During George Floyd’s memorial, Najuma Smith-Pollard, program manager of the USC Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement, led a prayer for mothers.
The following is a transcript of the prayer:
God in the name of Jesus, become now answering the summons that George Floyd gave all of us. When he cried out “mama,” he summons all of us to duty. To stand. To fight. To be present and to get active for the cause of justice. And so God, we are here today, and there are many that are present across this nation.
First, God, we are asking for healing of the womb, because the womb is crying. The womb is hemorrhaging. The womb is hurting.
The womb is the place of beginning. It is the place of your greatest miracle. It is the place of all creation. None of us exist without the womb.
And so, God, heal the womb of women who have given birth to children, and have lost them in the most horrific ways. Heal crying, hurting, hemorrhaging wombs. Right now, God.
And don’t heal us just to please us and pacify us, but heal us so we can stand up. Heal us so we can rise up. Heal us so we can activate. Heal us so we can continue to fight for our children. Because they are dependent on us to fight for them.
For every mother across this nation, across this globe, you’ve been summoned into action. So God, we pray that you release fear and anxiety. That you release them from the pressure, “should I or shouldn’t I.”
Where George Floyd called “mama,” he called every mama, every mama. Black, white, Latino. Wherever you’re from. Purple, green, orange, yellow. He called every mama, summoned us into action.
So God today, heal us so we can give birth to justice, so we can give birth to justice. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else.
In the mighty name of Jesus, let every mama and every daddy say amen.
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Rev. Najuma Smith is Assistant Director of Community and Public Engagement with the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
