“Black lives matter, all lives matter! Black lives matter, all lives matter! No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!” The young, female leader sang this cadence through a megaphone as we processed in the heat of the day around the waterfall and courtyard square in downtown Opelika. It was my first time ever attending a protest rally. This matters. Black lives matter. All lives matter.
Serving and loving our neighbor is a value of ARM and my personal value. Was it time to be more vocal and visual about how much this meant to me? Was the Spirit telling me it was time to stand up? I believe the Spirit was and integrity called me to act. So, I went as a way of saying, “I am loving my neighbor as myself”.
I remember four years ago when racial injustices exploded back into the public eye and the start of the Black Lives Matter Movement launched. My work with ARM in small, rural communities, literally in the Blackbelt of Alabama (named for its soil), sensitized me to gross and subtle forms of racial injustice. Whether it was knowing the White guy not being ticketed for hitting the car of a black driver when it was clearly his fault or knowing those who could not get loans to repair their homes because of their zip code, I have seen it play out. Remembering further back, I recalled the way we joked at school with our Black friends at their expense (fortunately, they had some good comebacks). But at home, the racial slurs were forefront. Whereas I might watch a Black comedy like The Jefferson’s or Cosby show on my own in the afternoon, they were not chosen for prime time with the family. The “N” word was spoken in my home nonchalantly, even to my embarrassment.
That form of racism and prejudice is what many people think about when race relations are discussed. It’s easy to say slavery was bad, Jim Crow was bad and even the blatant racial comments in my family were bad…and I don’t engage in that behavior anymore. What is harder is what we don’t see, understand, and want to admit. We don’t want to admit the injustice of more Blacks incarcerated at a higher rate than Whites for the same crime. We would rather believe a false and untrue narrative that White people are more peaceful and civil than our Black counterparts. Because we believe in justice for all, it is hard to fathom that the US justice system and power structures have been tipped in favor of Whites. That is until we see the statistics and we see these stories and accounts played out on our screens. As a believer, to know that many evangelical Christians have downplayed systemic racism and ultimately ignored its presence is even more disturbing (Divided by Faith, 2001).
Where does that lead me now? It led me finally to a rally and a protest to say, enough is enough. Our systems of authority and power must be trusted by all people and it must serve to protect all people without bias and prejudice. Even in instances where a crime has been committed or alleged, a person’s inherent worth and value are still important. Thou shall not kill is still a commandment I believe in (and yes, I recognize the complexities as a Soldier to express that). Murder and its intent are heart issues. I find myself, equipped with knowledge of systemic, structural, and institutional racism, aligning with those who are continually hurt and seemingly targeted because of skin pigmentation. If the entire population cannot trust our systems of authority and the officiators of the rules of law to act fairly and justly consistently, we will spiral into anarchy.
Finally, it’s because of faith. Paul writes in Ephesians that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against powers and authorities. Yes, racism, abuse of power, devaluing of life, disenfranchising another, robbing a person of opportunity are these powers and authorities. God calls his followers to stand up for the downtrodden, broken-hearted and those treated unjustly. So, on Saturday afternoon in downtown Opelika, with a surgical mask for Covid-19 prevention, I walked with others and rhythmically proclaimed, “Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace”. I was inspired by the Opelika Police Department officer who raised her arm forming a fist. A reminder that the movement is not directly pitted against law enforcement who put their lives on the line and who are composed mostly of caring citizens who do their job well. How I treat another person individually is very important. But also working to dismantle the systems and institutions that make a person less valuable are important too. They are harder to solve. Nonetheless, we must do this. The time is now! It matters!
-Lisa
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