We are past the one-fifth of the way through the twenty-first century mark. Racial equality is still one of the most divisive political issues faced by our country. Even the statement, "We've made a lot of progress" is not commonly accepted, especially among people who belong to the largest non-white racial group in America, African-Americans, or among those who belong to the largest ethnicity among Caucasian Americans, those of Hispanic or Latino origin.
We've just had verdicts handed down in three high-profile trials in which race was most definitely an issue. Kyle Rittenhouse's victims were white, though they clearly had taken a side that was quite different from that of Rittenhouse, running counter to his clearly stated reasons for showing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin with a high powered rifle. But in the other two cases, one related to the "Unite the Right" rally in which a counterprotester was killed and where white supremacist groups had gathered in opposition to the removal of statues of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, the other the Ahmad Arbery murder case in Brunswick, Georgia, race was a major factor in the crimes committed.
How Much "Progress" Has Been Made?
These three recent, high profile cases, with results that are equivocal at best when it comes to measuring the progress this county has made when it comes to embedded racial bigotry, do show some progress. Very little, given the circumstances and the time in which we are living, but progress. But the goal should not be "to make progress," the goal should be to ensure that every American citizen has equal protection under law. And that is clearly not the case.
That's why there is, in the twenty-first century, a new civil rights movement in the United States. That's why Black Lives Matter, in the form of both the organization itself, and the larger movement of people who recognize that racial prejudice still exists, especially in matters related to law enforcement and policing, has florished to the point where it influences elections and policing policy. That's why people are "woke," a term that generally applies to the awareness of racial prejudice and bigotry and which indicated favor toward legislation of social policy that guarantees equal rights for persons who are of a minority race or ethnic background.
The guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd is not a sign that a goal has been reached. It does represent progress, but that trial took place in one of America's most politically liberal cities. The fact that it was such a rarity for a police officer to be found guilty in the murder of a black man is proof that bigotry and racial prejudice is still a major social problem and in spite of all of our resources and our education, is still a long way from being resolved.
The Rittenhouse verdict simply endorsed the practice of vigilantism. That's a huge step backward, as far as I am concerned, nullifying the whining and complaining done about the violence of the protests that occurred in Kenosha following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police. I don't condone violence or destruction of property as part of a protest, that accomplishes absolutely nothing except fuelling more hatred and creating more innocent victims, including those that Rittenhouse killed and injured.
The Rev. Roy Peeples, Pastor of the Turning Point Life Church in Kenosha, said after the protests, "We're all living in trauma, but when I see the fear that was on the faces and on the minds of the white citizens, it reminded me of one thing: It's that you endured maybe one week of this and you understood what that did to the body. Everything reacted to that and it was so hard. But look from my viewpoint--I've had generation after generation of this trauma, because I'm African American."
That's why we have to listen to you, Rev. Peeples. Listen, and not talk so much.
Listen Before Speaking
A Republican candidate for governor of Virginia was elected by what eventually turned out to be fewer than 65,000 votes out of over 3.2 million cast. The exit polling shows that a major factor which drove Republican turnout was the non-existent teaching of "Critical Race Theory" in Virginia's public schools. Ask someone who thinks they know something about CRT and what they will most likely tell you will be completely inaccurate, especially if they start using adjectives like "socialist" or "Marxist." Conservative Christian denominations and churches dismiss it because "it does not have its origins in Biblical teaching."
If Christians in the political right think they have the answer to resolving racial bigotry and prejudice, then let's see where that's been put into practice in the churches. If that's the case, then integrated, racially and ethnically diverse congregations where everyone shares leadership equally and where pastors who aren't white are accepted as spiritual leaders by everyone in the congregation should be the norm, while churches made up of one predominant race should be rare. Oh, so that's not the way it is? Then perhaps, before making a judgement or condeming CRT, or using it to get votes, developing an understanding of what it really is and more specifically, understanding the experience of the people, should come first. The widespread segregation that exists in American Christianity, most notably among conservative Christians, nullifies any criticism of Critical Race Theory.
CRT doesn't have "Marxist" origins, nor is it "socialist" in its philosophy. And I'm pretty certain, given the extent to which African American Christians have developed their theology and doctrine, that they don't see CRT as anti-Christian or anti-Biblical. It originates from their own experience.
Being "Woke," is nothing more or less than having an active awareness of the extent of racial bigotry and prejudice, particularly against African Americans, in all of the aspects of society where it exists, including government and politics, law enforcement, education and in the church. Black Lives Matter is one of several groups in what is a new wave of the civil rights movement, a general response to bigotry but a specific reaction to it among law enforcement and in government. Oppression gets a response and it is neither realistic, nor moral in my humble opinion, to claim that African Americans ought to be grateful for the changes and progress that have occurred and should be expressing thanks that it's not worse, instead of protesting for continued change.
Those Who Fail to Understand History are Condemned to Repeat It
Racial and ethnic bigotry is one of the most deep-seated problems humanity faces. Minority groups within a specific culture become easy scapegoats for economic or political problems, pandemics, wars, poverty and crime. Little consideration is given to the root causes of the problems, including circumstances which caused a particular minority group to develop a separate culture from the majority, because of segregation and isolation.
Slavery, which came to America in I6I9 shortly after the first settlement was established, ended with the passage of the thirteenth amendment. Ironically, it was two Union states, Delaware and Kentucky, where slavery was still in effect after the end of the war but the constitutional amendment took care of that. So the most immediate problem became what to do with five million newly freed slaves. The devastated, collapsed Southern states did not have the resources to take care of what amounted to a third of their total population.
Abolition of slavery was one thing, assimilation of the former slave population into American society and culture was quite another, and not all of those who pushed to abolish slavery were willing to consider plans which allowed for the integration of five million former slaves, of African American descent, into the culture. So the plan that was developed, which we now know as Reconstruction, was designed to keep most of them where they were, in the South, and to punish the Southern states for the rebellion.
Reconstruction did not lead to any kind of assimilation or integration of former slaves into the culture. It simply increased resentment and led to hatred against them, because property and resources to support them were taken from others who were also struggling to survive economically. African Americans did benefit from Reconstruction, especially prior to the southern states being re-admitted to the union. They were given land from former plantations, jobs working for the government rebuilding the ruined towns and cities, railroad lines and other infrastructure, and a measure of freedom which encouraged some African Americans to run for, and be elected to, government positions, as long as most former Confederates were not allowed to vote.
But Reconstruction only lasted for a decade. Even with the heavy hand of the federal government forcing the issue of equal rights for former slaves, it was pretty clear that southern society would remain segregated. And even though the Republican party likes to claim credit for freeing the slaves, in just over a decade after the Civil War ended, I876 to be exact, they were willing to trade off Reconstruction and equal rights for African Americans for political gain, basically, a "deal" that would give Rutherford Hayes enough electoral votes to claim the White House over Democrat Samuel Tilden, who actually won the election and also laid claim to the disputed votes.
In exchange for those 20 electoral votes, the Republicans would end Reconstruction. As a result, the few gains made by African Americans were wiped out. They were terrorized, driven off the land they had aquired, lost their voting rights, job opportunities and in many cases, found themselves worse off than they had been under slavery, where at least food, clothing and shelter had been provided for them. Many of them migrated to the north, where there was still discrimination, segregation and poverty. As it turned out, while some of those who advocated for the abolition of slavery were ready and willing to support equal rights and opportunity for African Americans, most people still believed in white supremacy and a segregated society.
It would be ninety years before the Civil Rights movement would gain enough traction and support to start making a difference. It took time, even in the northern states, for African Americans to gain political influence to the point where things started to work for them. While they did have political allies among whites, and their influence grew post-World War 2, virtually all of the gains and progress that was made was dependent on the effort made by African Americans on their own behalf. The initiatives for change have all come from leaders within the African American community, the majority of them pastors and church leaders. Black Lives Matter is just a continuation of the movement for equality, along with theories for resolution of the problem, like Critical Race Theory. Accusations that these movements and what they've produced are "Marxist" or "socialist" fall short of being able to prove their contention. Those are buzz words, aimed at keeping progress on this issue from moving forward, just like the aim of every attack against the Civil Rights movement.
A Moral Failure
The continued inability of America to recognize the equality of African Americans and dismantle a segregated society is a moral failure. Communities are still segregated and people still exhibit fear of venturing out into neighborhoods and areas where the popuulation is made up of a majority of people of a different race. In spite of efforts to integrate public schools, middle class whites simply moved into school districts in suburban areas wherer they were the racial majority. Evangelical Christian churches and denominations are so segregated, they are identified separately, with "White Evangelicals" being distinguished from "Historically African American" churches and denominations, in spite of having most doctrine and theology in common.
African Americans are as much a part of the history and development of the United States of America as whites are. They did much of the hard labor in gathering the resources and building this nation. They are not outsiders, they are as American whose roots go as far back as any white, European descended Americans do. They are expressing their desire for equality and offering ideas about how to achieve that goal and instead of attacking it, calling it "Marxist" or dismissing it as "socialist," they are entitled to be heard.
So wake up, be "woke" and listen to voices like Roy Peeples. "I've had generations of this trauma, because I am African-American."
It's time for the trauma to end.
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