BLACK AND WHITE, HOLD THE FILM

Please understand that this is the most difficult and one of the most controversial blog posts I have ever written. Unfortunately, from the start, I am unable to write it unbiased due to my being created by God as a white Caucasian. I can only hope and pray that you the reader will read this post with patience and will be able to see my heart and my love for both God and His creation, no matter what color is used by His hand. 

From my earliest memories, I remember asking my mother, after seeing my first black* person, why or how they were black. Her answer was simply that God had made them that way and to remember that God made man in His own image (see Genesis 1:26).

Later in life, I attended a private school with a black boy and girl in my class. Melvin** was quiet and friendly, and Anna had the most prettiest pony tails and, despite her kindness, she cried a lot.

As I grew older, I was repeatedly exposed to my stepfather's racial prejudice and that of his father's. While I was not appreciative of that sort of "humor" (I use that term loosely), nevertheless, I was still exposed to it. And, because of that exposure, I have found myself tainted. However, unlike those who choose to give in to their prejudicial exposure, I choose to fight against it, to fight against the flesh. 

I recall from my studies in high school that history teaches us that when the white plantation owners had increased their cotton crops and their plantations needed additional workers, they decided to go to Africa, promising Africans a new future in America in exchange for work and a future of freedom. While I can only imagine that maybe a few were rewarded, I believe that a majority of those slaves were only rewarded with broken promises. 

Today, when I see a black person, I cannot help but wonder if they see me, a white person, as their enemy because of the sins of my forefathers. Do I bear the guilt of their actions? 

As I watch television, I am appalled by our mass media and their portrayal of black people. In shows like "Cops", it seems as though a majority of the criminals are either black or Hispanic (you see very few whites). Why is that? Then, there's the whole "racial demographics" policies for the workplace and television advertising. Unfortunately (as in, because there seems to be separate shows with black actors), we now have separate television shows like "House of Payne" and "The Cosby Show", portraying black actors. Is this white America's feeble attempt to make up for the gross atrocities they have committed? Lastly, over the past few years, there has been "Black History Month" in February and most recently, CNN has a documentary entitled "Black In America". 

And many times, it seems as though blacks are portrayed as either homeless or jobless. Then there's the whole view which our society has equated fame and wealth with success and again, that only a few blacks can achieve that "success" if they are celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jackson.

Blacks have come a long way since Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America. Since then, such heroes as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, had done their part to make America a better place for the inclusion of blacks in society. Blacks looked to them for hope, as I believe many also look to Oprah Winfrey and most currently, Barack Obama, to make another revolution. 

What does the future hold for blacks today? Currently, we have a black candidate running for United States President. The question has been posed by CNN: "Is America ready for a black president?" I have a better question: "What can we as people (notice I didn't indicate a color/skin pigmentation) do NOW, today, for our nation?" Here's what I propose:

1. Love one another.

2. Recognize that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration of Independence, 1776) and "All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness" (Massachusetts Constitution, 1780). 

While I know that this may sound simplistic and some may even argue that "that's not enough", I believe that it is. It is a paradigm shift in the way we as people think and behave towards each other. It is a heart issue, if you will. And it's not just toward our black neighbors that we can do this but with EVERYONE! 

A friend of mine in the office encouraged me to watch CNN's "Black In America" the other day. While I intentionally mean to, I just haven't been able to make the time to do so, not because it's not important to me, but because I am in the middle of a reading project (and I already fight against procrastination and A.D.D.-like reading issues!). I hope to be able to find the complete series on the Internet soon. After thinking about it overnight, I told my friend, "I do intend on watching the series, but I may not completely understand all of it. And even if I don't, I can still continue to treat my fellow man with respect and love my neighbors as Christ would have me love them." 

*Note: I am using the term “black”, defined as "pertaining or belonging to any of the various populations characterized by dark skin pigmentation, specifically the dark-skinned peoples of Africa, Oceania, and Australia" and the term “African-American” is defined as "a black American of African descent; of or pertaining to African-Americans".
**Note: I will not be using the last names to protect the identity of my classmates.