Earlier this week, Kirk Franklin officially announced his intention to boycott the Gospel Music Association and the Trinity Broadcast Network “until tangible plans are put in place to protect and champion diversity, especially where people of color have contributed their gifts, talents and finances to help build the viability of these institutions.“ This comes on the heels of a portion of his speech being edited out for the Dove Awards telecast. While support is pouring in for one of gospel music’s most decorated artists, there are many who oppose the boycott and wish to proceed without any interruption of fellowship.
Truthfully, we all want to
continue without disruption of fellowship, but we also cannot disregard the gift
of disruption when sent from God Himself. What is this disruption? It is the
shining of a light on one of the darkest segmentations of the body of Christ,
racists. Not every racial offense is bred from hatred. Sometimes the culprit is
cognitive dissonance, and other times it’s unconscious bias. However, when willful
acts are committed, immediate redress must be given. Many seeking to dismiss
Franklin’s boycott as an overreaction or misunderstanding of simple editing for
television don’t understand the depth of the issue Franklin and so many others take
issue with.
While the gospel and contemporary Christian music communities seek to find a resolution, First Baptist Church in Naples, Florida is grappling with its own lack of racial dexterity. In a letter to the congregation, the Pastoral Staff lamented that “through social media, texting, phone calls, and emails, racial prejudice was introduced into our voting process.” In the aftermath of this rancor caused by racism, the church must decide how to proceed, albeit without a new Pastor. The vote for Pastor Marcus Hayes’ appointment to the Naples church was all but a formality, until certain members initiated a campaign to block him. The percentage needed was 85%, but the vote fell short at 81%.
What this shows us is that racial disparity is still prevalent in our church. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning” and that remains true. In its expanded form, 8 am, 9am, 9:30 am, 10 am, 10:30, and noon on Sundays also fit that narrative. These segregated Sundays and services become segregated radio station, television stations, political parties and even award shows. Though the church and bride of Christ are established, and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it, there is much to be said about a segregated bride. As Jesus said in response to those that called him the devil, a kingdom divided against itself won’t stand. There is no way to serve a segregated savior and to think that it pleases the Lord to have His people divided is falls way short of any scriptural interpretation.
The Southern Baptist Convention has long grappled with race issues and many of its stalwart leaders were stern segregationists, promulgating the curse of Ham and were the last to acquiesce to integration and civil rights for blacks in America. The residue remains though in a 1995 resolution the convention denounced racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin.
This didn’t stop the practices from flowing in the undercurrent of American Baptists, and in 2017 when Pastor Dwight McKissic introduced a resolution to denounce white supremacy, it was met with consternation and shifted the meeting into utter chaos. The concession? A revised statement against the alt-right, seemingly bolstered by rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
Whether sitting at church or
at Lipscomb University at the Dove Awards, the tension is there, though it may
not be as pronounced as in other places. Racial tension is embedded in the
fabric of the identity of the United States of America. While the freedom
fighters fought for their freedom from British rule, they did so with the help of
their captive, enslaved laborers. The war of 1812 was won due to the force and
ingenuity of enslaved Africans. The constitutional right that guaranteed freedom
and liberty excluded the abductees, their families and for centuries, any semblance
of their heritage throughout the country they worked to build.
So, what now? We’ve enjoyed
freedoms and even unbridled fellowship with other races in America, what’s
keeping God’s children in America from achieving the level of fellowship
outlined in the bible? What are we to do when our brother needs to be corrected?
I take this example from the Apostle Paul that I want to share with you. In
Galatians Chapter 2, Paul recounts his face to face rebuke of the Apostle
Peter. Peter was not in fellowship with the grace that had been made available
to he, Paul and other believers and at that moment, Paul took immediate issue
with him.
In Galatians 2:18 Paul says
to Peter: “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a
transgressor.”
For each step toward racial
reconciliation taken, there are multiple steps taken backward. We can’t
continue this vacillation and expect to achieve racial harmony. As we work toward
racial reconciliation, there must be and will be difficult conversations ahead.
The sin of slavery is not one Christians should shy away from. The Apostle Paul
begs the question in Romans 6:21 “what fruit had ye in those things whereof
ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” Either white American
Christians are yet partaking in the fruit of slavery or they are not yet fully ashamed.
Either way, we are assured that “the wages of sin (even the sin of slavery
and racism) is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Whether achieved through a
boycott, disfellowship of members causing dissension or a miracle of biblical
proportion, the time is now to get serious about racial reconciliation. As I
close, I want to remind you that in the Kingdom of God, “There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for
ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
The Golden Gate Funeral Home hearse rest outside Concord Church in Dallas, Texas
The funeral program, limited to family and rostrum clergy.
Yesterday in Dallas,Texas the families of Yolanda Carr and Marquis Jefferson flanked by friends, and the community converged upon Concord Church in Dallas to celebrate the life of a light gone extinguished by injustice. Since news of the shooting broke, the Fort Worth community has been embroiled in relentless demand for justice. Less than two weeks after Amber Guyger was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for killing Botham Jean, the Dallas Fort Worth community was faced with another officer involved tragedy.
This shooting was different. Officers were called to the Carr home because the door was open. Jefferson was playing video games with her nephew well into the early morning, but a call for a welfare check garnered an “open structure” (burglary) response, resulting in the tragic loss of life. Atatiana Jefferson was eulogized as a caring and compassionate young woman who moved home to help care for her mother. The outpouring of love is perhaps the best response to the way she lived her life, with high regard for others.
The family wished to honor and celebrate her life rather than bemoan the tragedy and that wish was carried out in a touching service lasting about an hour and a half. Following a final viewing, the service commenced with a stirring selection from her cousin who remarked that “she would be up before the music even started!”
A number of resolutions were read and acknowledged during the service, including one from congresswoman Maxine Waters. Congresswoman Waters intimated that she felt a deep sense of connection when she heard of the tragedy. Not only has she been a justice fighter for years and a steadfast presence fighting for her constituents, her maiden name is also Carr. Though familial certainty is unsure, she offered her condolences, assistance and echoed the demand for justice in the name of Atatiana Jefferson. Other resolutions included submissions from the office of John Wiley Price, The United Methodist Women, The St. Luke Community United Methodist Church and Nicole Collier, State Representative for Miss Jefferson’s district.
Atatiana was remembered by her mother for her “humble boldness” and for the way she always felt that she would change the world and still believes that even through this tragedy, that her legacy will.
“…you my dear have indeed changed the world by your sacrificial love, unrivaled work ethic and your legacy that is yet to unfold.”
Yolanda Carr, in a written statement to her daughter
Her father was strengthened by his daughter’s life and memory saying that because of his daughter, his purpose is “clearer now than ever before…it is my hope that your life be remembered, honored and loved through others through the Atatiana Jefferson Foundation.”
Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley
For a life whose light has gone out way too soon, senselessly and unjustly, what is a family and community to do? After the beautiful songs were rendered, it was time to tune our hearts to the prophetic moment. In messages replete with calls to action and demands for justice were reminders of God’s sovereignty and righteousness. The service was attended by several notables including: Fort Worth Police Chief, Ed Kraus and numerous FWPD officers, Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, Councilwoman Kelly Allen-Gray, noted journalist Bob Ray Sanders, State Senator Royce West, Attorney S. Lee Merritt, Former FWPD Chief Joel Fitzgerald and the Reverend Kyev Tatum and his wife.
Standing to deliver both a charge and words of encouragement were host pastor, Bryan Carter and Pastor Carl Ming, Southwest Region Conference SDA Youth and Young Adult Ministries. While Pastor Carter admonished attendees to trust God in trying times, Pastor Ming instructed attendees to ask hard questions!
We must stand up and begin to ask some serious questions like why is injustice sitting down on the throne while righteousness is cast in the dungeon? We have to begin to ask the question why is that we’re asking people to protect our people who are afraid of our people? Why is it that the pledge to protect and serve changes when they turn up and realize that the skin color is different?
Pastor Carl Ming
From his text found in Job 14:1-2,14, Pastor Ming expounded upon 1) the evidence of iniquity in our world, 2) the faith of God’s people and 3) the infinite wisdom of our God. and though he admonished the jubilant worshipers to steadfastly acknowledge God as the author and finisher of their faith, there is a dichotomous disturbance plaguing our humanity. This was illustrated in his introduction by the invocation of the poem “If We Die” by one of the first and foremost voices of the Harlem Renaissance, Claude McKay.
If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursèd lot. If we must die, O let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe! Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
Claude McKay
For tense moments like those expressed by Claude McKay, felt by the Carr/Jefferson families and the punctuated throughout the service, Pastor Carter shared that though we are tired, we can indeed trust God in trying times, knowing that as promised in Psalm 46:1-2, God is our shelter and strength and promises stability to his saints.
Many of us are tired. Tired of talking to our kids about the police. Tired of seeing tearful mothers on tv. Tired of having to protest to prove that black lives do matter. Tired of hoping that the jury will get a conviction. Tired of hoping that the bodycam will prove what we already know. Tired of gathering for funerals, tired of protesting, tired of praying, tired of incarceration, tired of underserved communities, tired of racial profiling, tired of checking the box on an application, many of us are tired!
Pastor Bryan L. Carter, Concord Church
The family of Atatiana Jefferson prepares to leave the sanctuary of Concord Church, in Dallas, Texas
Pastor Carter confirmed to the family that “God has been giving you strength. On days when you didn’t want to get out of the bed, God has been giving you strength.” For the family and surrounding community, strength is what will be needed as both a criminal and civil trial ensue in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy. Reverberating throughout the service was the pulse of the community whose citizens’ trust in law enforcement has been irreparably eroded. To that, Pastor Carter gave redress, saying, “we live in a broken, fallen, unjust world. But despite the world we live in, we can find strength in God who gives us help to deal with these struggles. And, at some point, He gives us the ability to move from why to what now?“
What now do you want me to do, God? How do I build my life back? How do I keep her legacy alive? What now God, how do I move forward and still honor the woman of God that she was?
Pastor Bryan L. Carter, Concord Church
These questions ring out from the sanctuary in Dallas to the 1200 block of East Allen in Fort Worth, to a waiting, watching world yet again looking for answers. Last night, citizens and city leadership again tried to sift through the rubble of the aftermath to find some semblance of answers but the meeting ended with much of the same frustration billowing through council chambers at city hall. Though the answer remains unclear, what is clear is the duress of the road to healing that lies ahead for both the family of Atatiana Jefferson and the city and residents of Fort Worth.
Grace Community Church, Orange County, New York, 5 Campuses and over 3000 Attendees each week. Senior Pastor Jarrod Jones. (PRNewsfoto/Grace Community Church)
Pastor Jarrod Jones is the Senior Pastor at Grace Community Church home to five campuses across Orange County, New York with over 3,000 attendees. Late last night he released a lengthy letter to his church family for the first time breaking his long-held silence on political issues.
Even throughout the letter his turmoil is palpable as he struggles with how best to lead the church in the charged political climate of the country today.
In the letter Pastor Jarrod says, “Is it my duty and responsibility to offer direction and leadership to Grace Community Church regarding the current political climate and any injustices? Or, is it my duty and responsibility to remain silent, focus solely on preaching the gospel, and let our generosity and charity do the talking?”
In the past, that’s what he’s chosen to do. He, as well as the church leadership, had decided to remain silent on political issues. It was the Church’s policy to steer away from political conversations at all costs for fear that one side or the other would take offense and forget the purpose of the church.
As Pastor Jarrod puts it, “No matter what I say and how careful I say it, people will only hear what they want to hear. Or, they don’t want to hear it because it doesn’t fit their opinion, or they deem it personally offensive, even hateful.”
Late last night after weeks of debate and counsel with the leadership of the Church, Pastor Jarrod decided to break his silence. In a lengthy letter to his congregation titled, “Of Politics and Presidents: A Letter to My Church,” Pastor Jones dives into several of the most hotly debated issues of the day.
He addressed Racism, Law Enforcement, the #MeToo movement, Abortion, and the separation of children from immigrant families. In the midst of sharing his heartfelt thoughts on these weighty issues, Pastor Jones is careful to express his connections to people who have dealt with these issues first hand.
Finally, he concludes the letter with this sentiment, “Let’s take our eyes off what the church is or is not doing and look at ourselves.” He challenges his congregation to be the solution rather than to only debate the cause.
Hip-hop icon and entrepreneur Jay-Z addressed different topics, including his opinion on President Trump, in the latest episode of David Letterman’s Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. What surprised the viewers is when he said that Trump’s presidency is “actually a good thing.”
“I think that what he’s forcing people to do is have conversations and [forcing] people to band together and work together, you can’t really address something that’s not revealed,” Jay-Z explained. “He’s bringing out an ugly side of America that we wanted to believe was gone, and it’s still here. We still gotta deal with it.
“We have to have tough conversations – talk about the N-word, talk about why white men are so privileged in this country.”
Jay-Z and Letterman went on with tackling the idea of white privilege and how it affects the American society in the present times. Many people claim that what Jay-Z is saying is hypocritical since he is worth over $3 billion.
A known critic of Trump, Jay-Z previously called the current president a “superbug” and a “joke.” In an interview with BBC Radio 1, he talked about the negative effects of Trump’s presidency saying, “We are all linked some kind of way. So if you oppress a certain people, everyone is in danger, karmically and in real life.”
Jay-Z also once caught Trump’s attention when he powerfully expressed his reaction to Trump’s comments about “sh*thole” countries in his appearance in CNN‘s Van Jones Show. Trump brought to Twitter his response to Jay-Z.
That’s why Jay-Z’s recent statement referring to the presidency as “a great thing” surprised many. Many people think that Jay-Z’s claim that Trump’s style of forcing the people to confront its racial undertones should not be defined as anything positive for the whole country.
Letterman feels the same way. He commented that “we don’t need more evidence” to know if Trump is a racist and says, “You’re having a debate over whether a guy is a racist, chances are that guy’s a racist.”
CAPITAL ONE BANK HIT WITH EXPLOSIVE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT FILED BY THE HOUSTON NAACP AND LULAC CLAIMING THE BANK DISCRIMINATES AGAINST BLACK AND LATINO CUSTOMERS IN FAVOR OF WHITE CUSTOMERS
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Houston Branch (“NAACP”), League of United Latin American Citizens, District VIII (“LULAC”) and a former bank employee have filed a major federal racial discrimination lawsuit against Capital One Bank, a publicly-traded national bank. The suit alleges Capital One has engaged in a conscious and deliberate plan to close banks in Black and Latino communities while keeping banks in white communities.
The suit alleges Black and Latino customers are encouraged to use ATM cards to transact their business with the bank, which reduces the possibility of minority customers applying for mortgages, credit and traditional banking services. Black and Latino customers are welcome as “bank debit card customers only,” the suit alleges.
Major Black personalities, such as Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee and Charles Barkley are unwittingly being used by Capital One to advance its program to relegate minority bankers to only debit-card carrying customers when their commercials ask “What’s In Your Wallet?” On the other hand, the suit alleges Capital One is keeping its full-service banks open in White communities while closing essentially all of its banks in Black and Brown communities.
The suit alleges: “[Capital One has set about a plan to extend banking services to minorities through a bank debit card only, while providing full-service banking services to predominately White communities. To pacify Black and Brown customers, Capital One chose popular and respected black actors to unwittingly push Capital One’s debit cards in commercials asking “What’s in your Wallet?” In fact, these commercials are part of a devious ploy to hide what is really going on – Capital One is in fact telling Black and Brown communities “Only use our debit bank cards to bank with us since we are closing our banks in your communities!” At the same time that these actors are on display, Capital One is keeping its banks in white communities open and monitoring whether black and brown activists and communities have gotten wise to their discriminatory plan.”
An interesting feature of the suit is the presence of a former Capital One employee as a named plaintiff. This employee was involved in the monitoring of black and brown activists on behalf of the bank. The suit alleges the employee repeatedly complained to the bank that Capital One was breaking the law by discriminating against minority communities. This plaintiff is said to have lost her job because she complained about the bank’s discriminatory practices.
The case is filed in federal court in the Southern District of Texas. A copy of the suit can be found online at http://bit.ly/2Creu7S.
For more information, contact:
NAACP, Houston Branch
James Matthew Douglas
3100 Cleburne Ave.
Houston, Texas 77004
Telephone: (713) 313-7352
LULAC, District VIII
Enrique M. Dovalina
DOVALINA & EURESTE, L.L.P.
1707 S. Houston Rd.
Pasadena, Texas 77502
Telephone: (713) 624-1000
Benjamin L. Hall, III, Ph.D., J.D.
THE HALL LAW FIRM, PLLC
530 Lovett Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77006
Telephone: (713) 942-9600
Attorney for Plaintiffs
SOURCE: 3B Resources Group Public Relations via BlackNews.com
