In the wake of the inauguration of the first Black president of the United States, Black History Month has taken on new vitality. In the February swirl of Presidents’ Day, Valentines, and the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, higher than average attention is tuned in this year to the Black History Month offerings of newspaper vignettes, TV programs and significant movies. Having personally become more intentional in the past year at learning about the histories of both Black and Native Americans, I was pleased to be able to answer the newspaper ‘s Black History quizzes more accurately than in earlier years. I still have a lot of reading and listening to do.
There is so much history that was not part of the curriculum when I was in school. The Trail of Tears? Never heard it mentioned. There were Black slave owners? It’s new information for me. Penn State football had one of the first athletic departments to insist that Black players travel with the team to “away” games? I just learned that. (This is the origin of the famous cheer: WE ARE…PENN STATE!) I’m happy that my children had a more complete view of the struggles and contributions of the diverse peoples that are part and parcel of life in the U.S.A.
In the past month, many have closed the door on our nation’s struggle against racism. After all, we now have a Black President, son of parents from two continents, raised by white grandparents in Hawaii, the most culturally diverse state. How much more inclusive can we be?
Sadly, the fight to eradicate racism is far from over. In our commonwealth, one of the newly axed budget items is funding for inner city school and minority teachers. The visible leadership in our conference is still overwhelmingly white. “ Jesus Christ Superstar” tours the country for its Lenten run. Jesus is played by a fair-skinned blonde. (The only fair-haired one in all of Israel?) The only dark-skinned character is, of course, Judas.
Racism is so much a part of the way things are, that we do not even notice.
Yes, Black History Month is the least we can do. It provides remedial education for those who are my age and older. It keeps the issue in front of us. What bothers me is that we tend to see inclusiveness as a seasonal special interest, not a way of life in the Body of Christ.
Let’s take bolder steps and keep the diverse and global nature of the church visible ALL THE TIME. There are some great suggestions provided by the General Commission on Religion and Race. Find them online. Most of these ideas can be carried out anytime.
For sure, February is almost over. Hooray! We hope winter is soon “past and gone” (Song of Solomon 2:11) The journey toward inclusiveness shows great promise, but there are yet miles to go.
