Last Tuesday afternoon a group of individuals gathered outside of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Renton to demonstrate their support for racial justice. This particular day was sunny, beautiful, 69 degrees, and the good weather was appreciated by all in attendance.

But weather isn't a determining factor for this group. Every Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m., and every first Sunday of the month from noon to 1, there have been demonstrators at St. Luke's come rain, sleet, snow or shine, since July 7 of last year.

Mary Butler, who has been a member of Saint Luke's for four years, had the idea after watching the video of George Floyd's murder at the hands of Minneapolis police. Butler, who worked has worked as a hospice chaplin, said, "I've never seen anything like the murder of George Floyd. I know that if he weren't Black, it wouldn't have happened." After she watched the video, she was enraged and knew she needed to take action. She told her husband, "I'm going to paint a sign and demonstrate."

"We have to wake up and work for justice," she said.

Butler, who has been demonstrating for social justice for years for many different causes and in many different settings, thought, "Why not demonstrate in front of the church?" She shared her idea with St. Luke's rector, the Rev. Kevin Pearson, who heartily agreed. The group has been diligently demonstrating ever since. Lately, in response to an uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes, they have also included the message and movement of Stop Asian Hate.

Another church member, Julie, has been coming out to the demonstrations for the last ten months. She said, "I've been inspired that a bunch of people from different backgrounds can come together for the same cause." Demonstration attendance varies week to week, but a small, loyal group shows up most of the time, including Julie.

St. Luke's, with an average Sunday attendance of around 80 people and a couple hundred members in total, has been meeting virtually since the coronavirus pandemic. Ever since the racial unrest that occurred in the summer of 2020, Pearson has worked hard to create opportunities for education and conversation on the topics of racial justice and white supremacy for his congregation.

One notable example of such educational opportunities is St. Luke's book club. Among the first books they studied was How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Since then, they have continued to read and educate themselves. Another great resource that Pearson has enjoyed using is a ten-part "film-based dialogue series on race and faith" called Sacred Ground, which was created and distributed by the Episcopal Church.

Racial reckoning

The Episcopal Church at large has worked hard to rectify what Pearson refers to as a "long history of white supremacy in the south ... and in the north." But St. Luke's, he says, has "social justice in its DNA." It is part of St. Luke's history and mission to be loving and inclusive to people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Just take a look at the outside of the church where you can find a large banner, the width of the building, hung in the front that says, "Black Lives Matter." And if you glance up, a Pride flag can be seen tossing in the wind.

Since the demonstrations at the church began, Butler and Reverend Pearson have seen real change in the congregation and those attending. Before, many members believed that they didn't hold any biases, or were what some call "color blind." Since then, through education efforts and tough conversations, many have come to see the role that systematic racism holds in our society. Butler said, "It has been quite a beautiful path we've been on."

In a world where many religious institutions try to stay "neutral" or say they want to stay out of politics, Saint Luke's has taken another approach – to confront racism and white supremacy straight on. As Pearson put it, "I didn't ask anyone for permission, because this is just who we are. We are not in a position in this community to not say or do anything."

He has found that in a religious community, people want to try and believe that they are good people, so addressing issues of bias and racism can be difficult and lead to shame. "As a religious community, we seem to not want to own racism as something personal." But he has learned that the system has been flawed from the beginning. "That is the water we drink – it doesn't matter if you're a 'good' person. You are still drinking the water."

To learn more about Saint Luke's, go to www.stlukesrenton.org. To take part in the ongoing demonstrations, just go to 99 Wells Ave. S., in Renton any Tuesday afternoon from 2 to 3, or first Sunday from noon to 1. Feel free to bring a sign, or just drive by and honk your support. The St. Luke's demonstrators will be there – and have no plans of stopping.