Bishop Curry wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Washington Post at the end of May and then appeared on the Today Show the next day. This was after the killing of George Floyd and the repercussions that ensured.
Here are the Bishop comments on Today:
“We must still choose love. It is a decision, probably a daily decision to actually choose the way of love which is not a sentiment. The opposite of love is not hate but selfishness.”
“The Way of love is seeking the good the welfare, the well being of others as well as the self.”
“In the Hebrew scriptures when Moses talks about the love of neighbor in Leviticus it is people doing what is just, kind and decent, When Jesus talks about it in Luke’s Gospel he tells the parable of the good Samaritan, somebody who helps someone who is different than they are. So it is a decision, a daily decision that I am going to lead an unselfish life that seeks the good of others as well as well as my own good. And when we all do that, we win.”
He was asked ‘What would I say to protesters and police ?’ “I would say every one of us is a child of God and we are all children of God…then that means we are brothers and sisters and siblings of each other. We are related to each other and so we have got to figure out how can we live together as a family as a human family of God. Martin Luther King said a long time ago we will either learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools. Our choice is either chaos or community.”
“And so every one of us. For police, ‘What can I do to love as a police law enforcement officer who seeks the good of people.’ Protester ‘What can I do to seek the good and welfare of others as I make my protest for a just social order so that people are not killed and abused, hurt and harmed.’ If everyone makes a decision to work together for the good of others we all get blessed but it starts as a decision”
Asked if he was optimistic ? “I am optimistic and determined. I have come up with a symbol for love. (He shows a N95 mask) This mask the physicians tell us I don’t wear it to protect myself I wear it to protect you. Then you wear it to protect me. And when we all do that we all win.”