Real Life Real Faith Men of Faith September Issue | Page 20

and laced with truths to be adhered? I’ve always been drawn to the truth. We
cannot understate the value of what it would take for all people to live a
harmonious life. Truth inside and out is God’s proven agenda for living life without
contradiction. It is this absence of accountability and righteous judgment that
keeps racism to great levels of division among the races. It’s inclusive of facts
and informative idealism making it the absolute objective by which reality is
measured. If the presence of truth can bring clarity and understanding, then it
should also be inclusive in warding off confusion and cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance is the very basis for how and why white folk have the
propensity of holding contradictory ideas simultaneously with purposeful
controlling measures.
A crisis will always be prevalent in our society when voices ring out to show
approval and a need to be heard defining race and equality. There are four
distinct instances from my recollection that feed into symbols of protest against
social injustice, racism and discrimination. Let’s go back in time. Frederic
Douglas gave a speech at a 4th of July event commemorating the signing of the
Declaration of Independence where he denounced the idea that all men were not
created equal in lieu of freedom; In 1968 Olympians John Carlos and Tommie
Smith rendered a power salute refusing to pledge allegiance to the American flag
while the national anthem was played; Muhammad Ali refusing to be inducted
into the US military; and most recently San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin
Kaepernick and his decision to sit during the national anthem at each NFL
football game is not un-American but quite the opposite. All of the instances
above decries no shortage of outrage and criticism. Those most angry and
disapproving misses the point when the flag, the national anthem or any other
symbol demanding respect in lieu of a society where people of color, particularly
young black men and women, continue to be marginalized along racial
inadequacy. It’s this systemic form of racial insensitivity that persists which are
progenitors of a crisis…even after the civil rights movement and all that have
been achieved in building this nation. When people so fearful of losing control,
where they refuse to consider someone else’s truth among trials and tribulation in
avoiding a crisis, ignorance abides shrouding a clearer picture of what need to be
seen.
In a comparative analogy it never ceases to amaze me when people of
different persuasions defend policemen who think they’re above the law. Black
lives does matter when specific causes fuel the many episodes why police