<div dir="ltr">Hello Elissa, <div><br></div><div>I just found this dictionary definition of "racist."<div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">"a person who believes in </span><a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/racism" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,36,139);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px" 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></div><div><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px"><br></span></div><div>And then I found this on Wikipedia regarding Malcolm X:</div><div><br></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 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:none" 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="gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-Lomax55_104-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Lomax55-104" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background:none" target="_blank">[97]</a></sup></li><li style="margin-bottom:0.1em">that white people are "devils"<sup id="gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-Perry115_105-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Perry115-105" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background:none" target="_blank">[98]</a></sup></li><li style="margin-bottom:0.1em">that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_supremacy" title="Black supremacy" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background:none" 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="gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-Lomax57_106-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Lomax57-106" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background:none" target="_blank">[99]</a></sup></li></ul><div><font color="#202122" face="sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><br></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 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;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px" 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="gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-155" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-155" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background:none" target="_blank">[142]</a></sup><sup id="gmail-m_5812064307817034994m_4980520059076548950gmail-cite_ref-156" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:isolate;white-space:nowrap;font-size:11.2px;color:rgb(32,33,34);font-family:sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-156" style="text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(6,69,173);background:none" target="_blank">[143]</a></sup></div><div><br></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></div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Chris Kunert</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div></div></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 12:30 PM elissa watson via Lekooks <<a href="mailto:lekooks@lekook.org">lekooks@lekook.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" 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></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><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 9:46 AM Gerald Flakas via Lekooks <<a href="mailto:lekooks@lekook.org" target="_blank">lekooks@lekook.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" 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 class="MsoNormal">Dear fellow LCUUC members and friends:</p><p class="MsoNormal">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 class="MsoNormal">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 class="MsoNormal">Thank you for your consideration,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gerry Flakas<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><br></div>_______________________________________________<br>
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</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Peace,<br>Elissa<br><br><br><br><br>- - - -<br><br>She/Her<br><br>“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” - Daniel J. Boorstin<br><br></div>
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