How long until we have a healing change of heart on race

Lord, how long?

George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with both his hands securely cuffed behind his back, is murdered by four police officers when one applied life-threatening pressures to his neck and back for more than eight minutes, and others prevent anyone from intervening on Floyd's behalf.

Lord, how long?

Ahmaud Arbery, in Brunswick, Georgia, during a quiet Sunday afternoon jog along a public, residential street, is murdered by a father and son vigilante tag-team plus one - a third-party accomplice who felt commissioned and compelled, by the father and son, to capture the deadly assault on video.

Lord, how long?

Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, an EMT soundly asleep in her home shortly after midnight, is abruptly awakened by the sounds of a forced entry and fatally shot at least eight times by police officers executing a search warrant that did not target her.

Lord, how long?

Amy Cooper, in New York City's Central Park, haughtily threatens Christian Cooper with a 911 call to " ... tell them an 'African American male' is threatening me!" She was confident of the odds that her call would incite a potentially lethal police response against Cooper, who had simply asked her to comply with a familiar park regulation.

Lord, how long?

Christopher Keys, a youth pastor in Macon, Georgia, attempts to cover up a homosexual solicitation and rendezvous which resulted in him being robbed, by falsely accusing "two black men" of kidnapping and robbing him.

Lord, how long?

Sandra Bland, in Waller County, Texas, is stopped and jailed for failing to signal a lane change, then later found dead in a jail cell.

Lord, how long?

Decynthia Clements, in my own Northwest suburbs hometown community, was clearly in distress and yet while surrounded by a cadre of police officers with rubber bullets, Tasers and protective body shields, she is subdued by three lethal gun shots as she stumbles out of her car, disoriented and choking on smoke fumes from her car that was ablaze.

Lord, how long?!

The tragic events highlighted in the sampling of news headlines captured above may have been inconsequential to many white Americans; however, for the majority of black Americans, the events were blood-curdling reminders of the inhumane and deadly abuses we often suffer at the hands of law enforcement.

The seemingly year-round, open-season assault on black lives by those sworn "to protect and to serve" every citizen, must end.

It is not my intent to suggest that all police officers are guilty of these offenses. Every day good officers selflessly put their lives on the line to protect and serve all citizens without exception. But when good officers "look the other way" and don't hold bad officers accountable, vital relationships throughout our community are further compromised, and it becomes more difficult to trust any law enforcement representative.

When I was a young man growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, my parents sat me down to have "The Talk" about how to safely act and respond whenever I was stopped by the police. We did not have the benefit of an "Officer Friendly" experience. Blacks were not allowed on the force, and the infamous Eugene "Bull" Connor was the chief of police.

I'm saddened that 50 years later, I'm having the same "Talk" with my 20-year-old grandson. Why? Because I want him to survive every encounter he may have with a police officer.

Unfortunately, racism is real and still prevalent in America. It is a formidable evil that we must diligently combat together in order to overcome. We must also recognize the inherent value and power embedded in our shared similarities as well as our differences. We are all children of God and equally created in His image with God-ordained dominion and authority. That is the ultimate common ground we must build upon.

We need a change of hearts and minds in this country. While we are each responsible for making a difference in our respective circles of influence, regarding our collective movement, effective leadership from the top is essential. The office of the United States president has an important role to play in setting the tone, clarifying expectations and modeling the appropriate behaviors necessary to unite our country. Regrettably, the rhetoric and behavior of our current president appear to align more with an agenda focused on putting our worst foot forward instead of our best, and dividing our country more than uniting it.

In closing, I'd like to remind us of II Chronicles 7:14, which states: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

We pray and ask God to heal our land.

Lord, how long?

• The Rev. Dr. Nathaniel L. Edmond is pastor of Second Baptist Church of Elgin and a member of the Daily Herald Editorial Board's advisory Sounding Board.