Martin Luther King, Jr., radical prophet and preacher, is one of the first people I want to
meet. I will probably have to stand in line. He dared to have a dream for change in a never-ending storm. His God-given hope and direction called people to stand for right.
In my earliest years, I do remember watching riots on the
television and seeing dogs attacking people and water being used to subdue and
disperse crowds. These images were
disturbing for a child. One of the best
gifts my parents gave me was a love for all people and a living example of The
Golden Rule.
When Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot, I asked my mother what a negro was. She told me that M. was a
negro. M. worked for my grandparents and
I had known her all of my life. “Oh, her
skin is just a different color.” I was already being raised to judge a person
by the content of their character.
Although it was not for good, I have been judged by the color of
my skin. Neither were pleasant
experiences and both were desperate attempts to gain power. One was to make sure I was white and the
other was because I wasn’t black. This
was at a time of great racial tension in the education system, when integration
and busing were struggles in every community.
I was living in a different state each time.
In this day and time, I think most people have been judged by
the color of their skin. Our country has
a rainbow of colors. A few years ago, my
family toured The King Center in Atlanta.
For me, it was a reverent time, reminding me again of the
importance of Dr. King’s message.
I stood in line that day in Atlanta, waiting to sign a book of
reflection. A young African-American
woman was in front of me, writing a few sentences. She stepped away from the book. Imagine my
shock when I looked down and read her racist comments. I wrote a few words and came away, amazed
that she didn’t get the message which was all around her.
But now, thinking about it, I should not be surprised. So many things have not changed, especially
in the South.
Every Sunday morning, good Christian men tuck their shirts into
their pants, held up by the Bible Belt of the South. I have heard their ugly whisperings,
directing their hate at an image on the television, judging a man by the color
of his skin. However, their judgments
are made impotent by the lack of content in their character. These same men and women lifting their
praises to God on Sunday and whispering
their racist bitterness at lunch the next day.
Many years ago, a senator from Illinois came to town, stumping
for a fellow politician. My Daddy had
been following the politics of this young man.
We sat on the steps of the Capital, at the foot of the casual podium,
listening to this brief speech. When you
are close enough to hold eye contact with a man, in that brief second there is
a bond of relationship. My Daddy began
the last year of his life watching this Barack Hussein Obama take the oath of
office as President of the United States.
My father cried tears of joy.
He carried a New Testament in his briefcase and The Prayer of St.
Francis in his wallet. And Jesus in his heart.
Despite the progress made, the sky has never cleared completely, clouds linger low on the horizon. But hope is born everyday. The children are the answer. They do not describe or define a friend, teacher or a man walking down the street as black, white, Mexican.
Love is the answer today just as it was
fifty years ago. And every day is an
opportunity to act on the dream where all are created equal.
Prayer
of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
