I listened to a Devo this morning by Pastor Hurmon Hamilton. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy and History from Grambling State University and his Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary. As it is Black History Month, he talked about the history of the black church and made a point I found very refreshing and relevant. It is something I have never heard articulated before. He shared a different way he encourages his congregation to view whites—a positive way. He pointed out that it was primarily American whites who fought and died for an end to slavery, not blacks. A white congress and president gave slaves their freedom. A white congress and supreme court gave blacks all the same rights as everyone else in America. We are a democracy, and that means that a MAJORITY of white citizens made and supported that decision.
Not that I expect to be praised by the black community for rectifying the wrongs of colonialism, but gratitude and a thankful attitude might be a more appropriate response rather than angry demands for reparations. We see you and we want to help further equality. We are no longer your enemy.
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