Black. In the Red, White and Blue

George Floyd.

#SAYhisname. 

I tried. 

#SayHISname.

I couldn’t.

#SayhisNAME. 

Finally, my heart whispered, “George Floyd.” 

George Floyd.  It had been my paternal grandfather’s birth name.  The name that he shed when he left post-slavery South Carolina.

That was a century ago.  And here we are, in 2020, still naming victims of racial injustice.  

Breonna Taylor.  Ahmaud Arbery.  Tamir Rice.  Sean Bell.  Freddie Gray.  Michael Brown.  Trayvon Martin.  Sandra Bland.  Alton Sterling. 

And before them…Emmitt Till…

But before them all…countless, unnamed men, women and children…

A lot of people don’t want to talk about race relations. 

But I do.  I would like to invite you to sit at my table, to share my lens and to try to see what I see…

I want to talk about governmental and religious hypocrisy.  I want to talk about family structure disassembly.  I want to talk about language and culture deprivation.  I want to talk about identity theft.  I want to talk about unaccredited societal advancements.  I want to talk about economic, educational and healthcare disparity.  I want to talk about historical representation inaccuracy.  I want to talk about black women raped.  I want to talk about black men tortured and murdered.  I want to talk about mass incarceration.  I want to talk about black lifestyle criminalization.  I want to talk about generational repercussions of slavery, segregation and systemic racism. 

I want to talk about being Black.  In the red, white and blue…

I want to talk about my Black ancestors, about their red blood flowing into the shining Atlantic sea.  I want to talk about the white robes worn by klansmen as they burned Black homes, businesses and churches.  I want to talk about Black parents teaching their Black children that blue uniforms should be cautiously respected.

I want to talk about being Black.  In the red, white and blue…

…but I won’t…

…not like that…not right now…

…because the sensitivity and authenticity of that conversation must be heartfelt and empathetically-received.  If you can’t see it, literally, with your own eyes, then you’ll never, figuratively, be able to see it through mine. 

If the sight and symbolism of George Floyd’s death ignites defensiveness or debate instead of sparking dialogue or deliberation, then I would like to invite you to sit at God’s altar.  If you trust your ideology more than God’s theology, then I would like to ask you to share His lens and see His perspective. “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

I’ve concluded that, for some, however, remaining silent ensures freedom from the arrest of guilt.  No shackles to tether the conscience to self-examination and accountability.  But I dare to say that God wants us to talk about it.  “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed…”     

I believe that the grace of God is shining light into the deep recesses of our hearts.  I believe that He’s giving us space to repent in preparation for His coming Kingdom.  A Kingdom that isn’t denominational, occupational or political.  A Kingdom that is relational. 

And I believe that it’s time for the United States of America to get on the right side of HIS-story.

History.  Lessons. 

When the flag was adopted in 1777, the colors red, white and blue had no meaning of their own.  Prior to that, however, the colors were symbolized in the Great Seal of the United States.  “White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness and valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.”

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892.  Section 4 of the Flag Code says that it should be “rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.”  Twice revised, every American has loyally recited, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” 

But justice has been denied for some. 

Shot five times during a routine traffic stop, Philando Castile was killed in front of a four-year-old little girl who was also in his car.  I’ve often wondered if, to her, Fourth of July fireworks sound like gunshots, like bombs bursting in air.  Surely this isn’t the sound of freedom ringing.

Even though God has defined justice for all.  .

Biblically, the Hebrew word for “justice,” mishpat, means to treat people equitably, regardless of race or social status.  Same wrong.  Same penalty.  Mishpat also means to give people their rights, whether its punishment or protection. 

A second Hebrew word, tzadeqah, can also be translated as “being just” or “being righteous.”  It is used to refer to a life of right relationships based on fairness, generosity and equity. 

Clearly, God is a just God.  It is His character that we are called to emulate in the earth.  What if the Church stood for righteousness and led America to a place of unity, kneeling collectively at the foot of the Cross?  It’s the Church’s responsibility to love one another so that the world sees Jesus at work.  Overt racism or covert passivity should not be tolerated among those who name the name of Jesus.  Let us not forget that judgment, true justice, will begin at the house of God.   

Rest assured, God’s perspective won’t change when the ballots are cast in November.  He won’t be moved by the agenda of man’s media or political party.  He’s eternal and His Word is forever settled.  “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

You know, the Kingdom of God has a flag too.  His banner over humanity is love.  What if we stood boldly, sanctified hand to purified heart, and pledged allegiance to a divine representation of Red, White and Blue, a representation for mankind that is truly indivisible, free and just?  The blood of Jesus (red)—cleansing us (white)—for Heaven (blue).

PRINCIPLE:  “Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed…” – Isaiah 1:17