During a roundtable with faith leaders in Pittsburgh on Friday, a pastor told Vice President Mike Pence that “systemic racism is real.”
Pastor Ross Owens said that he is tired “because of all the racism I see.”
He thanked Pence for joining the panel of leaders at Covenant Church and listening before he explained the emotions he feels as a black parent.
“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,” he said. “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.”
He said he is tired because of the amount of racism he children experienced when they were in middle school.
“I had to comfort them when they came home on a daily basis because children who were once their friends were now targeting them openly, and there were no repercussions by the parents,” he said.
He said he fears for his son’s life as he teaches him how to drive and what to do if he is ever pulled over by a police officer.
“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,” he said. “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.”
After Owens finished his comments, Pence said he was “very moved” by what he heard.
“I’m inspired by the faith, the testimony of people gathered here,” he said. “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.”
He said he believes the church has “always played a central role in our march toward a more perfect union.”
“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,” he said.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.