love that is greater and stronger than fear and only jesus love that is greater and stronger than fear and onlyjesus offers us that well. only living the jesus than fear and onlyjesus offers us that well. only living thejesus way offers us healing and we need healing. because you know and we know that there is nothing that any of us can say that can bring george back. so we came to say today that we grieve with you. and that your grief has awakened the conscience of the nation. because we are here and god's house and in his church and because we leave in the risen lord christ, we grieve and resurrection hope. a hope that promises notjust a reunion sunday but a restoration to stay for seven week grieve and resurrection hope that god is at work and our nation renting hearts and changing minds and bending the moral ark of the universe for justice. and i hope you know that eve ryo ne justice. and i hope you know that everyone would have understood if you said "we don't need to hear from

a nyway you said "we don't need to hear from anyway people today." you have been silent long enough, you can be silent long enough, you can be silent one more day. you asked the whole community to come together and look what happened. (applause) you have chosen the path of love, the path of perfect love that casts out fear, and i want you to know that that is notjust out fear, and i want you to know that that is not just the out fear, and i want you to know that that is notjust the only path to your ceiling but the healing of the whole world. it is the path of partnering with god in redeeming the world and it is a difficult path. you have been asked to carry a burden that would've crushed most people. and you have embraced with grace and courage. you call those who disrupted protest violence and looting to honour george's life with love. you called a president who sought to dominate, to live in a

peaceful world where we deliberate. you called those people whose perfect sphere casts out anything that even looks like love for the perfect love that casts out fear and you have been a model notjust for america but for the whole world and now, we must follow your good example. calling out anything that does not honour george or any of the rest of us, domination, injustice, racism. the sociologist at rice university has said that houston, texasis university has said that houston, texas is the most diverse city in america. houston, texas is ethnically and demographically today what america will be ethnically and demographically in the year 2050, which means we are the experiment in america for how races can get along. but until we are willing to be as brave and as truthful as you have

been, nothing will change. the experiment will not yield any new data. we will simply do over and over again, what we have done over and over before until as they said, we get sick and tired of being sick and tired. and so it must be different this time. i have to tell you. at my church, it is easy to not talk about racism. at my church, it is easy to dismiss as politics, the economics of hundreds of years of systemic racism, but not talking and not acting is the path to destruction. and we can watch that on the news every night and asked if thatis on the news every night and asked if that is the future we want for ourselves and can ijust have the privilege, i would like to say a word to white churches. we are better than we used to be, but we are not as good as we are to be and

thatis are not as good as we are to be and that is not good enough. which means you have to take up the work of racial justice. racism you have to take up the work of racialjustice. racism did not start in our lifetimes, but racism can and in our lifetimes, but racism can and in our lifetime. but only if you ask andi in our lifetime. but only if you ask and i asked, what am in our lifetime. but only if you ask and i asked, whatam i in our lifetime. but only if you ask and i asked, what am i going to do about it? and while it is still bothering you right now which are going to do on the note card and tape that card in the mirror every morning when you get up and every night before you go to bed, and each night before you go to bed, and each night ask was i true to the calling? in every moment ask what can i do today to bring gods kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. i saw you on tv. the reporter asked you what was the best thing about your daddy. and you said, my daddy change the world. and

if we will do our part, you will have been a prophet. so, from your mouth, to gods year. amen. (applause) thank you, steve. and doctor lawson into this wonderful family that has demonstrated what it means to be faithful and courageous. all of us in our lives faithful and courageous. all of us in ourlives begin faithful and courageous. all of us in our lives begin with obscurity. we do not know how it will end in history. no one thought on that january morning of the 15th day of 1929 that that boy would grow up to

be the liberator to a movement called the civil rights. no one knew and in august, 1961, on the fourth day, and hawaii of all places, and obscurity that the first african—american president would be born. and nobody knew on october the 14th, 1973, and obscurity, north carolina, parents bold and courageous carolina, parents bold and courageous migrated to houston, had i'io courageous migrated to houston, had no idea in the home that god had birthed someone that now belongs in a rightful place of history. we all begin and obscurity. we do not know where we will land in history. the

question of theology is an theodicy and where is god in all of this? god was and is where god has always been. god didn't cause it, but god can certainly use it. unfortunately, we have almost turned it into cliche but it is christian bedrock belief that all things work together for the good of them who love the lord and are called according to his purpose. and for this family today, god is working his way and he has been where he always will be. i leave you now at these words. trial starts on every hand. we cannot understand all the ways that god will lead us to that blessed promise land but he will guide us with his eyes. it will follow him until we die and we will understand that

better by—and— by. die and we will understand that better by-and-by. (applause) # lord, we give you praise. and lord

we bless your name. #we we bless your name. # we lift our voices to say thank you and for your goodness and your mercy towards us for your goodness. and your mercy towards us exists for your goodness

towards us exists for your goodness towards us exists for your goodness towards us we offer praise. # oh lord we give you praise # and oh lord we bless your name # for your goodness # and your mercy

# toward us # for your goodness # and your mercy # toward us # for your goodness # and your mercy # toward us # we offer praise # you are worthy # of glory, honor, worthy # worthy of all praise for your goodness

# and your mercy # toward us # for your goodness # and your mercy # toward us # for your goodness # and your mercy # toward us # we offer praise # we offer praise # toward us # you are worthy

# of glory, # of honor, # worthy of all praise # for your goodness # and your mercy # toward us # for your goodness, jesus # and your mercy # toward us # for your goodness! # your goodness!

# goodness! # faithfulness! # your kindness! # your kindness! # kindness! # your kindness! # your love! # your love! # your love! # you loves us! # you loves us! #no # you loves us! # no matter the colour # no matter the colour #no # no matter the colour # no matter the colour # no matter the colour # no matter the education # no matter the education # for better or worse # for better or worse # for better or worse # for rich or poor # for rich or poor # till death do us part # till death do us part #he # till death do us part # he lives

# he lives #he # he lives # he loves us # he loves us # loves # loves # your goodness # your goodness # yes! # yes! # thank you for his goodness # thank you for his goodness # thank you for his goodness # his goodness. # your goodnessjesus # your goodnessjesus #he # your goodnessjesus # he never fails me # he never fails me #he # he never fails me # he will never give up on me # he will never give up on me # your goodness, jesus # your goodness, jesus # foryour... # foryour... # foryour... # for your goodness and your mercy # for your goodness and your mercy

# your mercy towards us # your mercy towards us # and for your mercy # and for your mercy # towards us... # towards us... #we # towards us... # we offer... # we offer... # can someone just offered god praise right now? # and know that he is still worthy # and know that he is still worthy #he is # and know that he is still worthy # he is still deserved # he is still deserved #we # he is still deserved # we thank you for the life of our brother. #we brother. # we offer you praise, jesus # we offer you praise, jesus #we, we, # we offer you praise, jesus # we, we, offer you # we offer you praise, jesus # we, we, offeryou praise # we, we, offeryou praise # 0h, # we, we, offeryou praise # oh, my god # oh, my god #we # oh, my god # we offeryou...

# we offeryou... # praise! #. hallelujah! praise him! hallelujah! thank you, jesus! he is worthy! yes he is! (applause)

music: at the direction of the programme is altered because of time factor. we appreciate the fact that it was difficult for everyone else to stay within their time limit. thank you, dr wright for your auspicious leadership. my privilege and my honour today, as we give honour to the family of george floyd is to introduce today a man who needs no

introduction. but deserves one. born october 3rd 195a. al sharpton. grew up, like most of us, raised like most of us, in church. his sunday school teacher had no idea what she was teaching. his pastor had no idea who he was preaching to. his teachers had no idea who they were teaching. but since that time, he has become a socialjustice activist, a civil rights leader, a talk show host, a commentator, a leader of movements, a world—changer, a freedom fighter, a

preacher amongst preachers. when officer chauvin put his knee on the neck of george floyd, he had no idea the man whose life he was taking would be important enough to have this preacher to preach his euology. he probably thought it would end quietly in some obscure federal home with a few home. but he had no idea that presidents of nations would think and write about him and that the preacher who would preach the service would be the greatest civil rights preaching voice of our time. and we have talked much about how we

change things, but when god wants to change things, but when god wants to change things, but when god wants to change things, he brings a person to the earth. and when this preacher was birthed, god knew there would be moments like this when it would take someone moments like this when it would take someone to speak truth to power. i hope when we hear this preacher all america understands that, yes, we can change policies and legislation, but if we want to change this situation, white parents have to teach their parents to be p brothers to black boys. when george floyd was gasping for breath, he was speaking the language of 400 years of africans in this country. we

couldn't breathe on the slave ships, through mass incarceration, we couldn't breathe and there has been a preacher on the scene for the last four decades telling us americans we can't breathe in when trevon martin and this preacher is here today, because george floyd died saying, we can't breathe. i want you to welcome to this stage the voice of the reverend dr al sharpton. our voice, ourfighter, our leader, reverend dr al sharpton. our voice, our fighter, our leader, our freedom fighter and because of him, guess what, one day all of us are going to breathe better. the honourable reverend al sharpton.

first of this family, the whole family, that has suffered this crime. i hear people talk about what happened to george floyd like there was some thing less than a crime. this was not just was some thing less than a crime. this was notjust a tragedy, it was a crime. and this family has borne this, those and i want to announce all of them that i'm giving, because

this is a time that we need to understand that they‘ re this is a time that we need to understand that they're going to do everything they can to delay these trials and delay the accountability and try to wear this family down and many that are standing and coming today and skinning and grinning in front of cameras... will not be here for the long run. applause. we must commit to this family, all of this family, all five of his children, grandchildren and all, that until these people pay for what they did, that we are going to be there with them, because lives like george will not matter until somebody pays the cost for taking their lives. we

cannot just cost for taking their lives. we cannotjust act like cost for taking their lives. we cannot just act like this cost for taking their lives. we cannotjust act like this is some new way of teaching sociology. we can't act like this is some new need for some of us to add socialjustice to our programmes on sunday morning. there is an intentional neglect to make people pay for taking our lives. if four blacks had done to one white, if four black cops had done to one white, what was done to george, they wouldn't have to teach no new lessons, they wouldn't have

to get corporations to get money, they would send them to jail and until we know the price for black life is the same as the price for white life, we are going to keep coming back to these situations over and over again. either the law will work, or it won't work. so i want to give honour to the family and a commitment that we're going to be here for the long haul. when the last tv truck is gone, we'll still be here. i've gotten to know some of the family over the last few days. i have seen them cry in private, i've seen them talk, i told them i grew up seen them talk, i told them i grew upa seen them talk, i told them i grew up a black family, i know, we always don't get along, i got some cousins watching me now, they had better

never call me! that is what families are. but i've also seen them in light moments. i neverforget last week, when the family part that was there talked with the former president obama on the phone and said, we're not asking you to come, because it would take all the secret service stuff and that, but we just wa nt to service stuff and that, but we just want to thank you and your wife for calling and calling our name of our brother, our uncle, during the speeches you have been making and the president made the mistake of asking, well what is it you all want me to do? just tell me where i could be helpful and they said well, two things, we wantjustice and we in

minneapolis, can you send me some food. they only had the finger food. everything was closed up in minneapolis. he said i want some food. so we had some light moments. i want to ask say, give honour to reverend wright. for opening the doors of this church and putting arms around sabrina and herfamily at this hour. they know this is going to be controversial in some circles, yet they opened the doors anyway, not knowing what would happen, not knowing how people would behave. and, as i doors of this church and putting arms around sabrina and her family church and putting arms around sabrina and herfamily at church and putting arms around sabrina and her family at this hour. they know this is going to be controversial in some circles, yet they opened the doors anyway, not

knowing what would happen, not knowing what would happen, not knowing how people would behave. and, as! knowing how people would behave. and, as i spoke with them on the phone and he welcomed his family, i think we all giving them a lot of, we should not take them for granted andi we should not take them for granted and i think that they are deserving ofa and i think that they are deserving of a lot of honour, he is a man and she is a woman of courage, we have too many holy punks in the pulpit. you all know i will say what i've got to say. give a hand now pastor remus wright and sister mia wright. applause. i also want to and i'm going to get into my euology, so we can stay on time, but i must

recognise attorney ben crump. i called him black america's attorney general. probably because we don't feel we have one. ben crump has fought and stood for many cases and he has with him a legal team i'm sure that will be acknowledged that we should not take for granted. when black lawyers take these cases like crump has, they're targeted by their bar associations, they're targeted by people that are envious and jealous. we need civil rights lawyers that are there for civil rights. not for civil settlements. and