As a black person I have felt the sting of ethnic-insensitivity and even ethnic-hate (towards those who have skin as dark as my own and from those who have skin as dark as my own towards others who are lighter colored). As a natural-born native of America I can choose where I want to live. As a LEGALLY naturalized American citizen my husband can choose where he wants to live. We have both chosen to not only live in America but to raise our children in America. Why? Simply put -- America is THE NATION to be for freedom. Yes, we (American citizens) have our problems but they are nothing compared to the problems of some of the countries and their citizens we (my husband and I) have visited. Nothing. A few days ago a verdict was handed down in Ferguson NOT to indict Officer Wilson for killing Michael Brown. The riots and the protests were quieter today but the unrest is still just as real. I have been called out by my own family members for NOT condemning the decision of the grand jury. Why is it, I have been asked. You are not incensed, upset, mad and outraged at the decision to not indict the white officer for murdering a young black boy? My answer: According to the grand jury, the white office did NOT murder Michael Brown who, by the way, is considered a MAN at the age of 18. I have taken a tremendous amount of grief because of my respect for the jurors who put their own lives at risk by looking at all the facts and deciding the fate of the officer -- regardless of their decision. I say regardless because, in my opinion, due to the tone set by President Obama, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and others the decision was a damned if I do and damned if I dont scenario. For those who dont follow what I am saying I will explain. If the jury had decided that Officer Wilson HAD murdered Michael Brown there would have been riots BECAUSE this indictment would have PROVEN that white officers (police in general) were AGAINST black folk. If the jury decided that Officer Wilson did NOT murder Michael Brown there would have been riots BECAUSE this LACK of indictment would have PROVEN that white officers (police in general) conspire AGAINST black folk in secret. The grand jury was in a lose-lose scenario from the beginning because everyone from the top of the food chain (the President) to the bottom (Sharpton and Jackson) were CONVINCED (without knowing the entire story) that Officer Wilson was not only a murderer but that he was racist! How horrible must it have been to see your son die? I cannot imagine the grief I, as a mother, or my husband, as a father, would feel to see one of our children die -- regardless of the reason why (be it from the bullet of a drive-by; an accidental drowning; a disease; whatever). But, how horrible should the parents of Michael Brown feel about the decision he made to rob a store minutes before he encountered Officer Wilson? How devastated should his parents feel to know, according to credible eye witnesses that their son chose to fight with a police officer moments before he lost his life? How surreal must it be to know, in your heart of hearts, that either you raised your child in the right ways he should go or that you failed to do so and your decision was either being reflected in your childs actions or not? I am truly, deeply saddened by the death of Michael Brown. The reason I am saddened is not because this young man died -- death is simply a doorway to a reality that is nearly beyond our comprehension (either to paradise or to torment) -- but, rather, because of how his death has been capitalized on by those who would sow civil unrest and because these same people denigrate our system of justice by supposing people are inherently racist. I want to close by quoting what Rev. Voddie Baucham (a true Reverend -- unlike Sharpton or Jackson) had to say about racism as it applies to Michael Brown: I have been pulled over by police for no apparent reason. In fact, it has happened on more than one occasion. I was stopped in Westwood while walking with a friend of mine who was a student at UCLA. We found ourselves lying face down on the sidewalk while officers questioned us. On another occasion, I was stopped while with my uncle. I remember his visceral response as he looked at me and my cousin (his son). The look in his eye was one of humiliation and anger. He looked at the officer and said, “My brother and I didn’t fight in Vietnam so you could treat me like this in front of my son and my nephew.” Again, this experience stayed with me for years. And for many of those years, I blamed “the system” or “the man.” However, I have come to realize that it was no more “the system” when white cops pulled me over than it was “the system” when a black thug robbed me at gunpoint. It was sin! The men who robbed me were sinners. The cops who stopped me were sinners. They were not taking their cues from some script designed to “keep me down.” They were simply men who didn’t understand what it meant to treat others with the dignity and respect they deserve as image bearers of God. It does me absolutely no good to assume that my mistreatment was systemic in nature. No more than it is good for me to assume that what happened in Ferguson was systemic. I have a life to live, and I refuse to live it fighting ghosts. I will not waste my energy trying to prove the Gramscian, neo-Marxist concept of “white privilege” or prejudice in policing practices. I don’t care what advantages my white neighbor may or may not have. If he does have advantages, God bless him! I no more fault him than I fault my own children who have tremendous advantages due to the fact that they were raised by two educated, Christian parents who loved, disciplined, and taught them. Ironically, when I think about THAT advantage, I am filled with joy and gratitude to God for his faithfulness. People are supposed to bequeath an advantage to their children and grandchildren (Prov. 13:22). Why, then, would I be angry with my white neighbor for any advantage he is purported to have? And what good would it do? How does that advance the gospel? Especially in light of the fact that growing up with the gospel is the ultimate privilege/advantage! It is the advantage that has granted us all “American privilege”! Are we guilty for being citizens of the wealthiest republic in the history of the world? I think not! As a father of seven black men, I tell them to be aware of the fact that there may be times when they may get a closer look, an unwelcome stop, or worse. However, I do not tell them that this means they need to live with a chip on their shoulder, or that the world is out to get them. I certainly don’t tell them that they need to go out and riot (especially when that involves destroying black-owned businesses). I tell them that there are people in the world who need to get to know black people as opposed to just knowing “about” us. I tell them that they will do far more good interacting with those people and shining the light of Christ than they will carrying picket signs. I tell them, “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (Rom. 12:19). And I tell them that there are worse things than suffering injustice. That is why we must heed Peter’s words: But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (1 Pet. 3:15–17) In the end, the best lesson my children can learn from Ferguson is not that they need to be on the lookout for white cops. It is far more important that I use this teachable moment to remind them that “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Moments before his death, Michael Brown had violently robbed a man in a store. A man doing the best he could to make a living. Minutes later, Brown reaped what he sowed, and was gunned down in the street. That is the sad truth. My sons have far more to fear from making bad choices than they have to fear from the police. The overwhelming majority of police officers are decent people just trying to make a living. They are much more likely to help you than to harm you. A life of thuggery, however, is NEVER your friend. In the end, it will cost you . . . sometimes, it costs you everything. Maria
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 05:25:52 +0000
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