Maybe my head has been in the sand a little lately, but I am really perplexed by the overt expressions of racism and segregation that still plague our society. My angst was sparked after I watched a documentary on HBO entitled: Prom Night In Mississippi (filmed in 2008 – last year – a little more than a year ago), where Morgan Freeman challenged the powers that be at Charleston High School to change the policy of having a traditionally segregated prom. I have never heard of such a thing. I thought…a segregated prom? What in the world is that?? That sounded so bass ackwards to me. A segregated prom?! I had to check the year we are living. I literally pulled my phone to see what year it was. It felt a little time warp-ish.
Anyway…Mr. Freeman spoke directly to the students and asked, “What do you want? Do you want to have your prom together?” They wanted to integrate the event – most of them anyway. “We’ve been going to school with each other since we were in elementary and now we can’t attend one of the biggest events of our senior year together?” Many of the young people were ambivalent stating, “This is how I was raised.” Others were firm in their stance. For that I was proud. At the conclusion, a “White prom” ensued as well as the “Mixed prom.” They both seemed to go over without a hitch. But it left me really confused. There were so many layers and so many questions. First there was an interracial couple that spoke boldly about their affection toward one another since the 7th grade – WHOA! I remember my Pastor saying, “Don’t laugh at puppy love. It’s love to the puppy.” So I dare not quantify what they feel for one another based on their age. I think the part that stuck out to me was the warning of his parents (he was Black). He said they told him to, “Be careful” because of the lynching and beatings that take place in the south. All I could think about was Emmitt Till.
In the HBO documentary, there was the White couple with the Black best friend who had been traumatized publicly by the authorities. There was the White girl, shy, who didn’t quite understand why it was that she would never embrace a Black friend but she just knew she wouldn’t. There was the parent who spoke candidly that her grandparents taught her that if God wanted us to mix with Blacks, He would have made us that way. He made us White to stay White and He made them Black to stay that way. There was the angry meeting in preparation for the “White prom,” that escalated into racial slurs with the use of the “N” word and other expletives. There was the sensationalism of it all with the media there to capture every waking moment. Layers…there were so many layers. And as I marinated on them I kept thinking, ‘when will it end. When will it end Lord?’
Although we have earned the right to call the most powerful man in the country Barak Obama, “President,” I dare not forget that the Civil Rights movement was alive and necessary just 40 years ago. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was slain only 41 years ago and this footage was the backdrop of our struggle to survive.
YES! I am soberly reminded that there is still a divide in some of the hearts of men and women that grace this planet. I shall not forget that. My only saving grace is to be reminded that Jesus came for all of us – all of us – every last one of us. Every knee is going to bow – no matter your racial makeup. The very first church that was established was a mutt…a mixture of many ethnicities, which is who the Gentiles represent – everyone -us . I am reminded that love is colorblind and I praise the Lord that the Father makes no distinction. That is the beauty of Christianity. You don’t have to be a certain something. There is no elitism. You are either a child of the King because of your decision to welcome Him into your heart or not. All of this racist, separatist garbage will mean nothing as we worship the true and living God.
I am grateful for the reminders that help keep me on my toes.
The Pastor Who Broke My Heart (Race And The Church Series Part III)
The “Skip Gates” Incident Opens The Door For Dialogue
Christianity Is Not A “White Man’s” Religion
Why Sunday Mornings Are Segregated
