Yesterday when I returned home
from church, I was appalled to find that a church in Texas had been attacked
and that an untold number of people had been killed and/or injured. The first
thought that raced to my head was, “God, don’t let it be a black church.” Then when I discovered it was not a black
church, I prayed, “God, don’t let it be a black or brown shooter.” My prayers
were answered…but what a horrible prayer.
It does not matter what color the
victims or the perpetrator were. It is a heinous act. It should be abhorred by
all Americans…all people.
This brought me to a sobering
realization.
I have allowed today’s divisive
racial politics to affect my thoughts and infect my humanity. This realization
caused me to see that, while this horrific shooting is not directly born of any
particular political viewpoint, my reaction to it is. My reaction is based upon the ethnic violence
engendered by the hatred and distrust that permeates our country; feelings
emboldened and normalized by the President of the United States.
Trump should not have even
crossed my mind in this situation. My focus should solely have been on the
victims of this tragedy. But this age of Trumpism has effectively subdivided us
from our humanity, causing many of us to look at everything through the prism
of race. Unfortunately, it seems, I too have succumbed to the unforgiving
onslaught of divisive media reports of the misdeeds of a hateful minority which
have led to racial distrust and outrage.
Don’t get me wrong. There is plenty
to distrust, and much over which to be outraged. But we cannot let Trump and
his band of deplorables drag us down to their level. We cannot lose, or
misplace our humanity to the extent that we paint everyone in a category other
than our own with the same brush. We must not care less for the pain and
suffering of those who differ from us than the pain and suffering of those with
whom we identify.
America has always had its
problems. That is not an accusation. It is a fact. Our history speaks for
itself. But we have been better than this. In the face of Bull Connor, the
water hoses and the dogs, America stood up and said “no…enough!” When our youth were sent to be slaughtered in
Vietnam, the masses rose up against it. Even when Martin Luther King, Jr. was
shot down on the hotel balcony in Memphis, we had leaders like Bobby Kennedy
who felt our pain and called on America’s better angels to calm our hurt and
anger.
But today there is no such
leadership. Today we are sent to our respective corners to prepare ourselves to
come out fighting. While many hope and pray for the America that we know and
love to come forth, to stand against the onslaught of cultural hatred,
injustice, racism, violence and fear-mongering, we are simply tired of the
fight. Tired of waiting for American values to once again take the
fore-front…for American politicians to be patriots…for the American justice
system to be just.
In the famous words of civil
rights activist Fannie Lou Hammer, “I am just sick and tired of being sick and
tired.” But if we give in to the fatigue, we lose. America loses. We must not
become like them. We must not embrace the politics of division.
I do not know what answer will make
America realize its glorious potential. I don’t know what it will take for us
to return to our nationhood and pursue the common good. There is not a solution
on the horizon that I can see. All of our politicians have failed us…Democrat
and Republican; black and white; conservative, liberal and progressive. There
are no acceptable answers found among any of the current players on the field
of politics. But an answer must be found if we are to survive.
I cannot change the world, but I
can change myself. I refuse to let Donald Trump and his ideologues dictate my
perception of the world and those around me. We cannot afford to ignore the
caustic comportment that permeates our current politics. But each of us must
search for a way to lock out the clutter and dig down to the hard facts. We
must identify the many corrupt, unscrupulous acts that taint our current
political climate and demand just punishment for the perpetrators. That is the
only way to maintain our common humanity.
My heart goes out to the souls
who were lost, wounded and aggrieved in that little Texas town. They are my
brothers and my sisters. They are Americans. And they deserve better.
