Rev. Angie read the following statement Thursday on behalf of GBM to welcome Caravana 43, families of the 43 Mexican students who were disappeared by the police last September.
The families believe the students are still alive and they are here to demand accountability from the Mexican government.
They also asked President Obama to stop funding the Merida Initiative, which they say supports police corruption.
“For 46 years, GBM has worked tirelessly for justice and mercy and to lift up the voices of the victims of neglect, poverty and abuse of power.
All photos are by Steve Pavey
“GBM has met individuals in their hour of suffering, sought to alleviate that suffering, and then worked to identify causes of that suffering.
“Often the causes of individual suffering are tied to large, systemic, institutional principalities and powers. Sometimes those principalities and powers cross borders, and that is why we are here today.
“Today GBM joins stands with the members of Caravana 43 to bring compassion to those who are suffering at the hands of the state.
“We are here because we believe, as the apostle Paul said, we are one body. When one suffers, all suffer. When one rejoices, we all rejoice together.
“We are here because we believe, as MLK said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
“We are here to make common cause with the families of the 43 students who disappeared at the hands of the state.
“We are here to make common cause with victims of state and police violence and the abuse of power, whether it is in Birmingham, across the country or across our borders.
“We stand here today in the shadow of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who founded Alabama Movement for Human Rights. His legacy is why we stand here today.
“The walls around Kelly Ingram Park announce this holy ground as ‘a place of revolution and reconciliation.’
“May it be so.”
At the forum following the press conference, the families requested that we read aloud the names of each of the 43 disappeared and respond with the word “presente,” meaning “present,” reflecting our hope and our belief that they will be returned home alive.
Watch a video of the students’ names being read
