My thoughts on the Charleston Incident

Charleston, S.C....nine killed – did this really happen?!!!   African Americans are killed in their place of worship while conducting Bible study?   A young white man enters the church service, and sits with them for more than an hour, before he pulls out a gun and all of the racist anger that he can muster, he shoots the worshipers of God dead.  It has been reported that he reloaded his gun at least five times while shooting his victims multiple times to ensure that they were dead!   Yes, this really did happen.  The whole nation was rocked by this cowardly act of one individual, who represents the views of many that decided he wanted to start a race war.   At the age of 21, this young man was able to generate enough hate in his soul that he could sit in the house of God with the people of God and still dig deep enough to find the darkness of death and destruction in his heart.  Again and again we awake to the reality of true hatred.  
 
Can there ever be a blessing at a time such as this?  A time when hatred is so massive that we can’t seem to remember what good looks like.   I say 'Yes'.  Even at a time like this we can find blessings.  Many of the grieving family members demonstrated this when they told the racist killer that they were able to forgive him.  The people of God, from all walks of life, sent their prayers and blessings to the families of those killed.   President Obama addressed the senseless act of violence and gave the Eulogy for the Pastor who was the first person killed.  The debate over the symbol of the confederate flag was reignited and the flag was taken down from the South Carolina State House.  The issue of race relations has again become a real conversation. 
 
Yes a tragic event occurred and the question has to be raised....'Now What'?   I have a strong suggestion; the people of God must be heard!   We must speak out against violence, ethnic intimidation, racism, sexism, classism, and all things that divide us as a people.   We can't just preach about it, we have to be intentional about it!   We must have cross-cultural programing without the fear of losing our own identity.   We have to be honest about our fears, dislikes, and false teachings about each other.   We have to be determined to live the religion that we preach.  I truly believe that that you must be proud of your culture and heritage, while appreciating the culture and heritage of others.  When hatred speaks up, love must speak up even louder!!!   There are thousands of ways to love.   We, the people of God, must find it within us to love when it seems that hate is winning!   The last word must always be love!    

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Mass Incarceration is NOT the Answer

She is passionate, informed, beautiful, and brilliant, and she wants to end mass incarceration of people of color.   She wants to end the pipeline from school to prison.  No, she doesn’t want to reform the systems that incarcerate people of color at a disproportionate rate she wants to dismantle the systems!   And, I agree with her.  Her name is Rev. Dr. Madeline McClennely-Sadler, founder of the Exodus Foundation, Inc.   Dr. Sadler recently was a guest of Messiah College, in Pennsylvania, where she spoke on the issue of Mass Incarceration of people of color.   She also requested to meet with local clergy from the Greater Harrisburg Community, especially those from the African American Community.   She left us with a great sense of urgency to do something, anything to end this flawed, unjust system of modern-day-slavery.   She stated what most of us know, but don’t seem to think it is an epidemic.   She said that one out of every three black boys living today will spend time in the prison system.  Their lives will be greatly impacted by the system.  The damage that the system will do to their families for generations to come cannot be measured.  Their quality of life will often be impacted by the types of employment they will be limited to.   Their self-esteem will often lead to poor decisions.   The system of mass incarceration is devastating communities of color!   The epidemic is not being televised!

There are many things that can be done to change this downward spiral of destruction for people of color.   We have to vote!  If we want people in office that understand the issues that matter to us, then we have to get rid of all excuses about “The Man” and march to the polls in record numbers.   Once we elect the persons that we think should represent us, we must support them and hold them accountable.  Tavis Smiley put together the “Blueprint” years before President Obama was elected.  Once Smiley began to ask the tough questions of President Obama, Black folks turned against him.  They said that Smiley was jealous of the President.  In the meantime, the African American community continued to suffer from high unemployment, poor educational systems, poverty and mass incarceration.   President Obama was pulled in many different directions and he had a tough job to say the least.   I truly believe that if the African American Community had pulled and pushed a little harder on the Presidents coat-tail, I think we could have gotten more out of his leadership to benefit our community.

The other thing we can do is support our Black Churches.  Attend church and contribute your time, talent and resources to the Gospel that commands us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, heal the sick and visit the incarcerated.   If we as a community do the work of the Church we would have fewer people going into the system.  Instead of tearing down the Church and the people of the Church, get off your pride and join the fight!   We need more “Doer’s” in the African American Community and fewer “Jack-leg Social Commentators” who get nothing done!   If we had more “Doer’s” we would have more mentors, intact families, better schools, engaged churches, more black businesses and less incarceration.   The more we do for ourselves on the front end, the less we have to undo on the back end.   It seems to me that the back end is getting more and more like the system of Slavery for people of color.   We have to stop the madness before we transition to a time that we thought was long forgotten, a time called “Dixie!”

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Meet Dr. Madeline McClenney-Sadler

Madeline McClenney-Sadler is an abolitionist and an ordained Baptist minister with over twenty-five years of experience serving the church. She completed a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, and a Master of Divinity Degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she was an active advocate for the homeless. She continued her education at Duke University where she earned a Ph.D in Old Testament Studies in 2001, with minors in Women’s Studies and Islamic Law. As an advocate for the underserved, she received a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2001 for her humanitarian work in the community. She served as a sentencing specialist for ReEntry Inc, in Raleigh North Carolina while completing graduate studies. As sentencing specialist, the went to the court at the time of sentencing to make a case for anything but prison for defendants. In 1999, Dr. McClenney-Sadler founded Exodus Foundation.org, a national Christian faith based charity headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. As a published author, Dr. Madeline, as she is often called, is one of several nationally known contributors to the 2011 Judsen Press release Ministry with Prisoners and Families: The Way Forward, a groundbreaking tool for pastors and congregations. Her next release, in 2015, will be a chapter in Church On Purpose entitled, “Believers Unchained: Why Christians Must Abolish Prisons or Stop Preaching the Gospel.” Dr. McClenney-Sadler was recognized by the Center for American Progress as “1 of 15 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2015.” She is married to Union Presbyterian Seminary Professor, Dr. Rodney Sadler, and they have one daughter.

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Depression Runs Deep (Dealing with Family Matters)

Recently, my family experienced a very tragic event when one of our relatives killed his wife, and then committed suicide.   It was one of the most horrible, shocking days of my life, and for all who knew them and loved them.   They were a loving couple, with well-adjusted, accomplished children.  They were well educated, and had great positions of authority.   They were like by many, and individually made notable contributions to their community.   They were young with a very bright future ahead of them.   So, what went wrong?   No one knows for sure, but there was something that brought about a period of great depression, anger, division, and ultimately death for the both of them.  We are all left asking the questions, why didn’t we see this coming?   Why did this happen to two very good people?  Why didn't they come to us?   What are we to do now that this has happened?   All of these are very tough questions with many possible answers that each individual left behind must grapple with.   I don’t have the ultimate answer to any of these questions, but I do know which one of the questions that I intend to address; 'What am I to do now that this has happened?'  
 
I am going to study to strengthen my understanding of depression and the signs to look out for.  I am going to dig deeper to know what in my community currently exist, that can help persons going through deep depression and suicidal thoughts, to get help before it is too late.   I am going to make myself more aware of how I open myself to others in need of help, to ensure that I am presented as a helping presence and not a judgmental force.  I am also going to let go and let God have the last say, with the full understanding that no matter how much you try, you will never be able to save everyone.  
 
The best we can do to help persons in deep depression is be aware that they are crying out for help.  Sometimes their cry for help is masked by their silence.   What they say or don’t say, can speak volumes, especially if we can hear them.  By the way, sometimes you need to listen to your own voice to make sure that it is not you that needs to be heard.
 

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Why Black History Month?

The question is asked time-and-time again, by whites who could care less, and blacks who want to forget, "Is Black History Month necessary?  I always respond with a resounding “Yes!!”   The thought that this has to even be asked and answered makes me sick!  I can’t on any level understand how anyone could dare ask the question.  Consider the level of “historical understanding” that far too many of our Black Youth have today about their own history.  It is, to say the least, a disgrace and a sad reality that does not speak-well for the future success of our people.   Studies have shown that the current generation of young African Americans may less-educated, and more economically challenged than their elders.   The prospect of returning to enslavement is a possibility for our people if we are not mindful and on-guard.  This time our enslavement will look like the “prison industrial complex”; economic debt, lack of technical knowledge, and lack of spiritual development.  I am a hard-and-fast believer that the African American Church, National Black Organizations, Black Colleges and Universities, and the Black Press made it possible for the Black race to advance and rise above Slavery and Jim Crow Laws.  If we allow ourselves to forget how we “got-over” I fear we are doomed to return to the “dark-past” of our history.   Consider This: “Segregation was a contemptible way of life that institutionalized humiliation at every level of day-to-day commerce.  A Black-owned railroad project was launched, for example, but could not long sustain itself against increasingly insurmountable roadblocks to its operation.  But no matter the obstacle, Black entrepreneurs and investment groups continued to mount major efforts to turn a lemon of a situation into the lemonade of business advantage…..”   “When questions are raised on the quality of Black business leadership, the answer is that regardless of the odds against us, African-American business has been and remains a major source of achievement and innovation.”   (Glory Days: 365 Inspired Moments in African-American History – by Janus Adams; Harper Collins Publishers).
 
We must never forget the struggle, the sacrifice, and the progress that we have made as a people.  Black History is not to be remembered only during the month of February, but every day of the year.  We must celebrate our history in such a way that our youth will learn, be inspired, and try to up-hold the forward progress of our people.   We can’t afford to allow anyone or anything to deter us from knowing and growing further away from all forms of slavery and ignorance.  Should we celebrate Black History?  Yes we should!   We must celebrate Black History every day and in every way!   By the way, I believe in learning about all races, cultures and ethnic groups.  In celebrating world  history it makes us stronger as ONE!      

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Human Rights Have No Borders

As a member of the Board of Directors of “Solidarity Uganda”, I was angry to hear of the arrest and eventual release of Phil & Susan Wilmot, the founders of “Solidarity Uganda.  Phil is a graduate of Messiah College.  His wife Susan is a native Ugandan.  Phil and Susan met while they both were students in Uganda.   The two married and formed “Solidarity Uganda” in response to the unjust treatment of many poor citizens of Uganda.   Phil and Susan were arrested for speaking out on human rights violations and the mistreatment of Ugandan citizens.  Neither, Susan or Phil were ever charged with a crime, but they still face legal proceedings in the near future.  I want to use this space to share a message from Phil after his arrest:

Not Yet Free:  A Statement from Phi After Arrest

December 13, 2014,

There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court, and detest the one who tells the truth.

You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain.  Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.  For I know many are your offenses and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.  Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.

My friends, the times are evil indeed, but among you I have found an exception to this rule.  We had no idea we had enough clout for so many allies (local and international) to come to our aid like this, which really helped ensure our well-being.

I say “our” – not “my” – because I have spent six days in cells with three concerned citizens of Uganda who are now among my closest friends: Okullu Tonny Fred (student), Orach Vincent (neighbor), and Ocen Ambrose (District Council V, Dokolo).  My beautiful and fearless wife Susan was also held in a cell for about 24 hours with us.

So although there has been much concern as to why an American citizen has been detained for more than the legally-alloted 48 hours, we should be more actively questioning why anybody-man, woman, or youth (yes, youth) – is being held in inhumane conditions, especially before being convicted of any crime.  Let us shift our focus to the situation at large, rather than focusing on my personal arrest.

We Are Not Yet Free

While there has been much cause for celebration over our release on police bond yesterday morning, to begin using terms life “free” would distort our situation for several reasons:

1)    We are expected to return to Central Police Station Lira (one of the two places where we were held and interrogated) on December 18^th at 10:00 a.m. local time.  At this time, we will be receiving more information about our case regarding whether we will be taken to court.

2)    Plain-clothes government authorities are still following us, especially those attendees of our informal dialogue on peace-building, human right, public service delivery, and advocacy who were not present in the meeting at the time of the arrest.  Those who have been spending the past week in cells are actually physically safer than those who have not.

3)    Members of our community have been threatened with arrest simply for trying to visit us.

How You Can Help

Therefore, we ask all of you to continue monitoring our situation and help us achieve justice in the following ways:

Support the organization Solidarity Uganda financially at http://solidarityuganda.org/monthly-giving-initiative/.    Many resources have been used up during this time, including large sums for transportation, communication, and mobilizing various forms of support.  We have had some tremendous support via our friends through GOFUNDME initiative (http://www.gofundme.com/Phil-amp-Susan).   This short-term support will help defray many of the incurred expenses, but the long-term support of monthly donors is now becoming even more crucial.  This is not something which happened yesterday and will be over tomorrow.

Stay tuned on any possible progress of our case through the Solidarity Uganda Facebook page to see how you can help.   I am hereby appointing a team of Megan Clapp, Brett Foote, Nathan Richard Sooy, and Oyaka Makmot to streamline communication with the social media public so that those of us trying to reorganize our lives after our arrest are not bombarded with messages asking for basic information which can be received through these individuals.

Share this statement broadly.  If you are concerned about who to write to this point, ask Ambassadoe DeLisi (US Embassy Kampala) to publicly as President Museveni to uphold Article 29 of Uganda’s consititution, which protects the rights to Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Speech and Conscience, Freedom to Protest Unarmed and Peacefully, and Freedom to Form/Join Associations and Organizations.  Let’s use my “American citizenship privilege” to advocate for justice here, since we know that much government funding and support in Uganda comes from the US.

In Conclusion

There are many people to thank, but we must not yet formalize this gratitude.  Although our bodies are not in cells today, the trials we face are far from over.   The public support must continue – even grow – if we are to achieve justice here in Uganda.  While there is still much more to say about all of these matters (which will indeed be said), it is crucial for many reasons that we return to our families and reorganize our lives, trying to rest and heal from physical and psychological troubles we have faced this week.   Don’t worry; our stories will be told.  Until then, stay engaged.   Penetrate the conscience of evildoers.  Part from oppression.  Protest injustice.  Proclaim the truth.

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FIX THIS MESS: It's OUR Responsibility!

I was driving down Derry Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, October 21, 2014, when I witnessed more than 20 Police Officers, leap out of their cars and take off running after a young African American male, who appeared to be no more than 16 years old.   I don’t know what he did to generate this kind of response, but whatever it was I am sure that he is in a heap of trouble.   This is the kind of scene that I have witnessed all of my life, a young African American male being pursued, tackled and then shackled, in full view of the community that love, hopes and cries for him.  This is a double-edge sword for everyone involved.   On one hand we have a young African American male, usually from a financially poor family, living in a single parent home, who is trying to fit-in to his tough, crime-ridden environment and survive the daily grind without the benefit of fully engaging in educational opportunities or social interactions offered in the schools or community centers.  He appears to be conflicted about his identity.  He is disrespectful to most adults and anyone in authority.  He is hard, cold and distant from his emotional feelings, because he is “representing” a lifestyle that he can’t define, but feels that he must embrace to survive.   On the inside he feels that he is a “good person” who is just misunderstood by people who don’t like his kind. 

On the other hand, we have the men and women who represent the “blue wall” of protection, commonly known as the police.   They have become a military style force and very aggressive against street criminals.   They feel justified, citing the type of weapons that many violent criminals are using to terrorize and control the communities they target.  The average American citizen has had enough of the violent criminals that prey upon them.  There has been a loud out cry for greater police protection and harsher mandatory sentences for criminals who use weapons or traffic drugs.   The police response has been devastating to young African American males.  The prison system has been called the new system of slavery in America.   The image of Willie Horton, the convicted criminal who was released from prison, only to commit another major crime, and become the face of fear in America, continues to fuel the “fire this time.”

Far too often the person in the blue uniform is white and the person in the shackles is brown.  Far too often the crime that has been committed is by a brown person against another brown person.  The arresting officer, District Attorney, Judge, Jury, Prison Guard, and Probation Officer, that has control of the brown person’s life, are usually white.   The dirty little unspoken truth, by too many of the controlling authorities, even when they are also brown, is that the brown person in their care is the reason for America’s problems and a drain on the society.  Those who represent “the hood” and those who protect the community are at war.   Travon Martin, Michael Brown, and all of the other brown persons, too many to mention, who were killed in the midst of this war, are mourned by a community that wants this war to end now!   The police, who are winning the war, refuse to negotiate because they too point to their fallen comrades who wore the blue uniform to serve and protect, only to be killed in the line of duty.   This is an American Tragedy with no end in sight!

I was particularly distributed by a recent episode of “Blue Bloods”, a television show that comes on CBS on Friday evenings.  In this particular episode, a young black male is committing armed robbery at a grocery store, when two white police officers happen to come into the store.  The black male throws hot coffee on the female officer and has a shootout with the male officer.   The black male runs out of the store, with the male police officer in hot pursuit.   The chase ends with the black male being cornered in a second floor hallway, and the male police officer, holding a gun on him.  A young Hispanic boy looks out of his apartment door.  The police officer tells the boy to go back inside his apartment.  The boy appears to shut his door, but he continues to look at the standoff.  The black male decides to jump through a closed window to the concrete pavement below.  Her badly breaks his leg, and begins to scream that the white police officer pushed him.  The rest of the show has the police officer trying to defend himself, while an “Al Sharpton” type character calls the police racist, and tries to bribe the Hispanic boy and his family to lie about what he saw.  The particular program seems to have a lot of this type of storyline.   Bad black criminals, corrupt black leadership (even the Mayor) and police officers who are only trying to do their job, and war against black criminals and corrupt black leadership gets prime time treatment.   This is a real tragedy! 

We have to speak to the whole issue.  No longer can we wait for the next big scene to play itself out on the streets of America.  No longer can we watch the next television show that validates justification of the new system of slavery for brown people.  We are all responsible to fix this mess!  We must fix this mess!   If we don’t, the Fire Next Time just may consume us all!                     

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