Tag Archives: civil rights

It’s Been A While

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sailingI haven’t posted a blog in over 6 months.  So, what is with that?  Let’s chalk it up to 2016 being a weird and difficult year.  I can ultimately say that I have just not felt very creative in a while.  It’s not that I don’t have anything to say, I think it may be quite the opposite.  I think I have too much packed in.  For instance, this year’s presidential election.  I could have really gone off on a tangent over the last couple of years.  However, I don’t like confrontation and when you start talking to people about religion and politics, there’s usually confrontation, especially if you don’t agree with each other.

What I did find fascinating was when people I am acquainted with talked to me so freely about why their candidate should be president.  They assumed I was thinking the same thing apparently.  I guess the look on my face wasn’t enough for them to understand we were standing on different planets at this point, so I just graciously continued to listen until I could get the heck out of Dodge. Then there are all these people that you are “friends” with on Facebook and they are going on and on.  Sorry guys, I couldn’t read your political posts…  Did you find during this time that people “assumed” you were on the same team here too?

Whatever side you were on, you must admit this was very painful to get through and we may not be done yet.  On the 20th Trump will be sworn in.  Sorry, but I am still having trouble saying those words.  No I didn’t vote him nor would I have ever voted for him.  There I said it out loud.  I am entitled to my opinion, just like everyone else.  I don’t really think we had any good options, which is terribly sad.  Both candidates were flawed and it was like voting for the lesser of two evils.

I am a lifelong Democrat, but I have voted for my share of Republicans over the years.  I really don’t vote by party lines.  I vote for the person I think would do the best job and represent my thoughts and ideals.   I remember when I voted in my first presidential election, little Democrat me voted for Ronald Regan.  I thought my dad’s head was going to explode.  He voted party lines.  My mom and I voted the same way, Ronald Regan.  I still remember talking to my parents after that first vote.  Mom had cancelled out dad’s vote by voting Republican.  My dad just knew I was voting with him.  It was quite the discussion when I told him I didn’t.

Over the years, there have been things about our presidents, those I have voted for and those I haven’t, that have been good and bad.  I remember when Bush 1 was in office.  I was working as a civil servant at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico.  For me, being on a military base where the President of the United States picture hung in every office, including mine, made us all feel very patriotic.  He was our Commander in Chief.  He was on our team and we were on his.  I trusted that whatever he did with our military would be in the best interest of this country.  The day we had jets bomb Libya, I remember thinking, don’t mess with the USA people.  We are bad, tough and on top.  Today I’m not so sure.

So many things have changed since the 1980’s while I was a humble servant on that air force base that threaten us.  ISIS and this hacking mess are so scary.  At times, it feels to me like we are just spinning in our tracks and never gaining ground.  The bad guy continues to win.  I don’t like this feeling.  The bad guys aren’t supposed to win.  Another thing that is a bit scary to me is the decisiveness of our country over the past few years.  I remember when we had the Murrah Bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995 and a few years later the 9/11 bombing in New York.  While we were all shaken to our core, it felt like citizens of the U.S. were bonding together over our tragedies.  Helping one another.  NYC sent people to Oklahoma to help in 1995 and Oklahoma sent people to help in NYC after 9/11.  After all, we are all Americans, aren’t we?  We stand up for one another, we work hard to protect our country and to move our country forward.  Can we still say that?

As I remember back to some of my American History classes in high school and college, we were always known as the “melting pot.”  People from many countries came here looking for a better life.  We still have people coming here from many countries to have a better life, but now some of them are looked upon as evil.  I’m thinking some of our early settlers were evil.  Just asked a Native American or read those stories in your history books.  We brought African Americans to this country to be slaves.  While having slaves was accepted in many areas of the world, our nation finally stood up and said no.  We “freed” the slaves, but did we really. Have you ever read much about this country’s civil rights movement in the 60’s?  If not, just try sitting through a couple of movies about it.  It’s embarrassing, wrong and shameful what was done to a group of people just because of the color of their skin.   And FYI, it’s still happening in many places in this country.

We also have those that want to remove all Muslims because of their religion.  You know, those that think all Muslims are terrorists.  What if all the other races of people thought all white people were “white supremacists?”  I’m not thinking we would like this very much.  You can’t lump all people in one category.  Wasn’t this country founded on “freedom of religion” or did I miss that part of the Constitution where it said “freedom of religion’ except for the following religions.  I also recall in my Christian upbringing that we are tasked to “love our neighbors.”

Another hot button, Hispanics coming in from Mexico.  Yes, I would prefer people enter this country legally and yes, I feel we have a problem with illegal immigrants.  What I am concerned about is again lumping all Hispanics into one group and the building of a wall.  Really?  We need a wall?  Is there truly no other way to help with this issue?  Hey Canada, be careful or we may need a wall between us too.

And let me close this out by addressing our future president.

Dear Donald,

I am going to try and give you a chance at this president thing, even though I am highly skeptical.  I did not vote for you.  The first thing I would like to see you do is stop acting like a child and venting on Twitter every time someone says something you don’t like.  What a cry baby.  Do you have any restraint?   So what if someone says something you don’t like.  We can’t all agree, that is evident.  Lord knows not everyone agreed with Obama, Bush 1, Bush 2, Clinton, Regan, Kennedy ….. Grow up.  You are supposed to be our president in a few days.  You are not acting very presidential. 

When the going gets tough, and it will, I want to be able to support my president.  You have a lot of work to do before that happens.  I voted for Bush 1 but not Bush 2.  I supported him however when he had to make tough decisions.  Were they all the right decisions?  Maybe not, but he made those decisions based on the joint efforts of experts.  I fear that you aren’t going to listen to experts.  Since you have already said that you know more than the generals, I fear that you are treading on very dangerous ground.  The next four years is not a game, it is not your playground and it is not a  reality TV show.  You must work with people, even when you don’t want to.  You can’t run to Twitter and pout and stomp your feet like a child.  You need to stand up, be a man and do your job.  Oh, and maybe to get you into the spirit of being the president, you should go see an inspiring movie before you take office.  I recommend Hidden Figures.  It is very humbling and it made me cry.  Give it a try.

Ok, now that I have done the very thing I didn’t want to do, talk politics, I feel better.  I know I have friends, family and acquaintances out there who will completely disagree with this, and that’s OK.  We are all entitled to our opinions.  I heard yours loud and clear for over a year, so I can weigh in as well.  I will have readers of this blog that may be outraged.  I’m OK with that.  You feel how you need to feel and I will do the same.  Together, maybe we can all get through it.  No one hopes they have to eat crow about this more than me.  I will have no problem admitting I was wrong, I just hope I am.  When it all comes down to it, we are members of the same team, the United States of America.

Love Your Neighbor

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ND candles croppedWhere do I begin?  I’m not sure.  First off, I usually steer away from things on this blog that could be controversial.  Things like politics and religion are usually taboo for me here.  But today I just felt the need to put these words out there.  Like it, hate it, I feel better for sharing it.  This past week I have been made aware that I know very little about the civil rights movement in this country.  How could that be you ask?

I grew up in an average size town in southern Oklahoma.  The only child of two loving parents.  My mother worked outside of the home when I started school in 1966 and my dad was the manager of our local bowling alley.  I spent a lot of time in that bowling alley.  It was a great place to grow up.  My dad put a bowling ball in my hand when I was about 4, which would have been 1964.  Apparently there were serious issues of civil rights going on across the country.

Not only was I unaware of this injustice, I never saw the injustice.  I did not see any water fountains that said “white” or “colored”.  I cannot recall ever going to a restaurant and seeing a “colored” seating area and a “white” seating area.  I had never ridden on a bus so I was unaware that an entire group of people were made to sit in the back of buses.  My parents didn’t discuss race relations in my home and I never saw anything on television.  When I would go to the bowling alley with my dad, all people were the same.  There were white people, American Indians, and blacks all bowling together in league.  If you wanted a snack, you could go into the restaurant, sit where you wanted and order a burger and coke.

In 1977 during my sophomore year of high school, I can remember when we got to the chapters on slavery in my American History class.  That was the same year the mini-series Roots came out and our American History teacher encouraged us to watch.  I can remember crying at various times and just feeling ashamed that people could be treated so cruelly just because of the color of their skin.

A couple of months ago, my son and I were having a very serious conversation about things going on in 2015 around the world and in our country.  It seemed a little odd for my 27 year old son to have such an insight.  We had a very thought-provoking evening.  The conversation got around to the young black men who have been killed by police officers.  As a mother of a young white man, I thought how different it would be if I was a black mother with a 27 year old black son.  Would I be fearful every time he left the house?  Would I have to tell him how he should act if he gets pulled over by a policeman?  I just can’t imagine.  Then my son reminded me that our African American friends and neighbors have only had their freedom for 50 years.  Oh my gosh, he’s right.

Realizing that I just don’t know enough about what transpired during the Civil Rights Movement, I decided I needed to know more.  My husband and son went with me to attend the screening of a documentary film telling the story about a group of Oklahoma City kids who conducted sit-ins at restaurants in downtown Oklahoma City for six years.  It never got violent, never really made the national news, but these kids turned around every restaurant except one before the 1964 Civil Right Act was made into law.  There was actual footage of these kids, along with interviews of many of them, who of course are all grown up now.  Listening to their experiences was powerful and again, I just could not believe what I saw.  The film also discussed some of the other sit-ins taking place around the country, all started from that group of kids in Oklahoma City.

Today I plopped down in front of the TV and I was scrolling through Netflix when I came across Lee Daniel’s, The Butler.  I didn’t see this one in the theater and since I’m a big Oprah fan, I wanted to watch it.  I was not prepared for what the movie actually was.  Here I thought it was going to be about a butler in the White House, and it was, but it also walked us through this family’s experience with the Civil Rights movement and beyond.  Many of the things outlined in this film, were a part of the documentary I had seen just days ago.  By the time I had journeyed with this family from 1960 until President Obama was elected, I cried off and on for over two hours.  My eye makeup was all gone and I was exhausted.  But I think I have a little better insight into the struggles of our African American friends and neighbors.  I also know fully, that the things I have seen cannot compare with what actually happened to the people who lived it or died for it.  My heart hurts just thinking about it.

Throughout my life I have had bosses that are of color, co-workers of color, classmates of color, family of color and very dear friends of color.  When I think about them, I can’t help but wonder what those times were like for them.  They never speak of it.  For these people I love and cherish, it is unbearable to think they may have been treated as those depicted in The Butler and in the documentary.  I hope with every fiber of my being, that had I been old enough to witness the travesty, that I would have been brave enough to make a difference. To take my fellow American’s hand and say to those hateful people, ENOUGH.

I guess where I am trying to go with this is to say that as a Christian, I really only have one charge in this life, to love my neighbor.   Do I do that every day? Nope.  Do I try every day?  You bet.  Do I succeed every day? Nope.   Are there days that are harder than others?  Yep.  But when I struggle with loving my neighbor, it is not because their skin color is different than mine or they belong to a religious denomination different than mine.  It usually has to do with their actions or their words.  So I continue to work on it every day.  That is my task as a follower of Jesus.

I am a proud member of the Episcopal Church.  I love my church for many reasons; its beautiful liturgy, its traditions, its generosity around the world and its inclusivity for all people.    Our new Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry was recently quoted as saying, “Our commitment to be an inclusive church is not based on a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture, but on our belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are a sign of the very love of God reaching out to us all.  Did you catch those last three words?  TO US ALL.  In the words of the Apostle Paul:  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, for all are one in Christ.

So I ask you.  What does it really mean for you to love your neighbor?