A humanist response to Charleston

The events this week in Charleston are beyond words.

Our very deepest sympathies go out to the families and the community of those who were lost. How heartbreaking it must be to lose someone you love. How much worse to lose them because as a nation, we aren't willing to stand up and stop the murder of innocent people based on the color of their skin.

There is nothing to be said that can make sense of such a tragedy or to begin to quantify the loss of nine innocent lives for no reason beyond hatred. As humanists, we believe that it is our job to take care of one another and to make change because there is no supernatural being handing out justice. That change needs to begin now.

Foundation Beyond Belief believes that we all need to rise up in the fight for social justice to ensure not just that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again, but also to make sure that every human being is treated as such. The systematic and institutional racism that is rampant in this country must be shut down because #blacklivesmatter

If you would like to help, a number of South Carolina humanist groups have put together a fundraising page here. All funds from this campaign will go directly to the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund, which helps the families of the victims involved in the shooting.