National Lynching Memorial Used by permission; Art in the Christian Tradition; Vanderbilt Divinity Library
“Bethlehem and A Testament of Hope”
A Testament of Hope is an essay by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, published after his death. It is a stunning look at the race issues of his day and a forward minded strategy for addressing social problems that remains relevant in 2023. Dr. King recognized that racism was at the root of many of the social problems faced in the United States. He write that “justice for black people will not flow into society merely from court decisions nor from fountains of political oratory. White America must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical change in the structure of our society”(Hope, P314). He acknowledges that racism is like a poison that taints the environment, that it is “as native to our soil as pine trees, sagebrush and buffalo grass”(Hope p316).
Dr King lists out many of the inequalities facing African Americans and the need for institutional and cultural change. He cites education, clean water, transportation, employment, and a fair judicial system among the needs. He cites the importance of sharing political power. He mentions that the 1965 Voting Rights Act was often ignored and simply not enforced. He cites federal election observers who were dispersed in such a way to give the appearance of compliance, while in essence not giving African American's the constitutional rights to self representation in their states. Today, in 2023, we hear of a federal appeals court that ruled against a key part of the Voting Rights Act, a ruling that would block private citizens and civil rights group for suing under a key provision of the law. We see laws being passed to suppress, water down, or silence the teaching of United States African American history.
One standard for Middle School's AA.3.6 states “describe the emergence, growth, destruction, and rebuilding of black communities during reconstruction and beyond. With the clarification: Instruction includes acts of violence perpetuated against and by African Americans but is not limited to 1906 Atlanta Riot, 1919 Washing D.C Race Riot, 1920 Ocoee Massacre, 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the 1923 Rosewood Massacre” notice the word by African Americans. The ambiguity of this standard leaves the door open to a “both sides” approach that ignores what the 1968 Kerner Commission found, that it was white racism, not black anger that resulted in civil unrest. “Bad policing practices, a flawed justice system, unscrupulous consumer credit practices, poor and inadequate housing, high unemployment, voter suppression and other culturally embedded forms of racial discrimination all converge to propel violent upheaval (Alice George, The 1968 Kerner Commission Got it Right).
Every thoughtful Christian has to ask themselves the question, what can we do as the church of Jesus Christ, to address issues of unfairness and inequality in our society? The church must work to end racism in our civic, religious and social institutions. The U.S Conference of Catholic bishops have publicly stated that “racism can only end if we contend with the policies and institutional barriers that perpetuate and preserve the inequality-economic and social-that we see around us (USCCB Anti-Racism). The Presbyterian Church (USA) likewise acknowledges that racism is the opposite of what God intends for humanity, that it “is a lie about our fellow human beings”, and that it is a system of racial prejudice exerted by those in power that benefits white people in the dominate culture while disadvantaging and oppressing people of color” (Anti-Racism Statement of PCUSA). As Christians, we should understand better than most, the necessity of confession, absolution and transformation. Dr King closes his essay by turning our eyes to the manger of Bethlehem where we find our hope for peace and justice––in Jesus Christ, God's eternal word, who changed the course of human history with only the poor and the despised.
Citations and Links:
Works Cited:
Martin Luther King Jr. "A Testament of Hope: The essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. ed James M Washington. New York; HarperOne. 1986.
Kerner Commission Smithsonian article
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