This is Black History month.
I challenge each of you to read at least one book on black history, one book written by a black author, or the biography of a black leader. Most of us would never position ourselves as a member of the “White Supremacist” group, but by our inaction we subtly display our lack of interest in, or desire to really understand much of their pain.
Our black brothers and sisters made a great contribution to our country. When the plantation owners thought that manual labor was beneath them, the textile industry developed on the backs of thousands of black slaves who labored in the cotton fields, with little reward except the lash from their masters if they failed to produce.
Officially, 186,017 Negro troops took part in the civil war on the side of the Union. Many sources believe that had they counted the servants, laborers and spies, between 300,000-400,000 Negroes helped as regular soldiers or laborers in winning the Civil War. One southern leader said the enlistment of Negro troops by the United States was the turning point of the war.
When you consider the obstacles they had to overcome, their achievements have been remarkable. The Black codes developed by the Southern whites after the northern troops were removed during the reconstruction period, reduced their opportunities and reinstituted a kind of near-slavery with the development of the share-cropper system. Much of their lives were still under the control of the white owner.
Even a world-renowned scientist such as Dr. George Washington Carver, had to ride in the baggage car on his way to address the Congress of the United States. They were told where they could live, sleep, eat and work. Their voting rights were severely limited. Thank God we have come a long way.
But we must continue to learn and love, to understand and be understood. Does racism go both ways? Certainly, it does. Personal responsibility and the rule of law and love must still abide. The break-up of the family unit and the welfare system contribute to the problem.
But we must recognize that cultural differences are not necessarily bad, just different. Just because a person does not look or act like me doesn’t mean I am superior. Because we have been brought up a certain way does not mean it is the only correct way to act. This past Sunday, my denomination celebrated “George Liele day.” He was a freed slave who was one of the most significant figures in the history of Christian missions. He planted the first African American Baptist church in America. After preaching for 2 years in the slave quarters of plantations surrounding Savanna and into South Carolina he and his family migrated to Kingston, Jamaica.
Slaves were brought from Africa to Jamaica to work on the sugar plantations. His ministry had such a spiritual and social impact on the island that slavery was eradicated in 1828, 55 years before slaves were freed in the United States.
When he came to Jamaica, there were only about 8,000 Baptists on the island. In1832 there were 20,000. His converts were encouraged to preach the Gospel. Many went to Savannah, Georgia, Nova Scotia and Sierra Leona.
He was born into slavery, but through the power of Christ became a messenger of the Gospel that multiplied African American Baptist churches in America, Jamaica and beyond. Yet, to my regret I never heard of him until this week.
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