Black pastor: Verdict in Arbery murder case puts nation closer to fair and equal justice

As a lifelong activist, a father and a pastor for more than 20 years, I have struggled on many occasions to reconcile my deep, abiding faith in God’s promise to “keep and never forsake us” with the trauma and anxiety associated with witnessing injustice after injustice when it comes to the value of Black lives in this country.

I have prayed with so many families, counseling them to have faith and trust in God while also preparing their hearts – and mine – to deal with the seemingly inevitable disappointment of a system that too often subtracts Black people out of the equation of fair and equal justice for all.

Yet Wednesday, as I watched guilty verdicts announced for the three individuals charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery, I allowed myself a moment of solemn contentment and hope that perhaps we, as a country, were moving closer to realizing the promise of America to mete out blind justice.

Without question, the guilty verdicts are an important step forward for accountability in Georgia and in this country, but we must stay vigilant and appreciate the context of this moment without falling victim to hyperbole and overstatements that would establish this outcome as evidence of a post-racial America.

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Full stop.

In no way should this glimmer of justice deny the family of Arbery some level of resolve. But we know that our broken judicial system is strapped by laws that enable and embolden bad actors, whether in South Georgia or elsewhere. The tears, the sorrow, the loss – all were avoidable. A life was denied an opportunity to thrive. So, while we hear the bells of justice ringing, we must not go deaf to the undeniable miscarriage of justice that happens across this nation daily.

We do each other and the entire country a disservice if we forget all that had to be overcome just to have this case get to the courtroom. Arbery was murdered on Feb. 23, 2020. Video of the incident had been circulating among law enforcement, yet an arrest was not made for 74 days. In addition, it took the appointment of a fourth prosecutor – Joyette Holmes, Cobb County’s district attorney – to get an indictment in the case.