Something Worthy, Something Impactful, Something Real

C. Kaepernick and kids at his camp, May, 2017

At the outset of the uproar about NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, and his "knee" stand for what he believes in - I saw so many other issues that were far more important. In my mind, the more important question was,  'What are we doing for our under-served children in the communities where we live?' Boycotting the NFL because of a multimillionaire and his employment status - to me - was not at the top of the list. Brotha Kaepernick will be all right, was my thought.

Please don't misunderstand me - I got why he did what he did.  I support his right to do it. There is the "big picture" for which he took the knee. But this was where I believed the boycotting of the NFL is only a part of the push for the solution.

Then lo and behold, I read an article published online, August 19, 2017 in Sporting News, by Nick Birdsong. It caught my attention because the report was about African American, Seventh-day Adventist Pastors in the Huntsville, Alabama area. I was raised Adventist, and went to college in Huntsville - I know some of the ministers. I was curious to learn what they had to say about the Kaepernick situation.

Birdsong wrote:

Thursday, a group of nearly 10 black pastors and Oakwood University President, Leslie Pollard, announced an "NFL Blackout", a boycot, or "mancot" as they referred to it, of the league. Until Kaepernick, who kneeled during the national anthem throughout 2016 as a member of the 49ers, is signed, the men are encouraging other leaders to refrain from watching NFL games, purchasing NFL-licensed paraphernalia and participating in fantasy football. 

"I want to be clear. I'm a football fan. I played it most of my life, growing up and there's rarely a Sunday that I've missed in my adult years," said Deblaire Snell, senior pastor of First Seventh Day Adventist Church. "But there comes a point in time where I've got to prioritize my convictions more than my entertainment value." 

Instead, these men will devote themselves to community service, dedicating one to two hours on Sundays for the next 17 weeks to "pouring into" African-American boys and girls, something they'll do even if Kaepernick gets picked up, and prayer for their community and government officials. 

It was that last paragraph that moved me: Instead, these men will devote themselves to community service, dedicating one to two hours on Sundays for the next 17 weeks to 'pouring into' African-American boys and girls...

If we as individuals - not just African Americans - but as members of the Human Race, would self-assess and look at our priorities, we could get so much done for the betterment of our society. After doing my research on Colin Kaepernick, I found out he's also been putting his money and his means where his knee is. At his Know Your Rights Camp  in Chicago, Illinois, Kaepernick empowers brown and black children by providing them with information and tools to become the change agents in and for their communities. 

I'm here for all of it. And that, my friends, is the big picture.

My Statement on the Matter

The Viral Image from President Obama's Tweet, 8/12/17

The questions are: How ARE we helping our children process what's been going on? How crazy is it that we must explain to them that the obvious hate being spewed by the hate groups, hate that is being justified and not condemned by the person who holds the highest office in the world - IS WRONG and must be resisted in a country that is supposed to be FREE?

I say, all the time, that I'm glad my children are grown and have their own understanding. My prayer is for the future of our children's children. 

My work has been cut out for me. 

And I accept.

An Open Letter to The Children

A message from my Executive Director, who, even though she is out of the country, is ever-vigilant, and has responded to the Charlottesville crisis:

August, 2017

A Letter to Our Children:

We adults must be very confusing at times. Too often, we have not protected you from the open and random expressions of bigotry, racism, and violence in our world, and in our community. Most often, we fail to protect you from the endless barrage of media imagery that portrays how angry, unfair, ugly and mean spirited human beings are toward one another, how they will slaughter someone else simply because the other is not like them or does not agree with them. Because difference is threatening. Because some believe that, they must reject or destroy what is different. Because a deep fear of difference turns so readily to hatred.

Another advocate for social justice and equality died in Charlottesville. Nineteen were injured in that confrontation, the latest public failure of adults to provide an example of decency and civility, of respectful regard for all people.

What are you thinking now? What are you feeling…doing…being in response? I want to listen closely to your soft, hesitant as well as your loud, angry words, your non-words, too. I want to hear you breathe ever so cautiously or when you hyperventilate, experience you while washed in anxiety, which now spills over.

You are right. Your feelings are right. Hatred is just wrong. Silencing someone’s speech is wrong. Taking a life is always wrong. What happened in Charlottesville simply is wrong.

Most importantly, I am writing this letter to you because we know that in this imperfect world, you can get through this. You have before, using help from family, caring adults, and positive peers. People. Prayers. Preoccupation with healthy distractions. You reveal your resilience with your tears, sadness, your clinginess, as well as your hope, resourcefulness, and trust. You still dream, dance in the rain and laugh at silly jokes. You move forward, through the day to day, still hoping we adults will figure out how to protect you, and how to teach you not to hate, but to love instead. Ultimately, this is our most important adult responsibility, and this is the only way we will build a just and moral society for your future.

We make this commitment to you.

Sheryl Brissett Chapman
The National Center for Children and Families (NCCF)
Hate will not drive out the darkness, only light can do that. Hate will not drive out hate, only love will do that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Word About The Greedy vs The Needy

This has been on my heart and mind for some time, so I turned to the Bible for clarity. In this current climate of the haves vs the have-not’s - where policymakers and legislators continue to tip the scale in favor of the wealthy, this question came to me: "Do the so-called ‘Christians’ among this group know what the Bible says about the oppression/exploitation of the poor?” Do they care? I’ve been wondering if they realize that God abhors intentional, continual, brutal, egregious abuse of the less fortunate by the privileged. It is plain to me that some people who claim to function under the banner of Christ, have views and behaviors that are in direct opposition to the ministry and character of Christ.

As Believers, we have a responsibility to reach out and help others. ALL others; especially the marginalized and disenfranchised (Isaiah 1:17 - this whole chapter is full of meat; Psalm 82:3-4) . The Apostle, John, admonishes us to judge with “righteous judgment” (John 7:24 - Amplified Bible) - which suggests that we should know and align ourselves with what the Lord loves, and form our observations through His lens. So, armed with this , I can judge every piece of legislation that is unbalanced, unjust and oppressive, as ungodly.

These impostors and criminals will not go unpunished. But don’t take my word for it.

Reference Texts: Deut. 24:14; Leviticus 25:17; Prov 6: 16-19; 14:31; 17:5; 19:17; 28:8; Micah 6:8; Matthew 25:40; 1 John 3:17