Don’t silence the young people with: If MLK could see this, today! Please remember that MLK did NOT live to a ripe old age. He protested peacefully and was gunned down during a peaceful protest. Kaepernick protested peacefully, and we took his career away from him. What did that teach civil rights activists? Be prepared to be murdered for fighting against injustice, and silent protest is a muffled protest. The bottom line is this. Everyone of color in this country will experience a level of racism that makes their blood curl. Everyone of color in America has experienced a level of racism that made them angry. I have!
So, what do we do?
Who should prepare our children of today for the reality of living in a nation that still thinks that if you are peachy colored, an uneducated, you are superior to every person of color? I actually had someone say that to me one day. I looked at them in shock and her my granny’s voice in my head. “Consider the source, Joyce. Consider the source.” So who prepares children of color for the real world? Who prepares them for life in a world where one’s skin color determines their perceived value as a human being? Their parents, caregivers, etc., must prepare them for it. It is a reality that they will never be able to escape.
What about the church?
What about the church? Do we teach inclusivity? Are our doors open to all people? My local congregation is that place. People from every ethnic group, race, tribe and tongue are welcomed at Freedom Life Church In Bluffton, SC. We must teach about social justice as it is represented in the bible. We must teach our people about God’s perception of injustice (Click here to see some scriptures of that topic).
At one point, I wondered what they would think if they knew that most of the people in the bible, whom they worshipped, were people of color. Stories of people in the Bible who were identified as persons of color. We are all one in Christ. The grace of God is not determined by the person’s race. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). When the ‘CHURCH’ continues to make excuses for these hateful behaviors, it does not help either. Just because a person has a bible on their desk, in their purse, on their front door, walks down the street with it in their hands, it does not make them a Jesus follower. Just because they post scriptures every single day, it does not make them a Jesus follower. We must be the benchmark that the world uses to determine if they are walking justly.
How do we know who we should listen to for guidance?
People worship the Constitution but just remember this. The Constitution is not our Bible. It may be similar to the Bible, but The Bible came first. The Constitution came afterward. The Bible has more authority over our lives than the Constitution. When we follow it, we will find ourselves following the Constitution. The Bible tells us how to find peace with God. When we find peace in God, we receive grace from God, then we will be able to extend grace to others and become the agents of peace to those around us.
People will know if we are Jesus followers by the fruit that we produce. That fruit is evidenced in the words that come out of or mouths and our actions towards others. It is simple, really! Check yourself. Listen to the words that are coming out of your mouth. Who are you hanging out with? If the people you are hanging out with are hateful to others, then you probably are just like them. If you ever hear yourself saying, “Those people… …..” just know that you are a racist! Love your neighbor as yourself.
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