The book of Isaiah, chapter 60, verse 22 declares: A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in my own season.” As we celebrate Black History month do remember that we were bound to be free! Transplanted in a land of which we knew nothing about, valued only for the physical strength, entreated as less than, yet never equal to being human; always less than a moron, declared by some to be void of a soul. Yet, God, having a transversal plan, has always declared the end from the beginning. His picture has always been greater than what is made plain or visible to the eye. And though we traveled through many gates of hell, we were, by Him, destined for greatness. Reflecting Rev. Joseph Lowery again, we have achieved individual greatness, climbed mountains, torn down many walls, and have learned to declare God’s Word, No weapon formed against us shall prosper!
But, what do we say concerning the weapons African Americans have formed against themselves? Americans are known for their humanitarianism. And, though we had to fight and are yet fighting for our rights to the dream, many of us do ponder the holistic value of them all. In this country, poverty has two faces. The one who would do better if a hand was offered, if opportunity knocked and ability unlocked the doors of their dreams. The second face is of those minds who sit on the front porch watching as the employed drives by. For it is the tax payers who afford them better housing; even Section Eight; in time this new home for them begins to look like the hood they left behind. The absence of integrity and self-worth deprive them of better. The efforts of assistance are made hoping to raise the standard of living for all humanity in this country. Somewhere we lost “train up a child in the way he should go.”…They are allowed to swing on the doors until the hinges are torn off. The landscaping is parked on and trampled until the curb appeal has long been forgotten. The new great commandment is, Blow your grass debris into your neighbor’s yard, this is what you want them to do unto you and yours!
Where do we draw the lines? Is it crippler/crutch or a helping hand? Many who have depended on assistance lost something in the process; shifting their lives from being one type of menace to becoming another type. I am not Dr. King, neither do I truly know what he would say if he was still here with us. But, I do believe his words yet penetrate the souls of those who knew them. What is the contents of our character and that of our children? The dead bodies found at midnight or before daybreak speak of our loss of human worth and respect for human life. What has happened to our quest or respect for property ownership and its value and beauty. Where is genuine loyalty to the brotherhood of life itself. Are we still brethren? What historical legacy are we leaving? Is it…what one culture couldn’t do to us, the twenty-century generation rose to complete by self destruction. Have the blessings we now enjoy, bought by the blood of millions, been in vain to some degree? Let us as a nation within a nation of people begin to complete one another and stop the wars from within. “Brethren, love one another, and let this love continue! 1 John 4:7-12 Electra.gethsemaneministries@yahoo.com.
