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Pastor At Rayshard Brooks’ Funeral: ‘Keep Marching! Keep Protesting!’
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Friends and family of Rayshard Brooks gathered to remember the man they called their “Ray of light” on Tuesday, with the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church delivering an impassioned eulogy on race, justice and equality.
“I want to say to you: Keep on protesting,” said Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer. “They thought that we were just upset for about 15 minutes. But we keep showing up. We keep saying, ‘America can be better than this.’"
“Can I tell you: Keep showing up. Keep marching. Keep protesting. Keep raising your voice. Keep raising the issue.”
The killing of Brooks by police in a Wendy’s parking lot sparked more than a week of protests in Atlanta calling for social justice and police reform. It came on the heels of nationwide demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
“Rayshard Brooks wasn’t just running from the police,” Warnock said. “He was running from a system that makes slaves out of people.”
He said everyone should the law and respect authority, “but if your skin is the weapon and your complexion is the crime, what do you do to stay alive?”
“Comply like George Floyd or run like Rayshard Brooks?" he asked. "I’m not asking for a friend. I’m asking for myself – and my nieces and my nephews and my children. This country has become too accustomed and comfortable with Black people dying.”
The church’s choir and gospel singer Tamela Mann performed during the service virtually due to safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
At one point, Brooks’ widow Tomika Miller raised her hands to the heavens while clutching their 2-year-old daughter. Brooks was a father to three daughters and a stepson.
Among those in the crowd were Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, rapper TI and entertainment icon Tyler Perry.
Warnock noted it was the first time a service has been held in the historic church since the pandemic forced its doors to close.
“We had to come here today because there’s another virus in the land, and it’s killing people,” the pastor said. “There’s COVID-19 and then there’s what I call COVID-1619, and they are both deadly.”
“In this land,” he said, “we’ve been trying to beat back this virus of racism since 1619 when 20 slaves arrived on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia.”
Bernice King, the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr., said she grieved for Brooks’ children because “I know the pain of growing up without a father and the ongoing attention around his tragic loss.”
“This happened in Atlanta, the city that is supposed to be too busy to hate, the city that has been the home to equal and civil rights, the city that has been a Black mecca,” King said. “My heart deeply grieves.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Current, Former Atlanta Police Officers Charged In Rayshard Brooks' Death Turn Themselves In
Ambrea Mikolajczyk remembered Brooks as a family man who stood up for others and served as the family’s “Ray of light.”
“Through our Ray of light, all those who turned a blind eye finally recognized and acknowledged the plight of those who are Brown and Black – and it is not the same as those who are white,” she said. “We have to all come together. Do better. Protect our fathers, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins and sons who are oppressed so that they can be great – greater than what the system traps them into becoming.”
Outside the funeral, public supporters came wearing Black Lives Matters t-shirts and holding signs with messages of solidarity.
Dr. Angela Harris, the first woman president of the Dekalb chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was one of those who came to show her support for Brooks’ family.
“We demand justice. You know, no justice, no peace,” she said. “We're tired of our people being gunned down and disrespected by the racism and the allowances of this system to not actually give us justice as a people.”
Hundreds of people braved the rain a day earlier for a public viewing. GPB's Sarah Rose spoke live from the viewing on Monday with Rickey Bevington on 'All Things Considered'
“We’re here to support the family. We’re here to support the community," said Rev. Nathan Knight of the DeKalb Southern Christian Leadership Conference, while standing outside of Monday's viewing. "We’ll never abdicate our responsibility to remember the brave men and women who came before us.”
The hearse that carried Brooks' body to the church sat just outside Ebenezer's front doors. Staring out from the back window was a photograph of Brooks with this message: "KILLED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA 2020."
The mood outside Ebenezer was solemn and reflective, at times eerily quiet. Rain came down in intermittent flashes as people trickled into the church through a barricade erected on the side of the building. Several people were seen wearing Black Lives Matter shirts.
Two people stood directly in front of the church doors singing hymns amid the downpour. They held signs that read: "Black Life Matters."
One of the attendees was Dante Carter who came to the viewing with his young daughter. He said he hoped this could be a moment where Atlanta unites to address systemic problems facing Black Americans.
"I'm here standing for justice, transparency, accountability. And really hoping that this isn’t something that doesn’t carry on into my daughter’s life time," he said.
The killing of Brooks resulted in widespread protest and swift action. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned in wake of the shooting, and Mayor Bottoms announced new police reform initiatives.
Former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe has been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and multiple other criminal counts. A second officer, Devin Brosnan, faces charges of aggravated assault and two violations of oath of office.
The Atlanta City Council has had to extend its budget hearings this week in order to review 17 hours of public comment about the police budget and other issues.
In his eulogy, pastor Warnock said he was optimistic by the change he was witnessing. "I am grateful for what I am seeing," he said. "I am seeing a great coaltion of conscience pouring into our streets in non-violent protests."
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