If past is prologue, then
a letter from some white Birmingham ministers in 1963 illustrates how nice established
society continues to respond to racial inequities to this day.
If society can address social ills with little disruption to the status quo, that seems to be the preferred modus operandi. Such measures, however, are usually tentative and ineffective. Often the status quo is threatened by calls for justice, as is seen in some of our political commentators. One example is the way that prominent political commentator Andrew Sullivan has addressed our country’s racial issues. Sullivan has been a critic of The 1619 Project which seeks to educate the public about the crucial role slavery played in our country’s beginnings and the essential contributions black Americans have made throughout our history. It is little wonder that Mr. Sullivan has a similar problem with critical race theory. In an article published May 28, 2021, “Removing the Bedrock of Liberalism: What the ‘Critical Race Theory’ is really about,” Sullivan expresses concern that CRT is a threat to our Western liberal society. He claims that CRT rejects the principles of Enlightenment that western liberal societies are founded upon and thereby is “a very seductive and potent threat to liberal civilization.” (Read Sullivan’s article here)
White
Southern Clergy 2.0
Mr. Sullivan’s approach is reminiscent of those white ministers
Martin Luther King wrote a letter to from his jail cell in Birmingham. Eight
white clergy signed a letter to Martin Luther King in 1963 asking him to stop
his demonstrations in Birmingham. The letter states that those clergy realize
that there are racial inequities that the community must address, but they are
concerned that marching in the streets will only lead to violence.
To his credit, Sullivan acknowledges that the evils of
slavery and genocide are factors in American history that we must realize and
deal with. However, when he claims that critical race theory will threaten
liberal civilization, it truly is the same song, second verse that the Southern
white clergy of Birmingham gave in their criticism of Martin Luther King and
the civil rights protests. They, too,
acknowledged that there were racial inequities, but feared that calling
attention to it in the streets would only cause violence. They wanted Dr. King
to be patient and let them deal with the problem through local leadership.
(Read the Birmingham Clergy Letter here)
In other words, they wanted to keep their nice society and
they wanted black activists to let whites deal with the problem on their own
timetable. Never mind that it had already been ten years since Brown v. Board
of Education, and 100 years since a war had been fought to end slavery. In his
Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, among many other things, reminded
them of Chief Justice Warren's words, "justice too long delayed is justice
denied.” (Read the entire Letter from Birmingham Jail here).
In a similar manner, Andrew Sullivan is afraid CRT will
upset this nice society we enjoy. Sure, slavery was bad, he says, we get that.
Sure genocide was bad, we agree. He wants us all to let the genius of liberal
enlightened society do its work in improving life for everyone. The problem is,
if you let those in power continue to say, "Yes, we understand the evils of
racism" without actually doing something to correct it, those who live in
comfort will continue to let things rock along unchanged while minorities
continue to suffer injustice. (Read a brief overview of what critical race
theory is here)
How Can
We Move Toward that Beloved Community?
If we
are to move closer to racial equity, it will require more listening. Sullivan
and others approaching critical race theory as if it were a threat to liberal
civilization is not likely to make those in power more willing to listen. On
the contrary, if civic leaders can paint champions for justice as
troublemakers, it is much easier to dismiss their cause out of hand. When
arguments are dismissed, inequities can be more easily ignored.
The Tulsa Race Massacre that occurred 100 years ago is an example
of racial inequity being ignored by the white population at large. It was an
incident not mentioned in textbooks in most public schools. A whole generation
grew up with no knowledge that it even occurred until the story began to be told
in television documentaries such as The
Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story (2000). Another example is amplified
in the book An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, by
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. There one can learn of the unspeakable atrocities
committed by men like Andrew Jackson against Native Americans which
are not even mentioned, or at best glossed over in our education.
It seems that Mr. Sullivan would rather preserve the status quo and
say, "we'll deal with all of that later" than to give credit to those
who are trying to make us aware of current injustice which has its basis in our
original sins of slavery and genocide. When he says we need to acknowledge the
evils of racism, but he does not want anyone to talk about the 1619 Project or
CRT, he is placing himself in the same camp as those white ministers in Birmingham
in 1963 who told Martin Luther King to please not raise such a ruckus about it.
Though we have been sorely tested in recent years, I still have
hope for the liberal western civilization that Andrew Sullivan cherishes. The
true test of that civilization lies in how we handle our disagreements and how
we move toward a society that works for everyone. Dr. King had the dream, but
we all hold the key.
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