R E F L E C T
If you were busy celebrating Independence Day this year with a cheerful gathering (large or small) of family and friends, fireworks, good food, laughter and joy…I do hope that you had a wonderful weekend. I also hope that you can spend some time reflecting on the following:
What is it about the United States of America that you love? What components of your freedom bring you happiness and pride?
Think about those things.
Does everyone who lives in our country have access to those things? Does everyone in our country benefit from those things you are thinking of? How different someone else’s answer to those questions might be…
If you can think of people who live in our country and do not have the same freedoms, do not have the same benefits that you do…what is different about those people that come to mind?
Lastly, think critically about yourself and your opinions.
What have you personally done to guarantee that you can have the opportunities you have? What have you personally done to give yourself the chances you’ve been given?
What have other people, people who are different than you, personally done to NOT have those same opportunities and chances? Do you think less of those people or do you understand the systemic disadvantage that some people have?
Can you recognize that discrimination, racism, hate, etc have impacted the lives of many human beings from birth? Can you recognize that the color of your skin has had a significant impact on your life from the start, through no fault or credit of your own?
This is not a time to say things like “well they fatally shot him because he resisted arrest” or “okay but not all cops are bad so why are they protesting…”
This is a time to process, mourn, and accept the FACT that systemic racism exists and has caused years of human suffering. This is a time to recognize that police officers should never, ever use fatal force on any human being unless that human being is directly threatening the lives of that officer or other people. This is also a time to research what Defund the Police actually means before you decide the cause is garbage, because it does not mean taking away all police funding. We know there are many good cops out there, but until there are ZERO instances of tolerated excessive force and racial injustice within law enforcement…there will be cause to speak out and take action. Until good cops are not fired or reprimanded for standing up against those officers who commit these acts…there will be cause to speak out and take action.
It’s not okay “because he resisted” or “because we thought we were in the right house” or because “he had his hands up but we still felt threatened”. We’re talking about the justification of killing an unarmed person. And we have an overwhelming amount of examples where this occurrs with POC, all while armed white people (some waving a weapon around acting irrationally, some who just finished committing murder) are taken into custody unharmed.
It’s not okay. We are not okay. If your eyes are closed to this I pray that they be opened.
I understand that our country has done some great things and we do have some things that are worthy of celebration. However, until we can show (not just say) that we truly are ONE nation that fights for the rights of ALL, EQUALLY…we have a long way to go before celebration is really due.
This issue is bigger than those things we could put on our list to celebrate on Independence Day. Racism and inequality are too important to brush off and overshadow with fireworks and grilled food.
So…if you celebrated Independence Day this year (and I think many of us did), I hope you will *also* reflect on what’s happening in our world and how you can be a part of making our country a place that all people can feel proud of.
And for the Christians (myself being one) – we are all equal at the foot of the cross. God is very clear about whose image we are ALL made in, and how we are to love one another. We need to do better. WWJD…
So God created mankind in his own image…
Genesis 1:27
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12: 30-31
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12: 15-26
Love the Belly of the Whale 