It is understandable that some members of our community have mistaken the Black Lives Matter banner on the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick as a commentary on the Brunswick Police Department, or on police in general. While the Black Lives Matter movement has sometimes been equated with a protest against police, we don’t see or intend it that way. In fact, the church is very grateful for efforts on the part of our police to keep the community safe for everyone. Prior to the installation of the banner, both our minister and our Board Chairperson communicated with the Brunswick Police Department to make that clear, and the following explanatory message is posted on the sign below the banner to be read by people passing by:

“Black Lives Matter is the latest chapter in our nation’s long struggle for racial justice. The movement began in response to the 2012 killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, and it continues to protest how black people and other people of color are deprived of basic rights and dignity. The Black Lives Matter movement advocates for all marginalized voices — women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, the undocumented.

“Our Black Lives Matter banner expresses our support for this movement, as we understand it. Our banner also reflects the work our congregation is doing within our hearts and souls. We live in a society where white people are afforded privileges. Those privileges are often denied to people of color, who instead face obstacles and biases. As a congregation, we are trying to identify and understand those privileges and biases so that we can work more effectively to help create a just and inclusive society.

“Our banner represents the world we dream of: A world where people of color are treated fairly by the justice system and have the same educational, housing, and job opportunities as white people, a world where skin color does not signify inherent worth or lack of worth. We seek to raise our awareness and to help build communities where people who seem different are no longer seen as “other,” but who instead can be understood and accepted for who they are. Join us!”

To quote our minister: “Our congregation seeks more than just a redress of inequity that has existed for hundreds of years on these shores. We want to change hearts and souls, beginning with our own and moving in larger circles to the wider world.”

Glenn Williams is the vice chairman of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick Board of Trustees.