[Lekooks] Yesterday's sermon

Mon Feb 22 19:47:01 CST 2021

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.

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.

I agree with Elissa that dismantling Racism is hard and lifelong work. It
begins with waking up to the depth of the problem.

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.

I think this conversation is important for us to have, even though I'm sure
it is making some of us uncomfortable.

Kerry

On Mon, Feb 22, 2021, 11:33 AM Michael McNett via Lekooks <
lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:

> 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
> <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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