At this point
the story is subverted. It is not those who one would expect to exercise a duty
of care who responded. They crossed the road. Sadly, that is a common response,
both literally and figuratively. I remember when my children were very small I
had a friend whose second baby died at birth. It was a hard time for the young
family. Talking with the young mother some time later, she said that as she had
tried to make things normal for her toddler son one of the hardest things was
to watch people cross the road when they saw her approaching. She realized it
was because they did not know what to say to her. For them, it had just been
easier to cross the road than face the situation.
In the story the
person who responded was the person least expected. It was a Samaritan.
Samaritans were looked on with disdain by those to whom Jesus was speaking.
Yet, this was the person who was truly a neighbour. Not only did the Samaritan
respond to the immediate needs of the injured person but took care of future
needs for him to ensure he was fully restored. As with many of the gospel
stories this would have had a huge impact on the contemporary listeners. Even
the fact that the Samaritan touched the injured person would have caused a
ripple of shock. For those who took it seriously it would have been deeply challenging.
It would have exposed their biases. They would have had to look at their own
prejudices and change. To look at oneself and change deeply ingrained, cultural
views is always a courageous thing to have to do, especially when it runs
counter-culturally.
This story,
which will be read in churches around the world today, seemed especially
fitting after yet another week of violence. Violence that took place simply
because people look different. It was the sort of violence that left one
stunned, in the moment it felt incomprehensible.
Two young Black
men, in different States, had been shot and killed by police officers. In
response a young Black man had killed five police officers and injured several
more. He, in turn, was killed. Violence always
begets more violence.
Slogans have
filled social media #Blacklivesmatter, #copslivesmatter, #alllivesmatter
All of the above
are true. Indeed, the life of all humanity is important. Yet, at this point in
time, at this point in our history, it is the Black lives that need our attention.
My thoughts today are how can we help those in the Black community feel safe?
Please don’t
read this as thinking that the lives of those police officers are of secondary
importance. I deplore what happened in Dallas. My heart and prayers go out to
the families of those killed. I was very moved to see the short video clip of
people, Black and White, lining up to hug police officers in Dallas.
I would not want
to say that individually all police officers are racist. I think that the
police force, by large, do a good job of exercising their duty of care. Yet,
the systemic racism is undeniably, many events over the last year have shown
that it exists. Statistics of the numbers of Black people in prison show it
exists. My personal PhD studies show it exists, Black children receive corporal
punishment in schools at a much higher rate than White kids. This is all unacceptable.
In his “I have a
Dream” speech Martin Luther King wrote,
“Nineteen
sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning . . . We can never be satisfied as
long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”
Yet, fifty-tree
years later I know the Black community still feel unsafe. And, unsafe even in
the presence of police officers who should be offering protection. A few posts
from Facebook friends made this abundantly clear. One said, “I feel like these days black and brown people are waking up in
the morning asking themselves, "Will I be next?" I know I do.” Others
talked about their fears, their isolation and their tears.
Because of our experience as foster parents Andy
and I have experienced the difference in the way Black and White teens are
treated. We have even seen racism here in Ithaca in our local stores. One Black
teen was challenged that he had adjusted the price on a sale garment. He had
not, I’d been with him when he found it and he was overjoyed at the reduction. As
soon as Andy stepped forward and asked was there a problem the assistant
immediately backed down. “Oh no, sir.” We know other foster and adoptive
parents who have faced similar challenges raising Black children. It is simply
not right, change needs to happen.
At present our Black friends are like the injured
man in the Lukan passage, figuratively lying on the side of the road, “stripped,
beaten and half-dead (v. 30) So, do Black lives matter? We have a choice. Do we
cross the road and walk by? Or do we “pour oil and wine on the wounds, bandage
them, take the injured to an inn and pay for care (34).”
King again,
“. . . many
of our white brothers . . . have come to realize that their destiny is tied up
with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably
bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk
alone.”
(I have a
Dream. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm)
