Beloved United Methodist Church, Council of Bishops and Agencies:

Today as the Youth Council of M.A.R.C.H.A, we write these words while our bodies are threatened yet again by those who follow the less-than Christian ideals of building walls rather than bridges.

Today for some, the veil of racism, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny has been lifted exposing “Trump’s America”. However, for us, as people of color in United States “home and homeland have not been safe places – our bodies are constantly targeted, trespassed, and violated. Poor women and young Black and Latino men have never been safe in this country – a country that internally colonizes people of color, enforces women’s domestication through violence, and continues the slow genocide of Native Americans”.1

The reality that we live in is no surprise for us (Latinx Youth). In fact, knowing the existing reality of our country was what compelled us to present the resolution “Open Table at the Intersection”, this past August 2016 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.2 Nevertheless, our hearts hurt and we are disappointed that our United Methodist Church and its Council of Bishops remains silent in the face of the growing wave of violence against people of color, women, undocumented persons, Muslims, immigrants and the LGBTIQ community. In the face of the growing wave of vandalism to Latinxs and African-American churches, our leaders have remained silent. President of the Council of Bishop Bruce Ough sent a letter to congratulate the President-elect and to offer prayers without acknowledging that the homophobic, racist, xenophobic and misogynistic speech of Mr. Trump has given rise to a growing wave of active violence against our people. “Racialized language leads to racial profiling, which leads to targeting dark-skinned, Middle Eastern-looking, and other people of color earmarked as potential terrorist.”3 We feel ignored and abandoned by the leadership of our church.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This open letter expresses the concerns of MARCHA’s Youth Council. Subsequently, MARCHA’s Board of Directors will publish a statement on this issue. More info soon.