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Saturday, August 2
My Family Vacation: Klan To March Tomorrow
by
Chris Pierson
on Sat 02 Aug 2008 08:04 AM CDT
Klan to March Tomorrow
The final phone call that I made from my office before leaving for vacation was a consultation with a white pastor who will be preaching on the subject of race. I suggested certain resources for him that included examples of the persistence of racism in the United States of America. While driving last night I began to ask myself if many whites could really understand what it means for an African American to travel through the south. Thoughts of the past often travel through ones mind- reminders of the dangers that many of my ancestors faced as they passed through cities and towns uncertain of their safety. It was not just the south, however. Other states, too, were filled with "Sundown Towns"- towns and communities from Maine to California that, according to historian and scholar James Loewen, kept out African Americans by force law or custom. Loewen found more than 440 such towns in my home state of Illinois.
Perhaps, I thought, I was just being too sensitive and too serious. After all I am on vacation. Also, so much has changed for the better, hasn't it? There is the candidacy of Barack Obama for the presidency of the United States of America and many municipalities throughout the land have African Americans at the helm. So too, did the U.S. House of Representatives issue an apology this past week for slavery and Jim Crow.
As I pulled into my hotel last night in Decatur, Alabama and turned on the local television station I saw an African American woman anchoring the nightly news program-- the story- Klan To March.Tomorrow! They will be able to march and they will be able to burn a cross- all legally. It was the perfect illustration of our nation's schizophrenia regarding race, racism, and white supremacy. It does make perfect sense, however, that when an oppressed people make progress those who experience privilege feel threatened. The Klan (KKK) founded by veterans of the Confederate Army has existed since 1865- the year the 13th amendment was ratified abolishing slavery.
That apology for slavery and Jim Crow (which has come years after the apologies for to Japanese Americans for their internment during World War II and to Hawaiians for the overthrow of their government), I should mention, was done by voice vote which means that the many politicians that voted for it were not required, in any substantive way, to go on the record condemning our nation's racist legacy. It should also be mentioned that the congressman who sponsored it is white, is in a tight race and that the majority of his district is African American. I'm not saying... I'm just saying, "It should be mentioned". The apology, by the way, does not in any way address the issue of reparations or redress.
It is really not about "the south" I guess. Similar feelings of angst were with me recently in New York City as I left my group of fellow travelers so that I could visit the African Burial grounds where the bones of 419 persons of African descent are interred. These persons were enslaved in a colonial project and to this day their legacy- their very bones cry out for justice. It is, also, not about the Klan and their presence or persistence.
For me it is about committing to working toward racial justice and equality in the "here and now" but acknowledging that in order to accomplish this we must continually recollect or "re-collect". Just as the bones of these ancients were re interred near one of the world's most powerful economic engines. (It is believed by many that during the 17th and 18th Centuries, New York/New Amsterdam was second to only Charleston, South Carolina in the slave trade). So, too, must we re-collect and retell their memories and ours, their stories and ours, their experiences and ours. Each march of the Klan must be met with a greater march for racial equality and justice- not just in D.C. in 1963 but in places like Alabama and Jena, Louisiana today. Each night ride of terror and lighted cross be met with a greater "Freedom Ride". It must be so- not only for ourselves but also in the apt words found on the monument at New York's African Burial Ground....
"For all those who were lost, for all those who were stolen, for all those who were left behind, for all those who were not forgotten."
Sunday, July 13
Someone Knows My Name
by
Chris Pierson
on Sun 13 Jul 2008 09:19 PM CDT
Simply put, This is a novel that reads you. Lawrence Hill's Someone Knows My Name is the first book that I purchased on my Kindle- a Father's Day gift. I couldn't put this book down! The Kindle with its built in dictionary allows you to surf the net while you are reading and learn more about the historical characters and places deepening your understanding (few people other than historians and scholars are aware of the Black Loyalists for example) .
Every person of African descent should place this on their must read list (Science says that includes you- regardless of your race or nationality). From the moment you flip the first pages, or push the toggle bar, this historical novel challenges you to consider anew ones understanding of humanity, identity, and faith as you follow-or more accurately "journey with"- Aminata Diallo, an African girl sold into slavery.
From the home of her loving parents and her small village to the waiting slave ships and the middle passage to a different world, "we" journey with her coming to know the horrors of the slave trade in a profound way. Yet, Someone Knows My Name is also a story of liberation, of abiding faith, and of courage and survival. The themes of Exodus and migration are present throughout reminding us that life and faith are a journey. In the words of one of the novel's characters, Daddy Moses, "It doesn't matter what we call your soul....What matters is where it travels and who it lifts up". Someone Knows My Name will continue to travel with you long after you read its final lines and it will indeed lift your soul.
You may want to purchase this book as a hard copy so that you can pass it on to others that you care about.
Historical novels, such as "Someone Knows My Name" and "Ama: the Story of the Transatlantic Slave Trade" by Manu Herbstein, are perhaps the least appreciated genre in literature. Once you pause to read Someone Knows My Name you will find yourself searching for more.
To read my my brief review of Ama: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade on the www.nathanielturner.com click here.
To see the Lawrence Hill video interview click here.
Wednesday, May 7
Bodies Count
by
Chris Pierson
on Wed 07 May 2008 09:54 AM CDT
Bodies Count
-By Chris Pierson
“…The body count continues to rise around them...” read a recent New York Times article regarding the large number of Chicago Public School children killed and others living, daily, in fear of their lives. Arne Duncan, chief Executive of the Chicago Public Schools, acknowledges the silence regarding those who have been seriously wounded and injured due to gun violence, declaring that a toll of seriously injured students “would be staggering”.
Often, not given the same attention as shootings on school campuses like Columbine, Northern Illinois University, or the Virginia Tech, the number of school-aged children killed in recent years, in the city of Chicago, is beginning to receive national attention. In spite of many gains that have been made in public education and the overall crime rate in the city of Chicago, urban children and youth face obstacles greater than those in many developing and even war-torn nations. Last year the number of school-aged children killed by gun violence doubled to thirty-two young people and is six times more than the NIU shootings.
According to the NY Times, “an overwhelming majority of Chicago’s public school students – some 85 percent, according to federal statistics – live in poverty. Some find respite only at school.” The impact of entrenched poverty and gangs are often overlooked by those not facing these realities every day. I will never forget the day that I entered the home of one of the youth that occasionally attended my church in the Englewood community and discovering that his family did not have access to running water. These conditions, utility shut-offs, due to lack of payment, are more common than one might imagine.
Political candidates do not address the issues of job creation, economic development, eradication of poverty and violence. Anthropological studies, however, reveal a correlation between violence and poverty. Similarly, media have failed to hold candidates responsible and accountable to providing systemic and comprehensive solutions to the economic crisis that lead to such violence. In a surprising move Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has proposed $150 million for summer jobs for youth, after-school programing, and economic development in an attempt to address the increasing violence. This may be a positive first step at the local level.
Even more stunning than silence of politicians and media , however, is the silence of the church on the issue. This is especially disturbing given that Jesus announced his public ministry with the declaration, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor”. The Bible addresses the issues of poverty and justice perhaps more than any other. The churches willful failure to address the issues of poverty and justice is a scandal to the gospel.
In the midst of a global food crisis that has provoked riots in other countries and impacted the ability of food pantries in the United States, including communities like Carpentersville, Illinois, the church can no longer remain silent in addressing issues like poverty, hunger, and their resulting violence, particularly when some companies are stockpiling food while waiting for food prices to go even higher. An excellent new resource is now available from the Bible Society called “The Poverty and Justice Bible”. The Bible reveals more than 2000 verses that touch upon God’s love for the oppressed and the poor. This resource is not only timely but needed for churches and societies attempting to find their way back/forward to the heart of Jesus’ message of love of God and love of neighbor.
See the "What is Poverty" Video
To learn more about the Global Food Crisis Click here Follow the links to Graphics, Video and Photo Gallery
For up to date research on Cutting Poverty Click here
To visit the ONE.ORG website Click here
Also visit www.advancinghope.org
Thursday, April 24
Re-presente' for Afro-Colombians: Taking it to the Hill
by
Chris Pierson
on Thu 24 Apr 2008 12:03 PM CDT
Re-Presente'- For Afro-Colombians
Sometimes, adding one more thing to an already busy schedule is exactly what you're supposed to do.... it alters your priorities!
Rev. Chris Pierson, Director of Connectional Ministries for the UMC Northern Illinois Conference, has joined the Board of the Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America for a three-year term beginning in March 2008.
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) is an interfaith education and action network that activates religious leaders and congregations in Illinois to advance peace, justice and human rights in our hemisphere. CRLN’s 600 members include lay leaders, pastors, rabbis, bishops, denominational executives, seminary professors, and men and women religious. Through speakers, workshops, monthly membership updates, advocacy action initiatives, visits to Latin America, and meetings with U.S. policy-makers,CRLN mobilizes religious leaders to speak out for more just U.S. policies in our hemisphere.
Rev. Pierson begins his term of service with several other new Board members, including the Most Rev. John Manz, an Auxiliary Bishop of the Chicago Archdiocese and a member of the U.S. Catholic Bishops ConferenceCommittee for Migration and Refugee Services as well as its Church in Latin America Committee, and the Rev. Milton Mejia, the immediate part Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia who currently studying at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.
Rev. Pierson’s CRLN new board status reflects a closer working relationship between Northern Illinois Conference and CRLN Last August, Gary Cozette, CRLN’s program director, participated as an ecumenical delegate in a 6-day visit to Bolivia by the UMC Northern Illinois Conference led by Bishop Jung at the invitation of Bolivian Methodist Bishop Carlos Poma. At the request of Chicago Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, CRLN will co-host two ecumenical events with Bishop Poma in Chicago during his visit to Illinois this June for the Annual Conference of the Northern Illinois Conference.
At the request of CRLN, Rev. Pierson traveled with an emergency U.S. African-American Leadership delegation to Colombia, South America, in February 2008, to meet with Afro-Colombian communities under siege facing violent civil war, massive forced displacement, and illegal appropriations of their ancestral lands for corporate global trade. On March 10, 2008, Chris, joined NIC delegates Im Jung, and Emmy Lou John in Washington DC during Ecumenical Advocacy Days for CRLN meetings with the top foreign policy staffers of Senator Barack Obama, Senator Richard Durbin and Illinois members of the House of Representatives to discuss improving U.S. policies in Colombia and Bolivia.
Past UMC representatives serving on CRLN’s Coordinating Council over the last 15 years include Rev. Oscar Carrasco, Rev. Bob Campbell, Rev. Martin Deppe, and Rev. Rita Root. Bishop Hee-Soo Jung serves as a member of CRLN’s Advisory Board, as did Bishop C. Joseph Sprague and Bishop Sheldon Deucker before him.
- written by Gary Cozette (CRLN)
Thursday, March 20
An Open Letter from an Angry Black Preacher
by
Chris Pierson
on Thu 20 Mar 2008 06:48 PM CDT
“An Open Letter from an Angry Black Preacher”
Before leaving home this morning I discussed with my wife a recent incident in which my daughter was the victim of racial discrimination. It was a difficult conversation as parents naturally want to shield their children from prejudice, racism, and bigotry. While driving to work I listened to some great gospel music which helped to restore me to a place of thoughtfulness and an uneasy peace regarding how I would address the situation with my daughter.
Moments later, as I walked into the CITGO gas station on Dundee Avenue in Elgin I noticed leftover copies of yesterday’s Daily Herald. I looked down to see not only a photograph of Senator Obama and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright but also an old black and white photograph of a friend, the Reverend Jim Wall, senior contributing editor of The Christian Century. The article “The Great Divide” was in response to Senator Obama’s powerful speech given earlier this week. I went in to purchase the newspaper but since it was yesterday’s news it was not on the stand. I then shopped for my original item “Red Tea” but that was unavailable as well. As I left the store I bent down to see the Daily Herald again and as I pulled it from its bundle I noticed that I had been followed out of the store by the employee/owner. It took only a few moments before I realized that, yes, once again I was being profiled. As she began to question me about the tea I encouraged her to call the police, even to search me. I asked her, “What’s going on here?” Looking at me with eyes filled with unspoken accusations, she responded repeatedly, “You were looking at the tea”. “It’s OK”, she said. “No it is not OK”, I responded.
The situation did not escalate beyond that point, but it did in my heart. It was a painful reminder that, to some, I will always remain someone to fear. For some, I will simply, by my very presence, raise suspicion. As I sat in my church office and read the Daily Herald’s in-depth coverage of race and the Obama speech and of how a swastika painted over the door of a home in Wheaton was not a hate crime because it was “just one of several symbols found on the house that tend to be associated with one particular gang”, I realized how overdue we are on an honest discussion of race and racism. Interestingly enough, “Wheaton law now requires the homeowner to remove the graffiti in 30 days or face a fine” according to the Herald.
I suppose it is difficult for some to understand the anger that African Americans sometimes feel and how the black church has often been a place of refuge for those who are otherwise without sanctuary and one of the few places to remind us that we are children of God, created in God’s own image and likeness. As an African American member of the clergy I have been pastor to black congregations in the Englewood community of Chicago and white congregations in Aurora, and Roselle. I was received warmly in those congregations- as was my wife, who is white, by the black church. And so, like Senator Obama, I too, have “the audacity of hope”. I have hope that someday 11:00 will no longer be the most segregated hour in America.
Yet, I can’t help but wonder “why is it up to the homeowner in Wheaton to alone remove the graffiti or face a fine? Where are their neighbors?” Why doesn’t the community rise up not only with paint brushes and rollers but also say publicly with loud voices that they will not tolerate this kind of behavior?
I can’t help but wonder “why is it up to the black church, alone, to address the wounds of its people? Where are our neighbors?”
If only the furor over the Reverend Wright’s statements, the anger that I am struggling against, and racism in America were yesterday’s news.
Monday, July 2
I Have Only Just A Minute: HIV/AIDS
by
Chris Pierson
on Mon 02 Jul 2007 02:17 PM CDT
I Have Only Just A Minute…
Sometime ago I had the privilege of being among the special guests as U2’s Bono, actress Ashley Judd, and actor comedian Chris Tucker addressed an audience at Wheaton College on the subject of AIDS. Calling AIDS “the moral issue of our day” Bono spoke with passion and “informed” concern over-against the “convenient compassion” one often encounters from celebrities. In many ways this was the beginning of a movement.
By calling AIDS “the moral issue of our day” there was a shift away from the horrific theology once prevalent in many circles that viewed AIDS as God’s punishment of homosexuals. While some still picket military funerals with signs that read “GOD HATES FAGS” and others blame the terrorist attacks of 9-11 on homosexuality and liberalism, most people of faith now know that it is not the victims of disease and disaster but “our unwillingness to address the AIDS crisis that is the moral issue of our day” and represents a moral failure on our part. This is true not just of the crisis in sub-Saharan Africa but in the United States of America as well.
Recently, I invited retired Bishop Fritz Mutti to address the issues during the session of the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church held in St. Charles, Illinois. Mutti and his wife Etta Mae lost two sons to AIDS some years ago and speak eloquently in their book “Dancing with Wheelchairs” about the Church’s response or lack of response to the issue. The Reverend Grace Imatheiu also addressed the issue as she led the conference in Bible Study each morning. Following the Mutti presentation the Conference United Methodist Men, proving that it only takes a minute to chose to act and make a difference, held a quick impromptu meeting and challenged the conference by donating $1000 to the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. Additional offerings that were held raised the total collected to over $10,000.
 This past week in Chicago, literally during the worship service at Greater Englewood Parish UMC Church (a small African American congregation), I addressed the congregation on the subject and along with church’s pastor the Reverend Audrea Ivy was tested for HIV/AIDS as an attempt to draw attention to the issue and to work to remove the stigma associated with AIDS and the deadly silence that comes as a result of communities, even faith communities, failing to address the issue (see photos). While African Americans are approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population we account for an astonishing 56 percent of new HIV infections annually. Two-thirds of new AIDS cases among teens are African American, yet we represent only 15 percent of the national teen population according to the Centers for Disease Control and African American women are diagnosed with AIDS at a rate 25 times that of white women according to K. Wright, author of “The Time is Now”. With approximately 40 million persons worldwide who have the virus and the increasing number of persons of color infected in the U.S. AIDS truly is the moral issue of our day and the time to act is now!
I have only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can't refuse it.
Didn't seek it, didn't choose it.
But it's up to me
to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it.
Give account if I abuse it.
Just a tiny little minute,
but eternity is in it.
Anonymous |
View the AIDS Remember me? Video
View U2 AIDS and Extreme Poverty Video
Thursday, May 3
A New Calling
by
Chris Pierson
on Thu 03 May 2007 12:20 AM CDT
Just in case you missed it, effective July 1, 2007, I will be serving as Director of Connectional Ministries for the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church. Just one of life's little unexpected surprises. Following is the article written by Wayne Rhodes. more »
Wednesday, February 21
BACK TO THE FUTURE: RACE & POLITICS 2007 OR 1947
by
Chris Pierson
on Wed 21 Feb 2007 02:05 AM CST
This past summer, while sitting at the “friendly confines” of Chicago’s Wrigley Field, I was snapped back from the momentary distraction of America’s favorite past-time into the harsh realities of modern race relations. There it was; a sign that read KKK! more »
Sunday, August 20
DARFUR: Ten Days of Action
by
Chris Pierson
on Sun 20 Aug 2006 08:14 AM CDT
The failure of the political system to address even the greatest of humanitarian crises reveals the need for citizens and religious institutions such as churches, synagogues, and mosques to act and to engage the political process based on their beliefs in the sanctity of human life and the dignity of all persons and to use their investment portfolios, and even pension plans, to bring about changes to systems and institutions that do not reflect the highest human and spiritual ideals. more »
 2 Attachments
Thursday, June 21
Faith and Politics: How the "Moral Values" Debate Divides America and How To Move Forward Together
by
Chris Pierson
on Thu 21 Jun 2007 04:54 PM CDT
The Moral Values Debate Continues
Can anything good come from the man that played a key role the process that led to the confirmation of staunch conservative Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court? Politics aside, the short answer is yes. Danforth's background as special envoy to Sudan, where he worked to broker a peace deal ending one of the longest running civil wars in history, puts him in a good position to address the issue of religion as a source of reconciliation. So, too, does his long tenure in the United States Senate which saw the rise of the religious right within the Republican party and its polarizing effect on national politics.
The book will surprise many readers as Danforth speaks most forcefully from his priestly formation and with a prophetic voice against poverty. "Helping the poor is clearly a religious value... From the blistering condemnation of those who 'trample the poor' and 'lie on beds of ivory' in the book of Amos to Jesus' consignment of those who do not feed the hungry and clothe the naked to eternal punishment in Matthew, both Old and New Testaments are consistent in their message. Mistreatment of the poor is a grievous sin. So is ignoring them" writes Danforth.
Equally surprising to some may be his more moderate views on issues such as homosexuality and stem-cell research. Both wedge issues that divide the nation and churches as well. Having watched his brother's life destroyed by ALS, from a personal perspective, Danforth declares with passion "no theologian however learned; no church council, however authoritative; no bishop or archbishop, however holy will ever persuade me that protecting a frozen embryo that will never see the light of day should take precedence over my brother Don. Similarly, Danforth's show more moderation on the issue of homosexuality and family than most within the Republican party calling a constitutional amendment on marriage "gay bashing". He writes, "if allowed to do so, without the premature intervention of the courts, the opportunistic interference of politicians and the divisive interference of religious leaders, the vast majority of Americans would work out, in a mutually respectful way, how they deal with issues of sexual orientation. I believe the broad outlines of such an agreement would include the following:
Establishment of the principle that discrimination in all forms, including sexual orientation, is wrong and should be unlawful; Governmental recognition of committed same-sex relationships, including the creation of legal status with regard to property rights, pension benefits, insurance and inheritance; Development by religious groups of ways to bless committed same-sex relationships; A strong emphasis on the importance of committed, long-term relationships and the disavowal of sexual permissiveness, whether straight or gay; The honoring of traditional marriage between a man and a woman.
Danforth acknowledges the fact that "nothing has matched gay marriage as an example of the emotional heat created by the mixture of religion and politics" but does not acknowledge the difficult fact that too many of our citizens just don't want to talk about it.
While I do not agree with many of his positions, I was among the hundred or so people who attended the public launching of Danforth's book at the Chicago' Union League Club last Fall and gained a sense of Danforth's humility. That humility comes across well in "Faith and Politics". Consistent with his citing Paul's admonition in his letter to the Philippians "to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, Danforth later writes in a quasi-creedal statement writes "while I am a believing Christian, I acknowledge the distance between God's reality and our perception of that reality. I do not believe that any faith, including my own, monopolizes human understanding of God. I believe that God created and embraces all humankind, and that religious bigotry against anyone is more than uncivilized, it is in opposition to Christianity."
We may know Danforth the politician, but this work made me wonder what we may have missed of Danforth the priest.
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