Today is the second day of Kwanzaa. The principle for the day is Kuchichagulia which means self determination. I refuse to let circumstance define my destiny. Kwanzaa is a celebration of African American culture starting with our roots in Africa. Belief in God is a sure foundation in the heritage of black people.
As far back as my memory goes God was there. My grandmother taught her grandchildren to pray when we were still knee high to a grasshopper. Every night before we went to bed we got on our knees and said the Lord’s Prayer, then blessed everybody in the family. Sunday school was an important part of our lives.
As a teenager I was part of a very unique group in high school. Our friendship transcended racial and ethnic barriers as well as religious and economic ones. I had black, white, and Asian friends. Some were Jewish, some were Christian, some believed in God and some didn’t. Some came out of mansions and others from much more modest circumstances. Our common bond was that we wanted to make the world a better place to live in for all people. We came of age during the anti communist era, the civil rights era, and the Vietnam War era. Berkeley, CA was considered a radical little town and that’s what we were, radical in thought, radical in vision, and radical in action.
After being inspired by Malcom X to critically examine the role that the Christian church played in slavery I began to explore other religions. I was so inspired by Malcom X’s autobiography I became a student of Islam for a short period of time. I was given the name Tamam which means good.
Then I met my husband. My husband’s grandparents were pastors in a church where the founder of the church was an ex-slave that taught that Jesus was black and that black people were also part of the early origins of the Christian church. These ideas which were revealed to him by God have since been verified by research; the African Heritage Bible being one of many sources. More and more people are now beginning to accept a darker version of Jesus as opposed to the blond blue-eyed portrait of my formative years. My grandmother-in-law invited my husband and I to her church in Miami when we were there visiting. It was at that time that I became a follower of Jesus and wanted to personally learn more about him.
Jesus was a radical in his time. He went against the established religious practices of the day and challenged people to seek a higher spiritual plane. Many of the religious leaders and other people felt so threatened by him that his short dynamic ministry came to an abrupt end when he was betrayed and crucified.
If it is possible to be a left wing Christian then that’s what I am. I definitely believe that all Americans have a right to decent housing, health care benefits, education, and food. There should be no homeless people in one of the richest nations on earth, nor hungry individuals let alone starving children. Jesus was also a pacifist and so am I.
In the public school system there is suppose to be a separation of religion and state. Teachers are not supposed to impose their own philosophical views upon their students. The American culture is so diversified that even in the inner city I have had students from different ethnic groups as well as religious backgrounds and developing a climate of respect is extremely important. Here’s an interesting anecdote.
One afternoon in class after hearing gunshots outside the students were agitated and a girl stated that she was afraid. Before I could stop myself I asked the students how many of their parents and guardians prayed daily for their children’s safety. Every hand shot up in the class. Each child respected the fact that the adults in their lives prayed for their protection in a dangerous world.
Well…so much for separation of church and state.
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