Love American Style...

...truer than the red, white, and blue", at least that is what the theme from the 70's TV classic show says, but for some reason that idea skipped New Orleans, LA. Here in 2009, a couple was denied a marriage license by a justice (and I use that tern loosely) of the peace becasue the couple were of different ethnicities. A Black man and White woman were denied the blessing of being lawfully wed because the judge didn't think it proper to marry a mixed couple becasue he was concerned about them having mixed offspring. Mixed offspring? The last I checked, we were all mutts, no "pure" anything. If he goes back far enough, I'm sure the good judge will find some chocolate and brown sugar in his family mix, it's LOUISIANA!!! The "swirl" has been there for centuries! Let's be honest people, Massa' was up in the slave quarters and doing as he pleased with his "property" often against her will, sometimes not.

This brings me to a revelation I had in my own heart that I have had to struggle with. In our society, it has become a common sight to see a Black man with a White, Hispanic, or sometimes, an Asian woman. Now what you don't see a lot of is a Black women with White men, at least I haven't. I found that I didn't react to the former, but felt different about the latter. I had to confront this hypocrisy in my own heart. It is becasue of my knowledge of the history of slavery in this country that caused me to feel "hurt" when I saw a Black woman with a White man. As I described above, it was the sickening norm for female African slaves to be raped and molested by the captains and crew of the slave ship. The humiliation continued for centuries on the plantation. If the woman happened to have a husband (even though the marriage wasn't legally recognized by the state), the master or foreman could and did, take the woman and have their way with them in the presence of the husband at times. How? The husband knew that he was powerless to do anything about it without putting the lives of his family and himself in danger. Any resistance would be met with beatings, selling off of the children, or being hung.

With this knowledge, I projected the evils of something from the past onto the people of the present. No longer is a Black woman forced into a relationship she does not want. What right did I have to think "Wow, are there no good Black men anymore that you have to take a White man as a boyfriend or spouse?" Because of the negative portrayal of Black men in the media, my thought was that she was buying into the stereotype of the "no good, lazy, violent, womanizing, no good coon", and opting for the "wealthy ,powerful, hard working White man who built this country from scratch and saved it form the "evil" indigenous people." It was a kick in the stomach to me. I thought that she must have suffered from a type of "Stockholm Syndrome", where the captive begins to sympathize with the ideology of their captors and take their point of view, the captors being the media in this case.

I had to repent and check myself. When a man and a woman love each other and vow to serve each other in love, who cares what ethnic group they belong to? In the eyes of God it is IRRELEVANT! Love has nothing to do with color, it has to do with dying to yourself and putting the others needs above your own, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Love American style indeed.

Roaring Silence and "Dagger Vision"

Last weekend, I had an experience that I will not soon forget. An elder from our church and I went to see a brother who was incarcerated in S. Illinois. During the 400 mile trip, the elder and I were talking about race and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true healing solution to this problem. We visited the man and were blessed by his warmth and joy in the midst of his situation and the harsh environment he is in. The elder and I stayed overnight and left on Monday morning. On our way back, we stopped in a small town McDonald's to get breakfast.

Then the adventure began...

As we stepped into the restaurant, I made for the men's facilities, that's when I noticed the stares. I came out of the restroom and went to stand in line to order. The person who took my order was pleasant and smiling. As my friend and I received our order and sat down, I felt the eyes upon us and the silence was deafening. One old farmer in particular was staring at me. I caught his glance and smiled and nodded at him, needless to say the gesture was not returned. Now one could argue that it was just the one guy, but wait there's more. While we continued our meal, two town sheriffs came and ate next to us. When I tried to say hello, I was ignored. Why? My friend also noticed the thick and very unwelcoming atmosphere. This was a town that time forgot. One would think they have stepped back fifty years into a restaurant that would have proudly displayed a sign that said "WHITES ONLY". Even the music that was being piped in was from the early 1960's. If you have ever seen "Forrest Gump", there was a scene where Forrest was a teenager being chased by guys in a pickup truck. The music they were playing in the background accurately matched the atmosphere we found ourselves in.

As we left the restaurant, my friend, an older white gentleman, saw and sensed the uneasiness I felt and he also saw the behavior of the camouflage cap wearing hunters and farmers who glared at me. For this writer, I now see that the silent stare is now the new way of saying "nigger".

This is a situation that challenges one to pray fro those who may despise you. If someone had shouted out "Get out out of here nigger, and take your nigger lovin' friend with you.", it would have been my duty towards Christ to forgive and pray for them. I did pray for them. In this day and age, many still hold on to the evils of the past and refuse to move on. It is a shame and a sad thing for them, but we must love then nonetheless as Jesus does.