Letter from the President: Response to the death of George Floyd

June 3, 2020

Dear Family Members,

Let us pray.

We are aware that there are many people hurting right now, tuning in to the heartbreaking social unrest around the country as a result of Mr. George Floyd’s inhumane death. It stirs up a lot of emotion and concern over our country. We pray for George and his family, and we also recognize that this senseless loss of life is a symbol of something even more fractious that still affects too many Americans today.

True Parents have spoken clearly about the sin of slavery and racism in America. It has caused untold anguish in the hearts of millions, and has hindered the work God is trying to accomplish. I am sure most of our family members might find it hard to relate to such evil because we don’t hold such thoughts within our own hearts, but we may find ourselves guilty of not recognizing that it is still afflicting so many of our dear brothers and sisters across this country. Underneath the explosion of protests we see, lies the pent up resentment from being mistreated and feeling unloved for too long. Even for those who feel it has nothing to do with them, it is heavenly if we find repentance stirring in our own hearts, because it is our brothers and sisters who are hurting.

Racism played a large role in the attacks on True Father, True Mother, and True Family in the early years of setting up a mission here in the United States. Racism is an extremely ugly form of ignorance that is ultimately rooted in an insecurity of one’s own value. It is similar to the ignorance we see on display between people of a different economic or social class, religious groups, political parties, or how some men continue to mistreat and abuse women. Since the beginning of time, human beings have been reaching out to take something at the expense of others to fill a hole in their heart. At the root of this is our disconnect from God.

This is what True Father came to warn America about in the 1970s. This is why True Father was calling on young people to rise up and turn the tide in America to be a nation that lives for the sake of the world. This is why True Parents arranged international marriages between enemy nations. This is why True Parents have given everything to the world. It is why True Parents asked us to Forgive, Love, Unite during the tumultuous time of the Watergate scandal that further damaged our citizens’ trust in our own government. It is why so many of our precious first generation members stopped what they were doing for their personal lives and gave everything they had to support True Parents in this worldwide mission, even in the face of ridicule and scorn. Our second generation members of this movement are the fruit of this incredible sacrifice. If some of you are now looking for the answer to today’s problems, you won’t find it in the news. We must wonder, what is God’s point of view?

True Parents are the answer. Our movement’s values, teachings, and marriage blessing are the answer. You are the answer. We are the answer. I am literally brought to tears with each page of True Mother’s Memoir, because she is not just concerned about these types of problems only when it hits the news. Her heart and True Father’s heart have been hardwired deep into the suffering of the world and the suffering of God’s heart since their earliest memories. Even now, while we may busy ourselves during the day, and rest at night, True Mother stays awake, praying for the world, and praying that we may truly understand who True Parents are and know our precious value as God’s sons and daughters. 

To my brothers and sisters who are overcome with anger and frustration, our Heavenly Parent understands it. I especially want to acknowledge the pain of our black brothers and sisters at this time. God sees it all and His heart is breaking at the suffering and mistreatment of His beloved children. And yet, God continues to love us unconditionally even through the tears and anguish.

To those who are feeling passionate and righteous about the current challenges, our voice does matter and our action is needed. Our Heavenly Parent wants us to take care of one another, reach out to our brothers and sisters and do what we can to counteract the evils of this time with true love, which is what True Parents have been guiding us to do all along. However, what we do now is important and must be rooted in God’s Will to be effective.

We can connect to any of the national prayer conditions we are conducting, participate in the Chosen series and invite others to do so, and pledge our commitment to distribute True Mother’s Memoir to our prayer list. If we act in alignment with True Mother’s guidance, we will see miracles, but if we only act in reaction to what we see going on outside of us and succumb to points of view that are not centered on God, we can lose our way. We must do more than address the symptoms of the problem; we must get to the root of the problem: our disconnect from God. Let us use what True Parents have taught and model true love and empathy towards all humanity, especially those who are treated unfairly in plain sight. 

America needs True Parents. America needs us. Let us pray and act as one, knowing that we have been prepared to not only heal this nation of its ills, but to lead this nation to fulfill its destiny. 

I pray that all Americans can see one another as God’s precious children. 

God bless you, 

Rev. Demian Dunkley, President
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification USA