Dear Editor,
Racism is evil. Racism is real. Racism hurts everyone it touches at the individual level, the family level, and the community level.
Racism is an equal opportunity malady that ravages human nature. When racism raises its ugly head, it must be confronted.
In his letter to the Christians in Galatia, the Apostle Paul gave a stern and direct warning to the believers, Continue reading
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Michelle Obama spoke at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago last Tuesday. She spoke of overcoming the challenges she experienced.
She said that “people” doubted her ability to make it at Princeton. She offered this advice, “All you can do is put your head down and do the work and let the work, your truth, speak for itself.”
In other words, do not let the opinions, or perceived opinions, of others hold you down. Put your best into what you are doing. That is wise counsel.
But then she continued:
“I can’t make people not afraid of black people. I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t explain what’s happening in your head, but maybe if I show up every day as a human, a good human, doing wonderful things, loving my family, loving our kids, taking care of things that I care about — maybe, just maybe that work will pick away at the scabs of your discrimination. Maybe that will slowly unravel it. That’s all we have, because we can’t do it for them, because they’re broken. Their brokenness in how they see us is a reflection of this brokenness. And you can’t fix that.” (Michelle Obama – Obama Foundation Summit Chicago, Il. October 29, 2019)
When she talks about “how they see us,” I assume that “us” is a reference to herself and other black individuals. I wonder, however, who are “they?” Who are “people” who are afraid of black people? Who are the “broken?”
I am not afraid of black people. Most people I know are not afraid of black people. As far as I can tell, black people are not afraid of me and they do not feel that I am afraid of them.
We live in the same neighborhoods. We go to the same schools. We cheer for the same football teams. We go to work together. We worship God together. We have the same concerns for those around us. We grieve when a loved one dies. We suffer and persevere through life’s difficulties and rejoice in life’s celebrations.
In other words, we don’t focus on each other’s skin color. We see each other as valued human beings.
I heartily agree with her wise advice to “do the work.” This is not black advice, white advice, or advice limited to any other racial or ethnic group. This is wise advice for all.
But she undermines that wise advice by making the blanket statement that black people are feared. She leaves the impression that anyone who is not black is afraid of black people.
The idea that everyone whose skin is a different color, is afraid of you, creates defensiveness. It does not build trusting relationships and working together to build a stronger community.
By making undefined broad generalizations, Michelle Obama plants a seed of victimization. That seed sprouts fear, division, and prejudice.
Whatever it is that Michelle Obama sees in “people” who are afraid of black people, it does not reflect the truth. Perhaps the truth is that what Michelle Obama sees is actually a reflection of her own perspective.
by There are two significant dates in the month of January that impact America. No, one of them is not the Superbowl.
One is a day in which we recognize the life of a man who led a movement for justice and freedom. He forced America to face the evil of discriminating against people based on the color of their skin. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is on the third Monday in January.
The other is a dark day in American history. It is not a federal holiday and is not one to be celebrated with joy.
On the contrary, it should be acknowledged with repentance and deep sorrow. It should be acknowledged with a cry to the Almighty for forgiveness.
That day is January 22, 1973. On that day that the Supreme Court of the United States shook its fist in the face of the Supreme ruler of the Universe by ruling that unborn children were not persons, therefore did not have the unalienable right of life.
What an irony of American history. One day celebrating the righting of the terrible wrong of racism. Another day, that ruled that an unborn child had no more rights than a housefly crushed to death with a swat as a mere nuisance.
That dreadful decision unleashed the holocaust of abortion. Planned Parenthood and other abortionists have brutally killed millions since that decision.
This commentary is focused on the day we recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
On January 15, 1929 a mother gave birth to a boy in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 39, his life was cut down in Memphis, Tennessee by the bullet fired by James Earl Ray, a hate-filled, evil, cowardly, sniper.
I just read Dr. King’s, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” dated April 16, 1963. It is his response to a published statement by eight clergymen It is said that he wrote it on the margins of a newspaper and on scraps of paper.
Tweets, memes, and 30 second sound bites are the basic literature of today’s culture. They usually degrade to name calling and insults.
We should regularly set those temporary blurbs aside lest they drag us down along with them. We should take the time to read on deeper, more thoughtful, literature, such as the Bible, biographies, and the writing of great thinkers and leaders that will stand the test of time.
King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is one of those writings that will stand the test of time. I was particularly impressed with a section of his letter that addressed the state of the church in American society.
It was written over a half century ago. It could have been written yesterday. I have highlighted phrases of particular impact.
There was a time when the church was very powerful — in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.” But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.”By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.
Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent — and often even vocal — sanction of things as they are. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.
If I attempted to add anything to his commentary on the church, it would only dilute the power of the message. I encourage you to read Dr. King’s complete letter. You can find it here: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
On Tuesday, I will address Roe v Wade, the day of sorrow for America.
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