“Trump’s Presidency has paved the way for a revolution against racism. … Just as the Abolitionists of the 1850’s demanded the immediate eradication of slavery, immediate equality must be the demand today.”
- Ibram X. Kendi, The End of Denial, Atlantic, Sept. 2020
I want to believe Ibram Kendi that our current President, by displaying for the American people the depth of the racism in our culture, has opened a real possibility to dismantle that racism and move toward equality.
I want to believe. The extent of the protests, the racial and generational diversity of the protestors, the duration of this uprising for justice all argue that Kendi may just be right.
But I keep having to quiet the insistent voice of experience. The Culture of White Supremacy has proven so resilient and adaptable. Victory after victory has been co-opted. The 14th Amendment became the basis for corporate personhood. Re-segregation of our schools and de-investment in public schools is our current reality, more than 6 decades after Brown v Board. Florida legislators are effectively overturning the explicit vote of the people to re-enfranchise felons who have served their time.
What I really believe is that the Culture of White Supremacy will not go quietly or without resistance.
There is an opening. But it will require a laser-like focus on equity, not opportunity alone. It will require of us that we keep our eyes on the prize. And it will require that we work hard to prevent our attention from being diverted from the goal.
Portland has become “ground zero” in keeping the possibility of real change open. The need for real change is so long standing and so pressing in our community. The energy in the uprising is so persistent. It should be no surprise that every attempt will be made to divert attention away from real change.
The introduction of federal troops can be seen as such diversion. The issues of freedom of speech and the separation of powers are very real (our congregational support of the Western States Center lawsuit is full-throated), but notice that the support for Black Lives and the urgency for structural change were so quickly lost in much of the conversation about the federal presence. The federal troops have “withdrawn,” but please note that the violence in response to the protests continues. Click the button below to read the report on Portland police violence published by Portland United Against Hate, a community coalition of which First Unitarian is a member.
The question of “good” protestors versus “bad” protestors is another opportunity for diversion. Remember that the question is critically NOT about good and innocent versus bad individuals. We have a system that needs changing.
We need to bring the conversation back to support for Black Lives. We need to keep our eyes on the prize of significant change…now.
Kendi concludes his recent article:
“The abolition of slavery seemed as impossible in the 1850’s as equality seems today. But just as the abolitionists of the 1850’s demanded the immediate eradication of slavery, immediate equality must be the demand today. Abolish police violence. Abolish mass incarceration. Abolish the wealth gap and the gap in school funding. Abolish barriers to citizenship. Abolish voter suppression. Abolish health disparities. Not in 20 years. Not in 10 years. Now.”
We need to keep our eyes on the prize.
Blessings,
Bill
PS: On August 23rd, I will be back in the pulpit and offering one of my questions and answers “sermons.” Those who have heard one of these before know how much I love the chance to hear the questions that you have and reflect back…in the moment…rather than in a more studied mode.
Especially for those of you who are new to our community, if you have a question about First Unitarian or about our faith, or if you have a spiritual question you are wrestling with in your own life, send that question to Q-and-A@firstunitarianportland.org. The questions will be organized by members of my Ministerial Relations Committee and given to me anonymously on the day of the service.
For longer-time members of the community, if there are questions that have become more pressing for you in these Covid-days, I would love to hear those too, or any others that are in your hearts.
And we will be asking the children of the congregation to submit questions again, as we did last year. The clarity of their questions is a gift to us all.
Bill