Bishop Mariann Budde: Our Attention Should Be on the Murderous Sin of Racism

Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about our need to focus our outrage on the tragic death of George Floyd and the systemic structures that caused it. She warns against being distracted by Donald Trump's brazen attempt to falsely cloak himself with spiritual authority by staging a photo op in front of St. John's, Lafayette Square.

"I have friends and people that you and I both know who are working so hard to keep the protest for justice engaged and focused on the outrage of George Floyd's death," Bishop Budde says. "That's the work to be done. And as several of our clergy colleagues of color have said to us, 'You know, it's not as if white supremacy was invented yesterday. You may have just come to a deeper appreciation this week, but this is what we've been dealing with for a while.'"

She continues, "Think about the things that need to be done right now, that can be done because of the Kairos moment that we may be blessed with to really move, to push something forward. Every once in a while, you get a window of time and space and serendipity and grace, where you can actually push something forward."