A Painful History...

As Black History Month wraps up, we watched a video with our kids tonight about the marches for freedom in Birmingham, Alabama back in the 1960's. It's a crying shame how our black brothers were treated! I'm young enough that I never really experienced much of the hatred. It's beyond me how one race could call themselves superior to another and use the Bible to justify that attitude. White bigotry & arrogance caused great suffering to many! The video doesn't hold back in showing the violence and intimidation tactics that were used to try and keep African Americans from having a voice and equal privileges. I wept to see black people walking peacefully down the street being attacked by dogs, high pressure fire hoses, and brutally attacked by policeman with batons. Did you know that 5,000 young people were put in prison in one week for no other crime than protesting the poor treatment they received?! Inspired by the non-violent approach of Martin Luther King, Jr. they stood willingly & bravely for freedom. When viewing the same footage we saw tonight, President John F. Kennedy said, "It makes me sick to my stomach to see how black citizens are being treated". His last great act was to endorse integration. He was assasinated 5 months later. I grew up around black people- my friends & neighbors. I laughed & cried with them and we played B-ball on the court. I heard their stories & babysat their children. Slavery/Segregation are ugly scars on our nation's history, but today we are healing. Let it happen- don't keep hatred alive... This topic got me thinking about Religious bigotry & segregation which is VERY much a reality today. These attitudes build walls of separation between family, neighbors and denominations. Again, the Bible is often used to justify all of this behavior. If someone else doesn't live, look or believe exactly the same way, can we not respect their freedom of choice and be friends? For many years, God's people have been split into various factions. Many Christians & Jews feel they are superior to Muslims and unfortunately, the opposite is also true. This saddens me. If there is to be mistreatment, let it not be on the part of those who claim to follow Jesus Christ, for there was NO arrogance found in Him! He was humble, obedient to God's principles of love, forgiveness and sacrifice- even unto death. Until I love my neighbor enough to die for him/her I am not Christ-like enough.