[Lekooks] Yesterday's sermon

[Christine Kunert]

Hello Elissa,

I just found this  dictionary definition of "racist."

"a person who believes in racism <https://www.dictionary.com/browse/racism>,
the doctrine that one's own racial group is superior or that a particular
racial group is inferior to the others."

And then I found this on Wikipedia regarding Malcolm X:

>From his adoption of the Nation of Islam in 1952 until he broke with it in
1964, Malcolm X promoted the Nation's teachings
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#Beliefs_of_the_Nation_of_Islam>.
These included beliefs:

   - that black people are the original people of the world[97]
   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Lomax55-104>
   - that white people are "devils"[98]
   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Perry115-105>
   - that blacks are superior
   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_supremacy> to whites, and
   - that the demise of the white race is imminent.[99]
   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-Lomax57-106>


Malcolm X did break with the Nation in 1964; however, he continued to
preach violence and superiority of the black race. In April, Malcolm X gave
a speech titled "The Ballot or the Bullet
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballot_or_the_Bullet>," 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.[142] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-155>[143]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#cite_note-156>

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.

Thanks,
Chris Kunert




On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 12:30 PM elissa watson via Lekooks <
lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:

> Check yourself, Gerry.
>
> 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
> transportation
> , well-funded schools (with
> distinct
> 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.
> 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.
>
> On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 9:46 AM Gerald Flakas via Lekooks <
> lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear fellow LCUUC members and friends:
>>
>> 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.”
>>
>> 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 *this *is what you want, and if *this* is the
>> direction you want our church to take.
>>
>> Thank you for your consideration,
>>
>> Gerry Flakas
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Peace,
> Elissa
>
>
>
>
> - - - -
>
> She/Her
>
> “Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” -
> Daniel J. Boorstin
>
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