<div dir="auto">I didn't hear all of yesterday's sermon, and I'm no expert on Malcolm X, but I think we can all agree that our society has a culture of white supremacy that needs to be dismantled. <div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Hearing things that make us uncomfortable is important - the reality of the systems of oppression against Black people in our country that have existed and still exist is appalling. The more I learn, the more uncomfortable I become.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I agree with Elissa that dismantling Racism is hard and lifelong work. It begins with waking up to the depth of the problem. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The fact that Black people say things that are perceived as racist is not the problem. The problem is the way our society has overwhelmingly created systems of oppression against people of color. That is what we are called to understand and to work to change.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I think this conversation is important for us to have, even though I'm sure it is making some of us uncomfortable.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Kerry</div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote" dir="auto"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 11:33 AM Michael McNett via Lekooks <<a href="mailto:lekooks@lekook.org">lekooks@lekook.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div><div dir="ltr">I would also point out that there was nothing in Gerry's note that stated that Dr. Liston was racist - only that he was offended by her praising someone who was.</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I can say from personal experience that I have been the victim of innumerable racist comments by patients of different ethnicities I declined to prescribe opioids for, when I was simply following our state licensing board's opioid guidelines. Many of them asserted that I was a racist for not prescribing them, when I was trying to save their lives. The idea that a person who is in a minority cannot be a racist or play the race card to try to manipulate others is simply false.</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">As is widely stated in recovery groups, "Those who do not address their past are condemned to repeat it." Abuse breeds abuse, in whatever manifestation it takes. A clear indication of why it's in the best interest of everyone, including whites, to step in and stop systemic racism in the US.<br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Thanks,</div><div dir="ltr">Mike<br></div><div><br></div><div><p>Nehru to Gandhi, on his deathbed: <em>"Mahatma, in your lifetime, you have turned the world utterly upside down. How must that feel??"</em> </p>
<p>Gandhi: <em>"Yes, I turned the world upside down. I stood on my head."</em></p></div></div>
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On Monday, February 22, 2021, 1:08:08 PM CST, Christine Kunert via Lekooks <<a href="mailto:lekooks@lekook.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">lekooks@lekook.org</a>> wrote:
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<div><div id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510"><div><div dir="ltr">Hello Elissa, <div><br clear="none"></div><div>I just found this dictionary definition of "racist."<div><br clear="none"></div><div><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">"a person who believes in </span><a shape="rect" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/racism" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,36,139);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">racism</a><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">, the doctrine that one's own racial group is superior or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others."</span><br clear="none"></div><div><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px"><br clear="none"></span></div><div>And then I found this on Wikipedia regarding Malcolm X:</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><p style="margin:0.5em 0px;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px">From his adoption of the Nation of Islam in 1952 until he broke with it in 1964, Malcolm<span style="white-space:nowrap"> </span>X promoted the <a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#Beliefs_of_the_Nation_of_Islam" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">Nation's teachings</a>. These included beliefs:</p><ul style="margin:0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px"><li style="margin-bottom:0.1em">that black people are the original people of the world<sup id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-Lomax55_104-0" style="line-height:1;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px"><a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Lomax55-104" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">[97]</a></sup></li><li style="margin-bottom:0.1em">that white people are "devils"<sup id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-Perry115_105-0" style="line-height:1;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px"><a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Perry115-105" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">[98]</a></sup></li><li style="margin-bottom:0.1em">that <a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_supremacy" title="Black supremacy" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">blacks are superior</a> to whites, and</li><li style="margin-bottom:0.1em">that the demise of the white race is imminent.<sup id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-Lomax57_106-0" style="line-height:1;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px"><a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Lomax57-106" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">[99]</a></sup></li></ul><div><font face="sans-serif" color="#202122"><span style="font-size:14px"><br clear="none"></span></font></div><div>Malcolm X did break with the Nation in 1964; however, he continued to preach violence and superiority of the black race. <span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px">In April, Malcolm</span><span style="white-space:nowrap;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px"> </span><span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px">X gave a speech titled "</span><a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballot_or_the_Bullet" title="The Ballot or the Bullet" style="background-image:none;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">The Ballot or the Bullet</a>," <span style="color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px">in which he advised African Americans to exercise their right to vote wisely but cautioned that if the government continued to prevent African Americans from attaining full equality, it might be necessary for them to take up arms.</span><sup id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-155" style="line-height:1;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif"><a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-155" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">[142]</a></sup><sup id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-156" style="line-height:1;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif"><a shape="rect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-156" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background-repeat:repeat;background-image:none;background-size:auto" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">[143]</a></sup></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>I do not pretend to be a Malcolm X scholar. However, it seems pretty clear from the little I do know (and please correct me if I'm wrong) he had a brilliant mind and an abundance of anger. His anger was righteous and obviously not unfounded. The issue many have is with his methods. Anger can be a great motivator, but violence is never the answer. It only leads to more anger and more violence - Newton's Third Law of Motion. </div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Chris Kunert</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div><br clear="none"></div><div></div></div></div></div><br clear="none"><div><div id="m_5856713495115126358ydp879dc6e7yiv8554405510yqtfd88094"><div dir="ltr">On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 12:30 PM elissa watson via Lekooks <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:lekooks@lekook.org" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">lekooks@lekook.org</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Check yourself, Gerry.<div><br clear="none"></div><div>I want you to first recognize that BIPOC cannot be racist. Marginalized people and communities do not hold the institutions of power in our country to be able to act discriminatorily against white people. Policies and unfair treatment against BIPOC have been used for centuries, leading to our current situation that exclude these communities from fair housing, equitable <div>transportation</div>, well-funded schools (with <div>distinct</div>achievement gap disparities), and maintains their status as low-income citizens with little to no generational wealth and poorer health outcomes. It is both ignorant and appalling to hear someone I respect, call Dr. Liston and Malcom X racist.</div><div>The UUA 8th principle asks each congregation to strive to dismantle racism. Dismantling racism is difficult, lifelong work, and it cannot be accomplished by being fearful of those with strong, revolutionary voices. </div></div><br clear="none"><div><div dir="ltr">On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 9:46 AM Gerald Flakas via Lekooks <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:lekooks@lekook.org" rel="nofollow noreferrer" target="_blank">lekooks@lekook.org</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div style="font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:black"><p>Dear fellow LCUUC members and friends:</p><p>I was offended and disgusted by yesterday’s racist rant by
our guest speaker, especially with her praising Malcom X as role model. I don’t
know if any of you remember Malcom X. I do. I remember his flagrant racism,
religious bigotry, and advocacy of violence, his belittling ML King’s passive
movement, which brought about real advances to the cause of justice in America
with the passage of landmark voting and civil rights legislation, and his
dismissal of JFK’s assassination as “The chickens have come home to roost.”<span> </span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p>I encourage all of you to do some research on the life and
times of Malcom X. The Internet is full of references and they are easy to
find. Then judge for yourself if <i>this </i>is what you want, and if <i>this</i>
is the direction you want our church to take.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p>Thank you for your consideration,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p>Gerry Flakas<u></u><u></u></p>
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</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br clear="none"></div>-- <br clear="none"><div dir="ltr">Peace,<br clear="none">Elissa<br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">- - - -<br clear="none"><br clear="none">She/Her<br clear="none"><br clear="none">“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” - Daniel J. Boorstin<br clear="none"><br clear="none"></div>
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