. Sisk, Postulant for the Episcopal Diocese of New York
55. Mr. John H. Thompson, Vestry Member – Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
56. The Rev. Steven Yagerman, Rector, All Saints Church, NY, NY
57. Madonna Stack-Barker, Vestry Member – Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
58. The Rev. Canon K. Jeanne Person, Canon for Pastoral Care, Episcopal Diocese of New York
59. The Rev. Megan E. Sanders, Chaplain, Campus and Young Adult Ministries, Episcopal Diocese of New York
61. The Rev. Clayton D. Crawley, St. Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
62. Dr. Micah Trippe, Clerk of the Vestry, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
63. Rev. Maxine Cleghorn, Diocese of New York
64. The Rev. Steve Schunk, Regeneration, Pine Plains & St. Mary’s, Cold Spring, NY
65. Nick Richardson, Episcopal Diocese of New York
66. Vin Knight, Vestry Member, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
67. The Rev. Lisa Graves Priest-in-Charge, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tuckahoe, NY
68. Calvin Garrett, All Saints, NY, NY
69. The Rev. Susan Copley, Christ Church and San Marcos, Tarrytown, NY
70. The Rev. Richard Witt, Rural & Migrant Ministry
71. The Rev. Jacob Andrew Smith, Calvary-St. George’s, NY, NY
72. The Rev. Dr. Varghese Easow Mathew, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Ardsley, NY
73. The Rev. Sam Louis Owen, Haitian Congregation of the Good Samaritan, Bronx, NY
74. The Rev. Mary B. Gregorius, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Pleasantville, NY
75. The Rev. Lauren Kuratko, Grace Episcopal Church, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
76. The Rev. Suzanne Toro, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cornwall, NY
77. The Rev. Dr. John F. Beddingfield, The Church of the Holy Trinity, NY, NY
78. The Rev. Betsy Johns Roadman, Episcopal Diocese of New York
79. The Very Rev. Michelle M. Meech, St. John’s Episcopal Church, NY, NY
80. The Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, Episcopal Diocese of New York
81. The Rev. Julia Macy Offinger, Grace Church, NY, NY
82. The Rev. Ryan C. Fleenor, St. James’ Church, NY, NY
83. The Rev. John Covington, Grace Church, City Island, NY
84. The Rev. Eva Noemi Suarez
85. The Rev. Alison Quin, Grace Church, Millbrook, NY
86. The Rev. Dr. Jean Baptiste Kenol Rock
87. The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Church of the Holy Apostles, NY, NY
88. The Rev. AJ Stack, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Amenia, NY
89. The Rev. Stephen C. Holton, STM, Warriors of the Dream
90. The Rev. Jennie Talley, St. John’s Wilmot, New Rochelle, NY
91. The Rev. Thomas Szczerba, Grace Church in New York, NY, NY
92. The Rev. Dcn. David F. McDonald, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cornwall, NY
93. The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Episcopal Diocese of New York
94. Barbara Gellman, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
95. Nancy Brennan, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cornwall, NY
96. The Rev. Kyle T. Martindale, St. Stephen’s Church, Pearl River, NY
97. The Rev. Dr. Kyle Rader, Church of the Transfiguration, NY, NY
98. David Nicholls, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cornwall, NY
99. Laura Nicholls, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cornwall, NY
100. Deborah Magdalene, Zion Episcopal Church, Wappingers Falls, NY
101. The Rev. Dr. Matthew Calkins, Grace Church, Millbrook, NY
102. Sr. Warden Kathy Wolf, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Ardsley, NY
103. Richard Olver, Vestry Member, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
104. Jr. Warden Sharon Devivo, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Ardsley, NY
105. The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, Episcopal Diocese of New York
106. The Rev. Tami Burks, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Harrison, NY
107. The Rev. Elise A. Hanley, Church of the Epiphany, New York, NY
108. Eileen Gutierrez Clark, Vestry
109. The Rev. Juan F. Perez, Jr. Harlem Valley Ministry
110. Regina Connolley, Vestry, St Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
111. Relig Ed Dir. Kieran Conroy St. Johns Cornwall & NY Diocesan Anti-Racism Committee
112. Canon George W. Brandt, Jr., St. Mark’s, Mt. Kisco, NY
113. The Rev. Nils Chittenden, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Armonk, NY
114. The Rev. Roy A. Cole Church of the Epiphany, NY, NY
115. The Rev. Mary Grace Williams, Chaplain of Bard College, NY
116. Jr. Warden Ingrid Ross, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
117. The Rev. Edwin Chinery, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
118. The Rev. Richard J. Datos-Robÿn, St. Mary’s-in-Tuxedo, NY
119. Laura Seitz, Vestry Member – St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
120. The Rev. Harry Abernathy
121. The Rev. Charles Kramer, St. James’, Hyde Park, NY
122. The Rev. Canon J. Douglas Ousley, Holy Trinity, NY, NY
123. The Rev. Elyn MacInnis, Retired Clergy, China Missionary
124. The Rev. Sister Elizabeth R. Broyles, Companions of Mary the Apostle, NY
125. The Rev. Bo Reynolds, The Church of St Luke in the Fields, NY, NY
126. The Rev. Dr. Yesupatham Duraikannu, St. Andrew’s Church, Bronx, NY
127. The Rev. Caroline M. Stacey, The Church of St Luke in the Fields, NY, NY
128. Sr. Warden Andrew Harken, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
129. The Rev. Thomas Faulkner, Christ Episcopal Church, NY
130. The Rt. Rev. Canon Constance C. Coles Canon for Ministry, Episcopal Diocese of New York
131. Ms. Roberta Todd, Christ Church, Riverdale, NY
132. W.B. McKeown, Congregation of St. Saviour, St. John the Divine, NY, NY
133. Richard Gatjens, St. Stephen’s, The Bronx, NY
134. Edward Pierce, Saint James’s Church, Goshen , NY
135. Ms. Vivian Rattay Carter, Social Justice Ministry, Christ Church Riverdale, NY
136. The Rev. Leigh Hall, St. Nicholas, New Hamburg, NY
137. The Rev. Dr. Chip Graves, Grace la Gracia, White Plains, NY
138. Harry Johnson, Congregation of St. Saviour, St. John the Divine, NY, NY
139. Maggie Scott Greenfield, Christ Church, Riverdale, NY
140. Vivian Evans, Trinity / St. Paul’s, New Rochelle, NY
141. The Rev. J. Gregory Morgan, St. Alban’s Staten Island, NY
142. The Rev. Claire Lofgren, St. Anne’s, Washingtonville, NY
143. Len Greco, Vestry – Christ Church Riverdale, NY
144. Carla Burns, Church of the Holy Innocents, Highland Falls, NY
145. The Rev. Dcn. Ella Roundtree, Christ Church Riverdale, NY
146. Mr. Wes Roundtree
147. Doc. Enrique Davis
148. Warden Christine Breiner, St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, NY, NY
149. Mr. William H. Sutton, III, St. James Episcopal Church, Goshen, NY
150. The Rev. Jan Nunley, Retired
151. Ms. Jean Marie Angelo, St. John’s Wilmot, New Rochelle, NY
152. The Rev. Geo. Anthony Hoeltzel, Retired / Christ Church, Riverdale, Bronx, NY
153. The Rev. Dr. Beth Faulk Glover, New York Presbyterian Hospital, NY, NY
154. Ms. Eve Beglarian, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
155. The Rev. Margaret Tuttle
156. The Rev. Steven Trever
157. The Rev. Theodora N. Brooks, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Bronx, NY
158. Ms. Lucy Mercado, The Church of the Mediator, Earth Ministry and Food Justice
159. Ms. Ann Sissler, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Cornwall, NY
160. Mr. Maurice J. Seaton, Warden, Church of the Ascension, NY, NY
161. The Rev. Dr. William A. Greenlaw, Rector Emeritus, Church of the Holy Apostles, NY, NY
162. The Rev. Elizabeth Garnsey
163. The Rev. Ryan Bennett, Assistant Priest, St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, NY, NY
164. The Rev. Gerardo Carlos Ramirez, Good Shepherd, Roosevelt Island, NY
165. The Rev. Janet Vincent, Priest in Charge, Christ the King Episcopal Church, Stone Ridge, NY
166. The Rev. Dr. Allison Moore, Priest in Charge, St. Andrew’s, New Paltz, NY
167. The Rev. Matthew Paul Buccheri, STM, Priest, The Church of St. Edward the Martyr, East Harlem, NYC
168. The Rev. Trevor R. Babb, Rector, Christ Church New Brighton, NY
169. The Rev. William Baker, Priest-in-Charge, The Church of the Ascension, Staten Island, NY
170. The Very Rev. James Munroe
171. The Rev. Yamily Bass-Choate, Liaison For Global Mission, Episcopal Diocese of New York
172. The Rev. Noel E. Bordador
173. The Rev. Diana Scheide, Vicar of the Delaware Catskill Episcopal Ministry, Sullivan County NY
174. The Rev. Gloria Payne-Carter, The Church of the Ascension, NY
175. The Rev. Ted Kanellakis
176. The Rev. Martha Overall, St. Ann’s Church, Bronx, NY
177. The Rev. Samuel Redimalla
178. The Rev. Frank J. Alagna, Ph.D., Holy Cross/Santa Cruz, Kingston, NY
179. The Rev. Peggy Sullivan
180. The Rev. Victor J. Sarrazin. Rector. Grace Episcopal Church, Middletown, NY
181. The Rev. Victor Conrado, Episcopal Diocese of New York
182. Margaret Jolly, Vestry, St Michaels Church, Upper West Side NY, NY
183. The Rev. Canon Andrew J. W. Mullins, Assistant Rector, St Bartholomew’s Church, NY, NY
184. The Rev. Amanda Eiman, Rector, St. Philip’s in the Highlands, Garrison, NY