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Eden

The slight depressions along the bubbling brook tracked the direction of the skipping pebbles. The surrounding lush garden shadowed the green, mossy land abutting the water’s edge. There, under the weeping willow she sat, emanating the forest’s countenance. 

She balanced several more of the black rocks, their smooth, flat surface warming the webs of her fingers. Tossing them across the surface of the pond, she punctuated the end of her meditation, the gliding fragments disrupting the peaceful current of the wildlife below.

She absorbed the floral scents, the rhythmic cicadas attuned, and the warm, muggy air enveloping her with God’s outstretched arms. Her immediate ecosystem paired with the one within. Feeling a gentle push, she rose to her feet, unperturbed by the trapped stains on her khaki shorts. One last perusal, smiling at her sanctuary. Her strong resolve mirroring the steadfastness of the towering trees, leaving the branches to do the weeping.

Psalms‬ ‭30:5‬: “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

Waves

She dozed on the wooden balcony, periodically peaking through the glass enclosure into the pitch black night. Suddenly, the crashing waves seemed to roar as a white eagle soared from atop the glistening surface of the water, streaking upward toward the jeweled sky; higher and higher into the still of the deep.

Her thoughts broke through the deafening sea and were hers again, awakened from the reverie: a mix of present and future; her ideas and those of the Universe.

She lay her crown back onto the headrest, heart slowly resuming to resting state. She softly caressed herself, tightening her knees to her chest for added warmth.

Her fatigue had begun to interrupt her contemplations and she realize it was time to give it a rest and resume her pondering for another time. The bedroom called…

Rising up from her seat, the ship betraying her stance. She quickly regained her footing with a deep, lingering breath. She missed the night air already, sensing that God himself was in its midst.

Psalm 139:1-2: You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Namesake

The blue and white stone trinkets rattled against each other as the shopper sifted through, searching for her name. “Edith”, “Edna”, then a jump to “Erica”. She quickly canvassed the remainder of the boutique, certain that her moniker would not be found within. She had plodded about the waterfront village hoping that the arty venue would be the first to carry apparel or ornaments fashioned with her signature, a rare name indeed. Placidly, she relinquished her pursuit and headed toward the docks to watch the red-streaked sunset. 

Growing up, I was uncomfortable with my name, a combination of the French names of my parents, and having no independent meaning on its own. Unlike Edith which means “rich war” or Edna signifying “tenderness”, my searches always yielded “no result”.  Instead, whenever meeting new classmates or being called upon by an instructor, I braced myself for the butchering that would ensue followed by unwelcomed nicknames and teasing. I was even grouped with male students on one very mortifying occasion when a substitute could not decipher my gender from the roll book.

As time went on, some of those nicknames stuck. If you address me as “Ed”, consider yourself lucky. I retired that label soon after high school but its deemed a term of affection from my oldest and dearest friends. “Mire” is generally reserved for my close law school companions. Nothing bonds you more than going through the fire of a 1L curriculum or getting passed the bar examination. We are practically family if you double down and chide me with “Mire Mire” with no penalty.

Time and again and after countless greetings spent correcting and explaining, I have grown to appreciate the opportunity to connect on a personal level. Discussing one’s name is supremely benign on the totem pole of conversation starters and thus, kindness is easily at the forefront of every exchange. From there, discipleship is possible. Admittedly, God’s leading is a crucial ingredient. But I have realized that my name, though unique and seemingly meaningless, allowed God to fill me with meaning. Once a burden, it now guides me to treasure the reach and connections in those precious first moments of an encounter.

Now, as a working professional, I muse at the occasional “mister” referenced on incoming correspondence. I never hesitate to clarify my salutation but with levity. I am reminded that a sliver of generosity opens the door for Light to shine through. There is comfort in knowing that God will grant us grace to shoulder a perceived hurdle and turn it into a gift or blessing to others. We are called to abide in that grace.

Kindest regards,

Edmire

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20.

System Restored: The Case to Vote

If we were to churn this past year of American life into a feedback machine, the computer’s output would read: “System Critical”. Circulating is an aggressive pandemic still raging uncontrollably with unfavorable trends noted in virtually every state. Our economy has been severely distressed in many sectors and our children are stuck learning at home accompanied by wearied parents. Continued civil unrest due to disparately implemented policing in communities of color alight protests and oftentimes, rioting. Exacerbating the violence and in contravention of the Second Amendment, armed militia have essentially taken over numerous streets in America. In the backdrop, unpredictable planetary emergencies threaten major populations. All this is compounded by an exasperating political climate.

The presidential candidates Joseph Biden and Donald Trump have starkly different outlooks on combating these ills, among others. The incumbent Trump, who carelessly contracted the coronavirus himself, has objectively exhibited unconventional behavior leaving the rest of the world perplexed, including encouraging the non-use of masks, the one easily accessible tool to protect from infection. Biden, the former Vice President to Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, is tempered but unproven in these complex times. Frankly, any candidate would find these current conditions daunting. This has triggered a nationwide race to vote early and in unprecedented numbers. Yet, as we pull the levers of power in the ballot box, there is a looming threat to our personal electoral agency. The GOP mainly has used legislative prowess to put forth policies arguably intended to hamper the voting franchise of many disadvantaged groups who tend to vote democratic. In conjunction, Trump has elicited election insecurity by prematurely delegitimizing the outcome of the race should he lose. In that same vein, the United States Postal Service has been ordered to surreptitiously slow down mail service, preempting the non-counting of absentee voters.

More recently, the Republican party forged ahead with the confirmation hearing of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court slot left behind after the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, weeks ahead of the general election and while early voting has already commenced. This now completes the nine-justice panel and secures a conservative bent to the highest court in the land for years to come. Recall, Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s judicial pick in 2016, was denied a hearing by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell citing a fabricated rule that a lame duck president could not make such a selection. In fact, McConnell also denied President Obama’s other choices for federal district and circuit courts upwards of 105 times, leaving that many vacancies that Trump has diligently filled. Yet, four years later, Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was graced with an expedited appointment which followed Brett Kavanaugh whose shoddy past and questionable record on voting rights should have given the Senate committee pause. Within the last week, election decisions have already been handed down and on election night, we may see candidates and their respective parties running to the Supreme Court steps.

Understand this: the Supreme Court is the venue of final redress, the avenue of last resort. There are no other judicial remedies in the litigation process. Thus, the only other solution to bring about changed policies that are more representative of the majority views of the public is through expansion of the court itself and legislative changes.  However, unless rigging of the system via suppression is thwarted, a small segment of the population in a large number of states will be able to consolidate power in the Senate, the ultimate power grab. And that’s the play – be not distracted by the frivolity being displayed by our leader.

In good conscience, for the sake of our democracy, there should be the fair rotation of the elite, the very principle this county was founded upon. Most Americans view this year’s presidential election as the most important of a lifetime. Questioning how we got here would engender a range of viewpoints and emotions, all falling along either the red or blue political spectrum.  Whether you sway left or right, what’s clear is the essential need to vote, either to disrupt the branches of government that are not demonstrating our deepest values or fighting to keep them in command. It is the writers hope that on the morning of November 4th, the read out will say “system restored”.

And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Mark 3:25 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/mrk.3.25.KJV

Burning Justice

Abdulhamid Hosbas | Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Staring into my young black boy’s eyes, I saw innocence encircled around bold, deep brown irises. Playful just moments before, his childlike presence dimmed for a moment as he struggled to reconcile his own nine-year old existence with his mother’s grave explanation regarding George Floyd’s death, a man arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. The stress was overwhelming and the youngster asked to switch gears and returned to his videos.

Even in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, American streets have again erupted in protest. Floyd, a 46 year-old African American man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes among cries that he could not breathe and certainty that he was nearing his demise. Unmoved, officer Derek Chauvin pressed on even after Floyd, handcuffed and laying prone, was unresponsive for two minutes and 53 seconds. After three accompanying officers checked his pulse, emergency services were called. Yet, no life saving resuscitation efforts were implemented. The occurrence was captured by bystanders’ cell phone videos and viewed countless times on social media. The four officers were fired by the city’s mayor. Officer Chauvin was arrested four days after the ruthless act and charged with 3rd degree murder and manslughter, hardly propitiating the community. As of the date of this writing, no charges have been brought against the three other officers who assisted in restraining the victim by also kneeling on his body during the arrest.

After this public lynching, unparalleled mayhem has ensued and battle cries are heard throughout the nation. Minneopolis’ 3rd precinct, home to the offending officers, was overtaken by protesters and set ablaze over the uproar of celebratory cheers and fists pumping in the air in acknowlegment of the symbolic victory. Then, as if in concert, 75 cities across America began to burn. Protesters, homogeneous in nature, vented their frustrating anger, societal anxieties and rejection of the uneven status quo, culminating into a tipping point and America’s reckoning. Rioting has left war-like aftermaths marked with destruction and looting. Days later, demands for the additional arrests of the remaining officers have gone unappeased. Meanwhile protestors, and even an on-air network reporter with no legitimate charge, were promptly arrested. Among the chaos, what’s clear is that swift justice for the Floyd family is warranted in order for the semblance of peace to prevail.

However, at this juncture, there is simply no returning to normalcy. Justice for this murder alone is insufficient, especially in light of other recent killings of people of color including Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year old jogger in Georgia chased down and killed by local residents who purportedly observed him perusing a home construction project. Arrests in that case were not effectuated until several months later when damming video already in the possession of law enforcement surfaced of the cold-blooded killing. Countless bad acts by racist civilians and unfettered police forces for too many generations have triggered the boiling point of the black community and its allies. Yet, their ask now entails rectifying disparities in economic wealth, physical health, education and political standing. Anything short at this point may result in our witnessing the failing or collapsing of the systemic structures that buttress the U.S.’s democratic republic experiment. Unaddressed, the institutions of our democracy will be unable to sustain themselves due to the crisis of disenfrachisement of people of color.

Today, we are all called to pick a side and establish a constructive role regardless of color, creed, or socioeconomic station in this ongoing cause. And while passions are alit, the Bible affirms our anger, although with the caveat that we are not to sin. (Ephesians 4:26). How do we align these competing principles? The Gospel recounts a Jewish pilgrimage when Jesus Christ visited a temple in Jerusalem during Passover. The courtyard of the temple had been transformed into a marketplace where livestock and currency were being exchanged. The poor were exploited by merchants and temple authorities alike during these commercial transactions. Reacting to the immorality, disrespect and defiling of this sacred space, Jesus furiously trounced the sellers and scattered them and their animals, dumped their money and flipped over their tables and chairs. He then decreed an embargo on any merchandise sold in the temple, disturbing all commerce. (see, John 2:13-16; see also, Matthew 21:12-13).

We can take cues from Jesus, not only known as the sacrificial Lamb of God but also as the fierce Lion of Judah, the ultimate conqueror. (Revelations 5). Within His authority as King of kings, he armed himself with whips and asserted force to rid the temple of corruption and issued sanctions impacting the markets in the area. As the demonstrated standard, righteous anger is what makes God angry. Nothing is more compelling today.

Perhaps organized righteous disruption will speak truth to power and effectuate change. From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement, we have studied historic revolts that lead to the inception of this country and to enactment of legislation that achieved amendments in policy. The call to the deep is for inspired leadership to take the helm where either menacing tweets or palpable silence are complicit in the racial divide. Nonetheless, if a black man can be brazenly killed still in 2020 in broad daylight despite onlookers pleading on his behalf, we are all called. It’s time.

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:3.

AP Photo credit

Charlottesville


Photo credit: ABC News

The events that took place in Charlottesville will forever be seared in our minds. The culmination of white fear and fragility was reduced to acts of tribalism, barbarism and domestic terrorism. The alt-Right’s false premise of freedom of speech and peaceful protest discounted legal precedent holding that these fundamental rights are not without limitations nor are they meant to incite violence or cause imminent harm or severe  emotional distress. The “Fighting Words” doctrine has been defined by courts as speech that “tend[s] to incite an immediate breach of the peace” by provoking a fight, so long as it is a “personally abusive [word] which, when addressed to the ordinary citizen, is, as a matter of common knowledge, inherently likely to provoke a violent reaction”. (See, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, 315U.S. 568 (1942)). Here, spewed racial epithets and religious and sexual animus coupled with lit torches engendered visceral apprehensions of historical lynchings and cross burnings, incited fear and provocation, and fell out of bounds from a constitutional standpoint.
Further, the nation was again gripped with the anxious reality of the moral bankruptcy that exists at the helm of U.S. leadership. But this time it was different. Our commander-in-chief, under color of law, asserted without equivocation, the place of white nationalism and fascism in this country while wrongly denouncing those who bravely stood in the face of prejudice. Trump’s prior vacillation in the last few days, presenting as moral ambiguity at best, was firmly replaced by the true heart of the man: A man who at the official podium revered the contemporary cultural significance of confederate secessionist Robert E. Lee. A man who refused to call out terrorism despite the fact that an Isis-style vehicular attack by a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi resulted in the demise of a young demonstrator who championed equality. A man who today supports those who have replaced the white hood with a red cap, appealing to the most demonic facets of society.

August 15, 2017, ironically the deadline the world assumed would trigger a Korean nuclear response, had more historical consequence in the United States. Unfortunately, the President’s stance during his press conference this day marks the line of demarcation. The administration has given breath to the extreme right, who illegally formed a militia, wore riot gear, menaced antiprotesters while brandishing armament, shouted slurs to incite violence, carried torches to invoke fear, and caused the murder of innocent Americans.
So where do we go from here? What is apparent from the images depicted over the last weekend is that this race war is won standing in unity, a painful and difficult truth for some. Whites and non-whites must collectively ensure the sheer numbers and voices needed to combat this adversary. Those who actively oppress others based on superficialities such as color, religion, creed, gender or sexual orientation can no longer be discerned from those who flirt with hate groups or from those who vote for and lend support to racists or the racist-adjacent. Passivity or silent complicity in a system of white privilege no longer exempts one from being a racist.

Moreover, revenge or political fights are useless, temporary and appeal to the ego and lower-based frequencies of ourselves.  Rather, business leaders and congresspersons should be held to account for their positions in this debate and their customers and constituents should reflect this point with the dollars they spend and the votes they cast. Old fashioned canvassing in our neighborhoods and signing petitions to effectuate change in our districts does have an impact on our legislative agenda and policy amendments if enough people engage. Our imprint is directly proportional to the number of citizens who take an active role. Simply sitting back is too grave; those in the fringes of the alt-Right movement which is gaining credibility among whites and enabled by some others, inconspicuously live on our streets, teach at our schools, attend our churches, police our neighborhoods, set standards at our offices and sell us our groceries. To all thinking, reasonable adults, I say to you: This is everyone’s problem. Let us emulate the unity and peace and strength that our God has granted us and operate on the right side of history.

Matthew 6:9-13: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The Passion

I was not intending on eavesdropping. My mind was fixed on my task list for the day when my musings were interrupted by the dialogue nearby regarding Christmas. The two gentlemen, one clearly the commanding elder, discussed the upcoming seasonal plans. To the mentor’s dismay, the holiday served as more of an anomaly. “Christmas is a very strange day for Jewish kids”, went his presentiment. He furthered his view that the experience was of forced busyness all around, commencing the day after Thanksgiving and culminating to an anticlimactic day of observance on the 25th. For the nonbelievers, this simply represents that shops and restaurants are closed on the day and the hectic traffic has died down by year’s end. As I sulked in the unsettling thoughts expressed by this stranger who clearly had no relationship with Christ, he and his confidant moved passed.

How I wished to have shared the full beauty and blessing of the season, glorifying the divine majesty of the Lord. To have honored the salvation that we were afforded when Jesus touched upon the earth thousands of years ago resulting in the amazing Power and Light that transcends time and space even still. The joy in sharing the day with family and friends coming from far and near. The intimacy that stems beyond simple gift giving; but rather, true tokens of love. The gratefulness for the glee shining through in our children’s eyes and the unfussiness of a cup of hot cocoa as we gather by the tree.

Let us pray for those who are being called to Christ; for those yearning for the Spirit of God. Let us thank the Lord for the day that He has made. Let us celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you all!

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:9‬: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.”

#MakeAmericaGreat

The stout and rugged gentleman sported his red cap with pride. A defiant Donald Trump supporter, he declared a landslide victory for his candidate despite polling yields and innuendos suggesting malfeasance, numerous allegations of assault, and racist commentary. When pressed by the young female reporter, he sheepishly grinned and as if divulging a secret, asserted that countless Americans will surreptitiously vote for Trump, a measure uncaptured by statistics. Almost taken aback, the reporter deferred to another breaking news story about the unprecedented Russian-led hack of Secretary Clinton’s damaging emails in an effort to sway the outcome of an American election.

Regardless of which side of the political aisle you ascribe to or what grassroots movement you emerged from, the elements of this campaign season are unlike any we have seen in recent history. Indeed, we are at a crossroads in our country where in general, we no longer recognize or appreciate each other’s differences, contributions or efforts. Neighbors remain strangers and paradoxically, intimate connection is found on the Internet. The texture of the recent presidential debates has trickled down to pundits and even to local communities who are disrespectfully feuding about where we should stand as a people. And many -isms are laid deep within only to find a voice in the ballot box. There is where the most fundamental of rights are being attacked or suppressed.

To some extent, I agree with the slogan “Make America Great Again” but for diverging reasons as those of the man who created the hash tag and certainly not with the nostalgia of the 1950s. The division that this recent discord has engendered desperately requires healing. It is time to do just that and reinforce collectiveness. Let us return to a time when being American was largely respected on the world stage. Let us return to a time when we honored our fallen soldiers and the families that support them while they accept tours of duty for our protection. Let us return to a time when civil rights were acknowledged and legislation to further such progress were boldly fostered. Let us return to a time when our environment and climate changes were not made a mockery of without needless efforts to debunk. Let us return to a time when caring for our seniors or providing educational grants were viewed as noble rather than hand-outs. Let us return to a time when true democracy was honored and favored. Let us return to a time when civility and respect for each other were the order of the day. It has not always been good for all, but we must trust that we can make it work for all. We can, together, make America great.

Ephesians 4:3: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”.

Be Led

She heard it clear as day. Not aloud but from deep within, in her gut where the spirit resides. “Go file the papers”. Sheryl had been dragging her feet for weeks after realizing that her union with Michael was functionally over. They barely ever saw each other and Michael was working more often in the firm’s Denver law practice. In the interim, her architecture group was expanding and its global appeal further widened the geographic and emotional divide. Yet, a glimmer of hope, though faint, resisted the thought of divorce. Not having spent much time kneeling in prayer, Cheryl did just that. Again, the omnipresent voice reiterated the command. “Go file the papers”.

The very next day, Cheryl downloaded her templates and proceeded with executing her signatures. She was especially quiet, hoping the voice would retract its request. She struck a deal with herself that the next sign or intuition reinforcing this command would trigger her faith to obey. She placed the documents in her daughter’s yellow “Welcome Back” school folder while in the midst of reviewing educational supplies and the semester’s lunch menu.

Ariana suffered from childhood diabetes and her dietary restrictions and medication dosages were appended to her class assignment, within the same multi-use folder that her mother stashed the important manuscripts. Some days later, Sheryl noticed that Ariana looked unwell. Forgetting her issues for a moment, the worried parent recalled that the doctor’s information was kept in the folder. She retrieved it and serendipitously, a pink “Sign Here” sticky floated onto her lap. The Verified Complaint stared back at her. Knowing God’s love of marriage and family, she could not on her own reconcile the plan from her limited perspective. From her womb, she prayed for God’s continued intervention and begged for the Holy Spirit to visit her husband. She immediately praised God and after stabilizing her daughter’s blood sugar levels, she drove to the courthouse. Unexpectedly, the building was closed early due to unforeseen circumstances and Cheryl was unable to submit her summons.

Michael looked out over the cool Denver sky as he contemplated the outstanding discovery requests that were due on his pending cases the following week. He drowned his thoughts in the 100 year old bourbon that was gifted to him during the firm’s holiday party. He grew accustomed to the loneliness that set in after being away from his family for months on end. He and Cheryl spoke very coolly to each other as she recounted Ariana’s recent sickness. He desperately wanted to express his love but it slowly had become buried in life’s discontentments. He self-medicated with another swig of the warm, soothing whiskey. As the ice cubes clanked to the bottom of his etched tumbler, a measly older gentleman clobbered toward his door frame. He came unannounced and despite the company badge that hung off his lapel, he was unfamiliar. “Michael! I’ve been looking to talk to you. I just started with the firm a week ago and I need advice on my personal case.”

Michael soon learned that Mr. Rose was 78 years old and had worked at several of the firm’s locations until settling in Denver. Unusual was their encounter. Mr. Rose seemed extremely weepy and extolled the joys of family as he viewed the photographs situated on the bureau of Michael, Cheryl and Ariana during happier times. During a follow-up appointment, again Mr. Rose expressed boundless emotion as he reminisced about his 10 grandchildren and touted his long work history and even more expansive savings account. Clearly he didn’t need to work. Yet there he was again, in Michael’s office, swooning over the family pictures and emphasizing placing family as a priority. Something in Mr. Rose’s tears shook the entanglement that chained Michael’s heart. He jumped on the next flight home but never saw Mr. Rose again.

Even in the most spiritually “dead” times, God is near, guiding, watching over and sometimes even testing us. Faith will require trust and unusual movement on our part. Can you think of a more challenging test presented to Abraham when told to sacrifice his only son Isaac? Yet, at the last moment, God sent his angel to spare Isaac’s life. Faith through its spiritual manifestations will always set us up for Heaven’s table being set before us. Despite what we see, stay the course and await God’s open door.

Genesis 15:6: “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Foundations

The slightest brush of his bag against my elbow at the busy tracks at New York Penn Station turned into mea culpa. I returned an anxious, yet expressive smile but ensured that my eyes communicated instant absolution. In running into him; older, distinguished and white complexioned; and after a grueling, politically-charged week, I instinctively expected the searing look of judgment, fear and loathing. Gratefully, I saw empathy, shared bewilderment in light of the racial landscape, and an overwhelming desire to be considerate.

As life moves forward, citizens in impacted cities and especially those in locales across the country that boast a diverse community, are struggling to comprehend the transmuted world, comparing “BC”, before Castile, to the present. On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile was operating a motor vehicle in Falcon Heights, Minnesota accompanied by his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her four year old daughter when he was pulled over by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez for a broken taillight. Though it remains unclear as to why the officer’s firearm was initially removed from its holster for such an infraction, Castile succumbed to four gun shot wounds to his body. The questionable stop inflamed the public when live-streaming video immediately after the shooting was recorded by Reynolds and simultaneously viewed on Facebook. Depicted is an aggravated Yanez still pointing his gun into the vehicle and shouting vulgarities while Reynolds calmly and credibly narrates in real time. Her courageous daughter watches on as Castile groans to his death in utter agony with no emergency service being summoned. We learn from Reynolds that the officer requested the driver’s license but was informed by Castile that he was carrying a licensed firearm. Upon reaching for his documentation from his pocket, he was strangely gunned down. Reynolds was inexplicably taken into custody and later released. This incident occurred a day after the peculiar police shooting death of Alston Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Community outrage and protests from groups such as Black Lives Matter and the sad retaliatory action of the murders of five police officers in Dallas, Texas by a lone gunman sparked debate about the 12.3% of the country’s Black population sensing a lack of safety and angling when engaged with those charged to protect and serve. The claim is that they are essentially disenfranchised from the commonwealth. The often exasperating response from some has been that “all lives matter”, in particular those garnishing blue uniforms, the mark of law enforcement.

Many believe the race issues in the United States are too abiding to resolve and are unduly imposing. Often with such recondite matters, scholars revisit the root cause at its foundation. We are reminded that at its inception, at the very signing of the document that brought this country into existence, was the ethos “We the People”. Short-sighted were the signers who, at that time, owned black slaves and deemed them to be 3/5th human by law. (Constitution, Article I. Section 2: Slaves count as 3/5 persons for representation and taxation purposes although slaves could not legally vote). Such entrenched ignorance and discrimination does not simply dissipate, regardless of the passage of time. The insurmountable task of amending the Constitution has resulted in some progress but fundamentally the more recent laws do more to enhance the belief that Black people are “others” or less than. Thus, the experience of many Black Americans is that of being other or less than. For example: Many Black people have endured disparate treatment in the education and justice systems reinforcing otherness. A father instructing his tween on how to behave in the sight of legal authority to ensure his survival is less than the ideal human experience and robs both of innocence and the joy of parenthood and childhood. The nuanced glances of privileged professionals who wonder whether a token purchased the position of the sole person of color in an organization affords the kind of daily humiliation that no hard-working, intelligent person should bare. All stems from the foundation of what all people were told for generations that Black people are and are not.

Prior to these recent tragedies, we acknowledged the difficulties among the races and our tortured history. But now, a simple crowded train ride, a walk to the park, or a dreaded police stop involving even compliant citizens may prompt eruption. Or, as in my case, can the encounter engender concessions, humility, and grace? Is there hope?

Joyfully, God had chosen us all, regardless of color, through Christ before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:3-4 states:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…”

At the foundation of the world, Christ was established and chose us! He created you, me and all in between. Yes, we must go back to the foundation…but far back, before the first human memory, and recall that we are One, all members of the same human family. There is no gene for race or biological predisposition for superiority. There is no true winner in an ongoing shooting match. Thus, we must remember or “re-member”. We must debate, even if heatedly, together and be conciliatory. We must become One again, just as I and the older gentlemen with his clumsy bag who, for a moment, saw into each other. In that time, we were God’s children. For that second, we were One.

Jeremiah 32:17: “O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!”
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