Editor’s note: As we reflect on one of the most tumultuous years in recent history, with movements that brought discussions of race and racism to the forefront, we offer a series focusing on the personal stories of the ways in which Lutherans are striving for racial justice in the world today.

On Sept. 2, nearly 200 people gathered for a prayer vigil at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wis., in response to turmoil there following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

In an excerpt from the vigil, Kara Baylor, campus pastor at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., encourages the church to learn and take action on issues of system racism, to change our hearts and to change the world.

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