California church's nativity scene pays tribute to the BLM movement with Jesus, Mary and Joseph surrounded by protesters in masks and a list of the names of black people killed by police
A California church's nativity scene has paid tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement with Jesus, Mary and Joseph surrounded by protesters in masks.
The display at Claremont United Methodist Church also features the names of black people lynched and others killed by police while demonstrators hold signs reading: 'I can't breathe.'
Rev. Karen Clark Ristine, the church’s senior minister, told The LA Times: 'We couldn’t think of any other issue that we wanted to keep under the light of the Bethlehem star than the need to address racism.'
The scene, unveiled on December 6, shows Mary with her arms in the air mirroring demonstrators, Jesus in his crib while Joseph tends to him in front of a mural of BLM protesters.
A list of black men and women killed includes Emmett Till, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. A sign above the nativity scene reads: 'Say their names.'
The church last year created a nativity scene that depicts baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Joseph as a family caged and separated the US-Mexico border.
The display at Claremont United Methodist Church also features the names of black people lynched and killed by police while demonstrators hold signs reading: 'I can't breathe'
Rev. Karen Clark Ristine said they 'couldn’t think of any other issue' they wanted to 'keep under the light of the Bethlehem star than the need to address racism'
The scene shows Mary with her arms in the air mirroring demonstrators, Jesus in his crib while Joseph tends to him in front of a mural of BLM protesters
Set designer Genaro Cordova said: 'We thought that racism was really worse, the worst epidemic that maybe we had around the world.
'COVID is going to pass, but the struggle [of] our brothers and sisters, Black Americans, is going to continue for a long time.'
'Mary knows the sorrow of any parent who has ever lost a child, and she stands in solidarity with all who seek justice', Ristine added, 'We don’t want the need for continuing conversation of racism and white supremacy to get lost in news cycles.'
'This is a centuries-old issue that we need to keep wrestling with', she said.
A list of black men and women killed includes Emmett Till, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd; a sign above the nativity scene reads: 'Say their names'
Ristine noted responses to this year's display have been '50/50'
But Ristine noted responses have been '50/50' to the display, telling The LA Times that she received one voicemail which said: 'I’m disappointed that you put such a volatile thing up on a manger scene.'
A theological statement accompanying the nativity reads: 'We affirm and join the call for justice and equity by the Black Lives Matter movement to ensure that Black lives matter as much as any other life.
'Our faith in Christ challenges us to stand with Mary in her call for justice for the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed.'
Protests erupted across the US in the wake of Floyd's death in May after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck while taking him into custody in Minnesota.
On local, Jennifer Barge, told CBS: 'It's an eye-opener, just makes you think about stuff and gets people talking about what's going on.'
The church last year created a nativity scene that depicts baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Joseph as a family caged and separated the US-Mexico border
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