I had a choice, go along or bring the fire. I was asked to submit memories of my youth in church for a commemorative program. I understood the question and intent; but, I know my responses were not what they had in mind.
I can see this art work from my desk. The Water Bearer by Lorna Simpson is profound to me. It depicts life, history, perception and so much more. For church memories, do I tell what happened that had a lasting impact on me or a delightful anecdote?
The church gave me experience with civil rights in the 1960s. While history is portrayed as people being behind Martin Luther King or Malcom X, in the early 1960’s, it wasn’t that simple. No one in the community said much about Malcolm X. It was almost as if there was a fear to even say the name after he was assassinated in 1965. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published after his death; my dad had the book in paperback. My mom sometimes took me to work with her and when I heard academics mention “that book – The Autobiography of Malcolm X” at Hampton University, it was in hushed tones.
In the church, I heard debates on “What are we? Negros, Afro American or Black”? The consensus of the elders was Negro. Afro American was rather distasteful and black was unacceptable. It was 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated in April, James Brown released a new single, “Say it Out Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” in August. The following year in 1969, Nina Simone released “Young, Gifted and Black.”
The church had a congregation with a lot of Negro parents with mostly black offspring. One Sunday morning with men in suits and women literally in their Sunday best, the pastor takes to the pulpit and starts to talk about “Black Power.” You could watch the squirms, hear the uncomfortable coughs and feel the discomfort of the elders and at the same time the exuberance of the youth. Soon after, that pastor was given the opportunity to find employment elsewhere. My dad, who was on the board of trustees for the church, began a boycott that lasted years because of the firing.
For a couple of years, it would be the same discussion every Sunday morning. My mom would beg my dad to come to church with us and he would explain why not. After a year, when she’d ask, he’d give her a look. By year three, no further discussion. I don’t have a memory of when he returned. Funny how the mind works. The pastor had a choice. My father had a choice. I have a choice. This week, consider your principles. Who are your choices for and do your principles reflected in your choices.
What is history, who gets to write it? A sanitized history presents everything as black and white rather than complex and sets a false narrative that causes frustration and division with today’s issues. Games, competitions, even simple tasks, you learn tricks and recognize patterns and get better. Without the full history and background, you have a fairytale that ends with happily ever after.
On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet has been viewed more than 10 million times.
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 
Powerful post
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