[Lekooks] Yesterday's sermon

Mon Feb 22 13:32:55 CST 2021

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.
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.
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.

Thanks,Mike

Nehru to Gandhi, on his deathbed: "Mahatma, in your lifetime, you have turned the world utterly upside down. How must that feel??" 

Gandhi: "Yes, I turned the world upside down. I stood on my head."

    On Monday, February 22, 2021, 1:08:08 PM CST, Christine Kunert via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:  

 Hello Elissa,  
I just found this  dictionary definition of "racist."
"a person who believes in 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. These included beliefs:

   - that black people are the original people of the world   [97]
   - that white people are "devils"   [98]
   - that blacks are superior to whites, and
   - that the demise of the white race is imminent.   [99]

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," 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][143]
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 distinctachievement 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 byour guest speaker, especially with her praising Malcom X as role model. I don’tknow 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 passivemovement, which brought about real advances to the cause of justice in Americawith the passage of landmark voting and civil rights legislation, and hisdismissal of JFK’s assassination as “The chickens have come home to roost.”  

I encourage all of you to do some research on the life andtimes of Malcom X. The Internet is full of references and they are easy tofind. Then judge for yourself if this is what you want, and if thisis 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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