Pastor Confronts VP Pence on Racism: ‘Systemic Racism is Real,’ Tired of People Who Deny it ‘From the Comfort of Their Bubble’

A pastor confronted Vice President Mike Pence on systemic racism during a roundtable in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday.

“Vice president, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and listen. I think the listening part is very important. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do after you listen,” declared Pastor Ross Owens. “You asked to share what’s on our hearts, so I’m going to do exactly that. It’s a mix of emotions, but the one that’s at the top is I’m tired. I am mentally, physically, and spiritually tired.”

“God took me from the projects of the Hill District and really set me on a path to success, but even where I am now, I’m still tired because of all the racism I see,” Owens continued. “I’m tired that people still do not acknowledge that systemic racism is real, and they ignore the billions of voices that exist and they say, ‘No that’s not true,’ because of the comfort of their own bubble. I’m tired because when my children were in middle school, they saw so much racism at the age of 13 and 15 that I had to comfort them when they came home on a daily basis because children that were once their friends were now targeting them openly, and there were no repercussions by the parents.”

Pastor Owens said, “It’s exhausting to continue to talk to my children and try to educate my son as I’m teaching him how to drive, how to respond when he’s been pulled over by police. Based off of what we see, it’s no longer ‘Son, say yes sir, no sir. Keep your hand on the steering wheel, put your hands on the dashboard.’ We fear for his life, just by being pulled over, so those things make me extremely tired.”

Following Pastor Owens’ speech, Vice President Pence responded, “I’m just very moved by what I’ve heard. I’m inspired by the faith, the testimony of people gathered here. I’m humbled by the words of encouragement about the progress we have made, but I am challenged to continue to build on that progress.”

“It’s in my heart that the church has always played a central role in our march toward a more perfect union,” he claimed, adding, “You cannot understand the evolution of slavery without understanding the moral voice of the church in the generations that proceeded that great conflict and the end of slavery in this country.”

Watch above via PBS NewsHour. (The relevant portion begins at approximately 37:20)

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