Black History: My Story and Yours

The date was July 28, 1970. It was a warm summer evening in Bellevue Square, an inner-city housing project in Hartford Ct. On this particular night my older brother and I had devised a new form of entertainment for ourselves to ease our boredom. We emptied the trash can and filled it with as much hot water as one seven-year old and twelve-year kid could carry. We had a hunch (or had we seen?) that there was a nest of rats living in a hole under a set of concrete steps leading to the street in front of our apartment. As my brother poured the water down the hole, I stood at a distance anticipating the soon to be evicted rodents. Sure enough, as the water poured in, the rats came pouring out as I did my best to bean em’ with the rocks I had gathered for the event, while my brother cheered me on as if we were playing a carnival game and time was about to expire. In retrospect our fun may seem cruel, but in that moment we were having fun ridding our street of what everyone considered a nuisance. But even while we stood there, in the excitement of the moment, something else was already encroaching on our fun.  There was an odd smell in the air, something unfamiliar, but I knew it wasn’t good. I could also hear crowd noise around the corner and a few blocks up the street. Then my mother called us into the house; “Why? Whats happening? Whats going on?” But I could tell by the urgency in her voice that now wasn’t the time to argue: something was wrong. When we were safe inside, I was told that the smell was Tear Gas and that there was a riot going on. In the distance I could hear gun fire in the streets. This was the first night of six days of race riots, and I went to bed to the sound of sirens ringing in the distance.

The next day I went out to go on my usual run to Jimmy’s Five & Dime for some candy. As I stood across the street from Jimmy’s, you can’t imagine my shock (think Charlton Heston at the end of the Planet of The Apes): Jimmy’s Five & Dime, a mainstay in the community, burned down to the ground with the ashes still smoldering. Confused and disoriented, I wondered who would do such a thing and why? “Is Jimmy okay? He wasn’t very nice but, what will he do now, since he’s old?” And then, to myself and out loud, “Where will I go to get my candy?” Six weeks later, I would be transported to a new world; bused to a new school in Suffield Ct., a White suburb of Hartford, where the kids lived in nice homes, went on ski trips for vacation, and played ice hockey instead of “Bean the Rat”. For better and for worse, and with much anxiety, my world changed over night, as did the town of Suffield.

For me, Suffield was a microcosm and symbol of the continued progress being made in race relations and integration in the rest of the country: Suffield U.S.A. As could be expected, some of us handled the transition better than others, and some received us better than others. I had positive interactions with whites on a personal level before. My brother had started attending school there several years earlier, and we had whites who had come to visit us in the projects, including a white college student named “Rusty” who was a part of one of those ”Big Brother” programs created to help young inner city kids like myself, and I became his “Little Brother”, which seemed strange to me at first since to my thinking, I already had a big brother. Rusty was kind of a hippie, I guess. He wore suede leather pants and a jacket (like Daniel Boone) with matching sandals. His older sister was an elementary school teacher of mine, very conservative and strict, so that made him even more of a curiosity. Rusty seemed peculiar, but was kind, and I thought he was really cool, and he treated me with more respect than I was accustomed to from adults. We had fun together, and very quickly he became an important part of my story; my history, so I looked forward to my new adventure in the great white beyond.

Hangin’ out with a white “Big Brother” is easier than being accepted as a peer of the same age but different color. My first day of third grade was pretty scary, and I got into a fight with a classmate who called me the “N” word because I spoke up when he tried to cut in front of the other classmates in the lunch line (where does a third grader learn to call another kid that?). Though I had heard the word before, I didn’t like it, and had never been called one until then. I didn’t know what it meant but I knew it wasn’t good, so I punched him in the mouth.  I remember the fight, and the teacher pulling us off of each other. But over time, a truce was called. I remember the competition that was always beneath the surface of our play, but there was also a mutual respect, and growing friendship. I also remember the times  he stood up for me if anyone gave me a hard time. I also remember the time he invited me up to the head of the line to stand with him, and join him for lunch. I remember how we always made sure we were on the same team during recess, and how easy it was to laugh around him. I also remember us crying. Crying like babies as we embraced each other after learning that we might not see each other again because his father was transferring to another state for work. So we stood there like idiots, shedding tears, and holding on for dear life, and not caring who saw it. Our mutual respect was hard-won, and our friendship valued. My relationship with him and other whites in Suffield have shaped my life in significant ways, and I like to think that they were positively affected by what I added to theirs.

February is Black history month, and I recount these memories because I’m realizing more deeply that Black history is a shared story with all of America  because it is American history.  Not just in some abstract sense, but in a very real and embodied sense. It is a life lived, and a story shared with others, that is very rich and valuable. So, regardless of race or color, if you are American, Black history is also your history. For better or worse. Just as I did not live my life in a vacuüm, neither can you. Not anymore. For better and for worse, we have affected each other’s lives, and will continue to do so even more in the future. On a very micro level, what takes place in our families, relationships, and communities, is also reflected in our nation. How we interact with each other will not only touch our lives today, but will also reverberate through history in the lives and memories of our children, and their children will tell the tales of our experiences with those who were different from us. For better or for worse we are imprinting them with the blue print for tomorrow’s history, today. Indeed, Black history is my history, but it’s also yours. For better or for worse. 

Peace,

Roc

The Myth That Keeps Giving

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, “We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.” True story. And so, the Devil said, “OK, it’s a deal.” And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor.” – Pat Robertson

UrbanFaith.com has posted an article on Haiti and their supposed pact with the devil. What do you think? Was there such a pact? Or is it, as one commenter at UrbanFaith said, absurd to think that “God conspires with the white man to enslave, but the devil conspires with the Black man to liberate himself?”

Here is a quote from the article by Lakita Garth-Wright:

“It is apparent to anyone who knows the history of Haiti that the real dealings with the Devil have been three-fold: First, its initial contact with European colonization and the satanic institution of slavery; second, the nearly century’s long embargo that the West imposed on the island as retribution for liberating itself; and third, the economic exploitation perpetrated against Haiti by those very same Western players in modern times, as well as the poverty prostitution the nation has been forced to perform for the Devil’s spawn — the Bretton Woods system and its minions. The fact that the Haitians themselves have had a hand in their own suffering is well publicized, sampled, looped, and mixed. But it takes two to tango.”

You can read the rest of her post here: http://www.urbanfaith.com/2010/01/pat-robertson-was-right.html#comments

Wanted: “An African-American With No Negro Dialect”

“Could you talk a little more ‘Black’ ?” - White theatre director at my first professional acting audition

“Why you talkin all white?” - Black classmate of mine in Jr. High School

“Two things everbody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves” – Zora Neal Hurston (“Their Eyes Were Watchin’ God”)

Senator Harry Reid has come under fire with calls for his resignation due to a racial comment he made in private, but was recounted in ”Game Change”. During the 2008 presidential election, Reid was quoted as saying that Barack Obama would probably be successful as a candidate because he was “a light-skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” Well geez! Me and countless, and I do mean countless, other African-Americans said the same thing! Because we’re racist? No. It’s out of an awareness of the social climate we live in, and what facilitates success in a racialized America (by racialized, I mean race consciousness, not racist). 

  As a student enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University’s Theatre program, students were required to take voice and speech classes. Because the program was dedicated to training students who could perform the Classics, i.e. Shakespeare, Checkov, Moliere, the Greeks, we went through arduous training to not only learn other dialects, but also to unlearn any regional dialects we may have brought with us. The idea was that if we students were to perform the classics with our “native” dialects, some from Brooklyn “Nu Yawk”, England, Latin America, Texas, Russia, well… no one would really accept us as authentically living in the worlds we were trying to portray on the stage. We would lose credibility. As a foundation, we were all taught ”Standard American English” (which most Americans do not even speak). Some African-American students resented being “stripped” of their dialect which they saw as a part of their cultural identity, and saw it as an attempt by “The Man” to coerce them into assimilating into “White” culture. Actually, it was a service to us (I am an African-American) by making us more  skilled in our chosen field. We understood the distinctives of black dialect, even if not all of the African-American students spoke in it.

Although I’m disappointed that people equate “Black english” with a lack of intelligence, nevertheless, there is such a dialect, and in many circles, no one who speaks poorly, or has a poor use of proper english, is seen as highly intelligent, fair or not (and it is unfortunate). And yet, there is a need to connect to the masses, on their terms and in their vernacular, or as Paul the Apostle has said: “To be all things to all people, that you may win some.”  The truth is most of us, Black people included, know that not all Blacks speak in “black english”, and so does Senator Reid, and that some do. That there are some who use “proper” english, and some who can do both when necessary. Reid simply acknowledged this fact, which only highlights the silliness of pretending we don’t know what Reid is talking about when he speaks of a “black” dialect. I for one, as well as many African- Americans I spoke with during the presidential campaign, commented on how Obama would go in and out of his “Black-cent” based on the audience and the message he wanted to send. So, attacking Reid for saying out loud what we were already thinking (Come on, admit it), is hypocritical. 

African-American conservative John McWhorter (due to the subject of the post, I’m intentionally pointing out ethnicity to show diversity of thought on this issue), a scholar, author, and linguist, who is fluent in five different languages (including “black english” I suppose ;-0), had this to say about the Harry Reid controversy: 

“In mentioning that Obama doesn’t speak in “dialect,” Reid acknowledged something many blacks are hot and quick to point out, that not all black people use Black English. Okay, they don’t – and Reid knows. He didn’t seem surprised that Obama can not sound black when he talks – he was just pointing out that Obama is part of the subset of blacks who can. He knows there is such a subset. Lesson learned. Indeed Reid implied that black dialect is less prestigious than standard, such that not speaking it made Obama more likely to become President. That is, he implied what we all think too: Black English is, to the typical American ear, warm, honest — and mistaken. If that’s wrong, okay – but since when are most Americans, including black ones, at all shy about dissing Black English? And who among us — including black people — thinks someone with what I call a “black-cent” who occasionally popped up with double negatives and things like aks could be elected President, whether it’s fair or not? Reid, again, deserves no censure for what he said unless we’re ready to censure ourselves too.”

You can read John McWhorter’s article here: http://www.tnr.com/blog/john-mcwhorter/reids-three-little-words-the-log-our-own-eye

Peace,

Roc

Not The Usual Suspects

Dan, over at Cerulean Sanctum has followed up his last post, “Your Holy Spirit is W-A-Y To Safe”, with an addendum:

“Should churches see revival in the days ahead, I believe that those touched by genuine moves of the Holy Spirit are going to be those OUTSIDE traditional charismatic church venues. These will be churches where people have been earnestly praying for God to shake them out, churches filled with people most desiring of repentance, not charismata.” http://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/01/not-to-us.html

The Conservative Idolatry Project

Some conservatives have decided to publish a Bible that reflects ”conservative” cultural values. According to The Conservative Bible Project, ”As of 2009, there is no fully conservative translation of the Bible”, so they’re going to produce one with a word and thought translation that follows conservative guidelines designed to correct the other “defective” translations. 

For years I’ve warned Christians of  the dangers of conflating Christianity with political ideologies (liberal or conservative), and how good ideas become ideologies, and then under the right (and sometimes threatening) conditions, morph into full-blown idols with a life all their own. It looks as if conservatism is taking another step in that direction.

You can read Ben Witherington’s post on The Conservative Bible Project here:  http://blog.beliefnet.com/bibleandculture/2010/01/the-conservative-bible-project.html

Roc

Megachurches: Crossing The Racial Divide

Time magazine has published a major report on the desegregation of the American church: Can Megachurches Bridge the Racial Divide? http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1950943,00.html. The progress of  Bill Hybels and Willow Creek Community Church is featured.

“Since Reconstruction, when African Americans fled or were ejected from white churches, black and white Christianity have developed striking differences of style and substance. The argument can be made that people attend the church they are used to; many minorities have scant desire to attend a white church, seeing their faith as an important vessel of cultural identity. But those many who desire a transracial faith life have found themselves discouraged — subtly, often unintentionally, but remarkably consistently. In an age of mixed-race malls, mixed-race pop-music charts and, yes, a mixed-race President, the church divide seems increasingly peculiar. It is troubling, even scandalous, that our most intimate public gatherings — and those most safely beyond the law’s reach — remain color-coded.”

(Hat tip to Ed Gilbreath at Reconciliation Blog: http://edwardg.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/the-desegregation-of-the-american-megachurch/).

A Too Timid and Powerless Church?

Dan, over at Cerulean Sanctum, is asking “Why is the Church in America so timid and powerless?”

“When the Holy Spirit shows up in power in a church, the status quo changes. Those people especially touched by Him, ones who were often sideline sitters, suddenly are empowered to take on new roles and responsibilities within the body of Christ. The old ways of doing church fall into line with God’s way. Distracting programs and costly plans end up abandoned. Miracles happen. The charismatic gifts break out. And on and on. And that threatens a lot of people. Especially those in charge.”

http://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/01/your-holy-spirit-is-w-a-y-too-safe.html

Life Lessons of 2009: Some Things I Learned

After a long, unplanned, and unannounced sabbatical from my blog (please forgive the absence), I am now ready to resume blogging. I know that I’ve certainly lost some readers, but according to the number of clicks I’ve continued to receive, there seems to be a continued interest, as well as some new readers of old posts. So next week I’ll resume making regular posts, but there will also be some changes; to the links on my blog roll, maybe the look of the site, and possibly even a name change (all of which reflect some of the changes I’ve gone through over the past year). I hope you’ll come on board, and check it out. Meanwhile, with the coming of a new year comes new resolutions. Though I haven’t made any (I am working on my “goals” for the year), below I have posted some of my reflections on some of the things I learned in 2009.  I pray that we’ll all have a great and prosperous 2010!

Peace,

Roc

Life Lessons of 2009: Some Things I learned

- Regarding religious and political systems, ten years after The Matrix I still find that it’s better to take the “red pill”. Many people, however, are still not ready to be “unplugged”, and will always prefer the safety of the “blue pill” rather than the real deal (Colossians 2 and Matthew 23:37). 

- Following Christ and practicing religion is still not the same thing (Luke 10:25-37).  

- Crises that make a person weak and vulnerable to attack (divorce, sickness, depression, loss, etc.) will reveal true friends and supporters, while exposing false friends and hidden enemies (Psalm 35:10-28)… 

- …And yet, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). 

- I’ve read it many times, but now know it to be true: Jesus did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10:34-39). Following Him will separate you from your idols, no matter how dear. He wants to BE our Peace. 

- God is merciful and just: He wastes no experience and is able to redeem our losses (grace always abounds more than our failures). And no one “gets away” with anything, so do not worry or retaliate returning evil for evil (Psalm 37:1-15). Forgiveness can be hard to give and to receive, but love wins out. 

- Gratitude is a key to joy, even in the midst of hardship. Gratitude and hardship; the two are not mutually exclusive: secret treasures are hidden in dark places. 

- Destiny may be an event in life, but it is also present in the moment, in the choices we make while walking in God’s will day by day (Proverbs 16:9). 

- Time flies, so it’s important to “number our days”, forgetting the past, enjoying life as it comes, redeeming the time by making the most of every opportunity. :-)

 Roc

David and Absolom Part 1

I’ve been in the process of moving (and everything that goes with relocating) so, Its been several weeks since I last posted.  Before my move, I considered doing a series of posts on King David and his son Absolom.  Now that I’m somewhat settled in, my thoughts continue to return to their story.  King David, late in life and not for the first time, was forced to flee his home and his kingdom in order to escape from his own flesh and blood who had waged a rebellion and usurped his place as king.  It was arguably the lowest point in David’s life. 

Much is written about King David, “A man after God’s own heart”, a “Warrior Poet”.  King David, however, also had many weaknesses, and committed sins that would disqualify him from leadership in most any Christian (and secular) organization today.  Yes, David was intimate with God, and was a wonderful leader of men but, he was also one susceptible to the temptations of power, lustful toward women, negligent toward his family, tempted by vengeance, and often emotional to the point of over-sentimentality.  As  Gene Edwards wrote in, Tale of Three Kings, early in his campaign as a leader, David lead hundreds of  ”no-goods” and they were stuck “with a leader who cried a lot”.  It was these weaknesses, namely his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, and his negligence as a father, that was directly responsible for this present crisis in his life.  Thus enters Absolom.

Absolom, harboring (and hiding) a long held grudge, deep wounds, resentment, and bitterness, used his intimate awareness of David’s most personal weaknesses and failings as a leader and father, to seize an opportunity to usurp David’s authority and make himself king.  Through vanity, deceit, and false pretenses of reconciliation and justice, he not only stole the hearts of the people but, also the allegiance of David’s friends and counselors. 

Nevertheless, despite his failings, and true to his character, David (a man after God’s own heart), rather than fight for what was rightfully his, he left in order to spare the city from civil war, because at this point staying to fight would have divided the people and torn the kingdom apart:

“Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.” – 2 Samuel 15:14 

He decided to flee like a fugitive, leaving his loved ones, his home and his kingdom, to go into exile, trusting that God would do what was ultimately best; that if it pleased Him to do so, God would restore him in His way and in His time.

Over the next few weeks, I will continue to write about Absolom’s rebellion and David’s exile, and will explore how God disciplines, and ultimately justifies and vindicates his own.  Until then, read the story of David and Absolom for yourself  (2 Samuel chapters 13-19).  It’s a compelling page-turner full of intrigue and invaluable lessons for the reader.  

Peace,

Roc

Translating God

Today, Jonathan Dodson continues with part 2 of his post on Simple Church:

“God is translatable, just as the Bible is translatable. God was touchable in Jesus: he ate, he slept, he walked, he talked. In many respects, he communicated the complexity of divinity in simplicity, so that even common fishermen could catch on.”

Continue reading at http://theresurgence.com/Dodson_TwoKindsofSimpleChurch_Part2.

Roc