Faith leaders hope Chauvin verdict lifts racial justice work

By DAVID CRARY and LUIS ANDRES HENAO Associated Press
Faith leaders in Minnesota and across the U.S. hope their advocacy work for racial justice will gain momentum from the guilty verdict rendered against Derek Chauvin the former police officer convicted of killing George Floyd. In Minneapolis, the Black pastor of a multiracial church predicted the verdict will reinforce solidarity among his congregation. In St. Paul, the white pastor of a predominantly Black congregation said a parishioner texted him after Tuesday’s verdict to say, “Thank God – literally.” And in Houston, an assistant pastor of a Baptist church who grew up with Floyd hailed the verdict as a historic moment and a litmus test for the criminal justice system.