An Inkling
Is that a real photo, or is it just my imagination? Did a black President really speak at the dedication of a memorial on the Washington Mall for Martin Luther King? What a change in the span of my lifetime! I’m proud of my nation this week.
This is a hard season in the United States – a stubborn recession, political dysfunction, street demonstrations, and a record-length war. We love our nation, and we like to trumpet its strengths. But honestly, most of us are worried about our land, and genuine pride has faded.
In 1964, when I was nine, my family moved to Huntsville, Alabama. My parents had taught us all along that all people are equal, and that we weren’t to use the “N word.” But I surely did hear that and worse all around me. And I didn’t know how to process the overflowing anger I observed.
In the spring of 1968 I was in the 7th grade. Our schools had been integrated by then, and about a quarter of my class was African American. I remember the day after Dr. King had been shot someone mentioned the topic, and a lot of my classmates started cheering. Some of the black students had come to school that day, and of course this was horrifying and humiliating for them. And though I didn’t join in the cheering, I felt humiliated myself to be part of a people who would cheer such a crime, thereby stomping on some fellow students who had already been laid low. I don’t recall trying to do anything about it – I was too shy. I just wished I could be anywhere but there. And I’m sure my feelings were tiny compared to my black classmates.
Thus my question: did I really see that photo of a black President dedicating a monument to Martin Luther King? When you stop to think about the broad sweep of history, and the halting way things change, it is truly amazing that our nation has come this far. We have a long ways to go right here in Richmond. But what a satisfying sight. I’m proud of my nation this week.
And I’m proud to serve the same Savior who inspired Dr. King. May our love for Jesus and the people Jesus loves be used by him to break down even more barriers!
Blessings,
Keith
