Learning to Love: Dr. King and Flint

I cannot express my outrage about Flint, Michigan. It is another example of the perceived disposability of black and brown citizens in this country. And the failure to indict anyone for these crimes once again makes justice an idea that is ever elusive to us.  Flint makes me want to shout even louder those words that have become synonymous with a movement: BLACK LIVES MATTER!! I shout it, not because I desire to diminish the humanity of another group. Quite the contrary, I state it because the actions of my country suggest that others do not believe it to be true. When those who are suppose to be public servants find it more favorable to poison citizens in a largely black area than to spend money, then we don’t believe that BLACK LIVES MATTER. When a 12 year old boy playing with his toy gun in an open carry state is killed by a police officer who claimed he was afraid, and a grand jury fails to indict, then we don’t believe that BLACK LIVES MATTER. And when talented black and brown artists are not recognized repeatedly except when their role conforms to negative stereotypes of our race, then we don’t believe that BLACK LIVES MATTER.

As I consider these and other recent events in black history from Trayvon to the Charleston nine, I struggle to fight feelings of helplessness. How can one combat such enormity and blatant disregard for people who look like you without becoming bitter? I am not sure, but a possible answer came last week as we celebrated the life Martin Luther King, Jr. If your timeline was anything like mine, then you were inundated with pictures and quotes from Dr. King. One quote that particularly resonated with me was, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” This made me reflect again on a previous discussion I started in a post on radical love. Choosing love over hate seems lofty, and may even be desirable, but what does that mean exactly? What does it look like to choose love over hate?

Thinking further about love and hate, I realized that in order to choose love over hate, we must first understand what it means to love. I do not believe that we fully comprehend the depth and breadth of love in our society. Love is more than a feeling or acts of romance. Love requires hard work and perseverance. It is encouraging, while chastising when necessary. It is patient, but will not remain a doormat forever. It strives for understanding and the betterment of others, with no guarantee of success. Love is courageous. And I believe that eventually true love will prevail.

But I am still left with the question of how does one love away injustice and hate? Again, I do not have a definite answer, but I think love’s most powerful ability is its refusal to conform to the dictates of hate. Hate is visceral and says to reciprocate when provoked. Love says wait, think and seek to understand.   It allows you to process your emotions, while not being consumed. Hate thinks short term, but love looks toward eternity. Contrary to what one may think, it is far easier to hate than to love, but the cost of hating is much greater than that of loving.

Thus, even though the injustices in Flint and elsewhere cause me deep consternation, one of the best ways I can address the issue is by not becoming bitter or hateful. Rather, love compels me to dig deeper to uncover the real issue and then work to change the situation and those involved. Love tells me to keep shouting that BLACK LIVES MATTER, not for my sake, but to open the eyes of others that do not see that truth. To be sure, this will be a long process, and at times seem futile. But again I am reminded of a quote Dr. King often quoted, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

–Until Next Time–

Palooke