Tag: Racism
America is US
America has some ugly chapters in her history. It is nauseating to listen to these conservative radio personalities speak as if those chapters do not exist. It is equally nauseating to see our current civil right leaders want-to-be, talking as if we are still in the days of slavery and in the days of Dr. King and Malcolm X. Neither man, by the way, saw their fortieth birthday.
The insensitivity of the white man to pretend that we can just move on from the consequences of slavery, will continue to keep the wound of separation in our society open. On the other hand, the idea that we, as minorities, are now entitle to goodies and exempt from the duty of respect, the pride of our own efforts and, as the direct consequence of injustices suffered, we can somewhat be exempted from God’s principles of holiness, good works towards others, forgiveness towards those who trespassed against us and, that somewhat now we have no obligation, as Christians, to love, that is, including our enemies, it is also contributing to this open and infected wound in our society.
People like Rush Limbaugh seem to skip slavery all together. They are either unable to see the historical greed of this nation or are blinded by their own. Such hypocrisy is irritating to me. But one thing I know, the atrocity of slavery, that great sin against mankind can’t be forgiven nor forgotten in our strength. The blood of our ancestors, the humiliation of our fathers who were powerless witnesses of the raping of our mothers, sisters and even themselves, by their own masters, can’t be erased with a few government programs.
Beloved, not even with a million dollars in the hands of every slave descendant can this wound possibly be healed. Have you seen the condition of our Native American brothers and sisters in Alaska? With all the dividends and millions in entitlement programs, they are still at the bottom and far away from the American Dream. Have you noticed those amongst us who are now millionaires? Many are still filled with bitterness and anger against the white man? Money did not heal them and money will not heal you.
America is US, that is, you and me! Do you have ugliness in your story? I know I do; shameful things I done; sin against my brothers and against my God. But I read somewhere in Romans that faith comes by hearing. So I preach, I teach and I write with all my heart; not to exalt myself, for there is nothing to exalt here, but to exalt the One and True God, the Creator of heaven and earth and the only one worthy of being recognized by his goodness. Oh yes! That somebody, somewhere listening or reading the words of my Lord be saved and encouraged to follow Jesus and not only that, but to GO and tell others about this hope of glory. I hold on to the words of the Great Apostle Paul when he states,
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:15-18 King James Version (KJV)
The Devil is Scared of Black People in America
There in the pitch-black abyss, swarming with creatures of blood-thirst and the insatiable desire for evil; the Devil proclaimed an emergency meeting. The head demons for each category of sin and evil sat in their places as the Devil hurriedly exclaimed for order. “I heard God speaking his prophetic purpose for black people in the United States and I am concerned” the Devil said. “We must come against it with all we have.” The crowd roared in agreement and tainted joy. The Devil then held his hands behind his back, gliding back and forth with the grace of Angels. His eyes held the intelligence greater than the greatest of men. Every spirit then stood in silence waiting for the Devil to disclose his strategy.
Slavery
“We will enslave them! We will humiliate them and cause them to be considered less than humans. We will give them derogatory names that they will carry with them for millennia. We will destroy their identities so that they will carry whatever name their masters give them. We will have the white man rape the black woman and destroy the black man’s sense of manhood. We will make slavery a crucial part of the US economy so that many powerful politicians and entrepreneurs will never dare fight against it. We all know that we work best when they do not know I exist. I will teach the black man hatred, and their enemy will be the white man.”
England abolished slavery before America did. Blacks were denied education, participation in the political process and in many cases, religion. The strategy worked to perfection. In 1865, however, slavery was abolished in the United States. With slavery abolished, it seems that blacks will be able to enjoy freedom. But was that freedom really found?
Civil Rights
“We will destroy them even without slavery,” declared the Devil. The killings of blacks continued. The denial of quality education and higher learning was prevalent and socially acceptable. It was important for the Devil to make sure they remained ignorant. “They are free from slavery, but I will cause for their civil rights to be brutally violated. I will cause whites to pass segregation laws and to treat blacks as if they have leprosy; they will put up signs in public places that will read, “No dogs and no blacks.” It will be politically correct to be a racist in the United States of America.”
The denial of political process involvement, the denial of jobs, and so on, was the ticket of the day. Hatred for the white man grew and violence spurred like wild fires. But then…the voice of Martin Luther King was heard loud and clear; a week after his assassination the Civil Right Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
Hollywood
Soon it was not politically correct to be a racist.
The devil then called for another meeting. He asked, “What are we going to do now?”
A high ranking demon, Demon of Bitterness, interjected, “we will still reject them and make them feel inferior. We will attack their self-esteem. Even as they have greater opportunities, we will attack their minds in such a way that many will not even care to try to go any further in their education, political process involvement and in the business world. We will make them feel as if they are incapable and in need of special help from the government. We will create ghettos and a welfare system. It will make it look like America is finally helping them, but we will make them handicapped. We will raise leaders among them that will spread the victim mentality narrative. We will fill them with anger against whites and make sure they remain bitter. It will still be a society ruled by whites without the open violation of laws.”
“Yes! Yes! And I know exactly how to do this,” responded the Devil. “We will use Hollywood. We will infect their minds and culture through movies and TV shows. People will spend more and more time in front of the TV as we use the TV to spread our teachings. We will make sure all the heroes are white so little black kids grow up without any black heroes. We will create characters such as Superman, Captain America, Batman and many others; while blacks play small unimportant and humiliating roles. The blacks will remain inferior. We will continue to enslave them in their minds. And then I will rise up a select few from their kind to be my personal slaves, who will rise up to be idols. They will portray a new image of the Black Man and a false image of freedom. They will call each other derogatory names and accept a life of mediocrity and ignorance. They will destroy themselves with concepts like YOLO and “Do what thou wilt.” They will make themselves un-hirable, undesirable, non-trainable, and proud. They will begin to see me as their God, and will no longer be a threat to my kingdom. ” All of the demons stood in applause.
Their Hearts
Today, many blacks continue to overcome. Many blacks are financially free and many blacks are highly educated. Not only are blacks involved in the political process, but many blacks hold political office, including our President. Blacks are no longer the first ones to get killed in movies; they have many leading men and leading women.
So the devil called for another meeting, this time he stood secure knowing exactly what to do. “We will increase their hatred against whites and continue to fill their hearts with bitterness. We will give them preachers who will keep them focused on racism issues. We will use a different kind of Uncle Tom; he will not be working for the white man, but he will be working for me directly. I will infect their leadership. I will raise Civil Right Leader that will be blinded to black issues and focused on racism. I will cause sporadic killings of blacks by whites to keep the civil rights leaders active in preserving my narrative that the white man is holding them back. However, the real killing will take place in their own neighborhoods. I will cause them to kill each other. I will cause for black families to be destroyed and increase abortion and jail sentences. I will use their music and entertainment to promote violence and create a lack of reverence for life. They will soon rid the world of themselves” All the demons were amazed at the wisdom of the Devil. They bowed to him and charged into the night, ignited by the commanding presence of their master.
Afterwards, a demon approached the Devil and asked him, what did you hear God say about black people in America? Why do you want to kill them so bad? The Devil looked at him with a hint of fear in his eyes and stormed away in anger without saying a word.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
A Response to Charles Barkley
I am not a famous person; I do not have access to millions of people with the message God has given me. But I have to say that I disagree with some of Charles Barkley’s comments regarding the riots in Ferguson. He stated, “Those aren’t black people, those are scumbags“.
I agree that they do not represent all of us; however they do represent a portion of us. We can’t ignore their behavior and place all the blame on the police; we must take responsibility and do something about it. What I am seeing, for the most part, are young kids with total disrespect for authority.
I am irritated by this new generation of civil right leaders, who walk around with ecumenical titles, but totally ignore Scripture. They are part of the problem; and by the way, Charles Barkley, they are also black. Romans 13:1-2 tells us,
“13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” (NKJ)
By disrespecting the police and people in authority in general, we are bringing judgment on ourselves. Are we teaching our kids how to get killed by the police? “Burn this mother F.. down…” is not the way we fight and win this fight. “Burn this mother F.. down…” coming out of the mouth of a grown man with his pants hanging off his butt is not the face of justice to me.
Our greatest problem is not the police; our greatest problem is each other. I am black and I am Puertorrican. Puertorricans are killing Puertorricans in Puerto Rico and blacks are killing blacks right here in America. WE ARE OUR GREATEST ENEMY, not the police.
How can we be so passionate about dealing with a less-than-one-percent issue (Police killing us for acting like fools most of the time) and totally ignore the 99% percent of the problem? We are the problem; the way we raise our kids and our total disrespect for authority; that’s the real issue! We are bringing judgment on ourselves!!!!!!! I did not say this, God did; is HE a racist to?
During the days of Martin Luther King, the whole world saw on TV the brutality of the police as Dr. King and his follower peacefully marched. That brought about change; the greatest change in the history of the civil rights movements. But what did we see on TV coming out of Ferguson? Not only the “Burn this mother F.. down…”, but the actual destruction of many local business who were actually burned to the ground.
I am not waiting for the government; especially for this particular government, I am not. Our President is part of the problem. By the way, Charles Barkley, he is also black. We are too busy blaming others and waiting for others to fix what is ours to fix. I can only do my part and you can only do yours.
In my small karate class yesterday, I had young kids, a couple of teens and some adults. I felt very strongly about taking the time, at the end of my class, to teach these kids respect for the police. I was teaching them how to properly answer the police and how to properly react when interacting with them. I told them, if you are speeding and an officer stops you, cut the engine off, especially at night, place both hands on the steering wheel and respond by saying sir or madam. I told my kids, responding with respect and courtesy does not make you a punk, it makes you a mature person. I just felt an unbelievable sense of responsibility and fear for these kids. Not that their parents are not teachings them these things; but I wanted to reinforce their teachings.
I trust that my Karate students will not get shot by the police over foolishness. My confidence is not based on our ungodly government or based on our new generation of so call, civil right leaders, but I have confidence in God’s Word as our absolute guide and on my student’s parents.
We have too many ungodly voices with personal agendas out there; some of those ungodly voices are also coming out of our pulpits. They need to be quite, in the name of Jesus!
We will make sure our children act like they have some sense when interacting, not only with the police, but with any person in authority and amongst ourselves. Let me also add that God placed our President and all of our leaders in their positions. Some leaders are there as an instrument of blessing, others for judgment and yet others as a reflection of society. We should not disrespect them either. Nevertheless, the Word of God is above them. The Bible also says,
“But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48 (KJV)
At the end of the day we are all accountable to God; some already know that, some will realize that later, some will realize the power of this truth as they burn in hell for resisting Christ. But make no mistake about it, “It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” Romans 14:11 (NIV)
The One Thing White People Owe Me
Many may not realize that Puerto Ricans are more than bronzed people that live by the beach. I certainly was not one of them. I see the reactions when African American men come up to talk to me as if I’m a brother from the hood. Nevertheless, the second I open up my mouth and allow my grammatical errors and heavy accent to shine, I see a look of profound surprise as the “brother” realizes that I’m “Mexican”.
Even Mexicans, when I approach them speaking Spanish, show a hint of fear and utter confusion. So for those who don’t know, there are black Puerto Ricans, white Puerto Ricans, Chinese looking Puerto Ricans, Tanned Puerto Ricans, etc. We are like the United States, just with a different language. And so, now I can continue.
21 years ago, as I moved from Puerto Rico to Jacksonville, Florida; these damaging and hurtful words were directed at me; “You will never make it in life because you have a double curse; you are black and you are Latino.” Yes, even in Puerto Rico, where all of us are as much “mutt” as the other, the whites found themselves superior to the darker in complexion.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in a place called the barrio Arenas de Guánica in Puerto Rico. This was home for me. And for some people, home can be the hardest place to be accepted.
During my first years in elementary school, I suffered at the hands of bullies who called me all kinds of derogatory names, just because of my dark skin.
As a child, I remember watching a TV program dedicated to racism in Puerto Rico. A black famous Puerto Rican musician was part of the panel who was known for only dating white skinned women. When they asked him why, he stated that he felt that he needed to “improve his race.” He was a black Puerto Rican man. Improve his race? For years I lived contemplating that there was something wrong with me. As if this dark carcass was a cursed disease given from my ancestors.
An old Puertorican man told me when I was in my twenties, “you are black outside, but you are white inside.” In other words, there was no possibility that as a black man I could be identified with anything good. Let me emphasize, this did not happen in the USA, but in Puerto Rico.
Furthermore, as I was studying martial arts, living in Jacksonville, Florida; I remember being told not to go upstairs in a house party while the rest of the students did. They were all white. They did not want the grandparents of the owner of the house to see me; they were very racist I was told.
All my life I heard the jokes referring to black people and to myself directly. A value system was clearly created to make me think that I was inferior or that there was something wrong with me, just because I was black.
I say these things because I want you to know that I lived on this earth and that I have tasted racism myself. No doubt that I have never been a slave or have ever been physically persecuted. Nevertheless, my first reaction to all this was to embrace the victim mentality; to blame it all on the white man and to embrace the entitlement mindset of taking all I could take; after all, they owe me. My great great grandmother was a slave, so I suppose I am entitled to eternal compensation; right?
When I became a Christian, I discovered that I could do all things through Christ. (Philippians 4:13) I am now 46. The good I have done in my life, I did it by the grace of God. On the other hand, I have fallen short in many areas, not because of the white man, but as a direct result of my actions. I take full responsibility.
So now I move on to the gist of this message. I absolutely hate it when people look at me and assume that I am lazy or an idiot that needs special treatment or programs in order to be able to make it in this life! I hate it how even in the church, my home on this planet, people cannot see past their bitterness of the past.
This is not a question of whether or not racism exists. It was the second mayor issue in the primitive church. Paul confronted Peter with this issue in Acts. Yes, racism exists, it is a spirit; an evil spirit, and it will always exist. Am I denying slavery? Never! Just like we will never deny the holocaust. These are, without a doubt, examples of humanity at its worst.
The true question is where do we go now? As a Christian, it is important for us to move on and let go of the past. We cannot deny that the majority of minorities on this planet are at a stalemate. We are stuck, and the only ones we can blame are the “white” men. But my Bible says “Do not pay evil with evil.” (Romans 12:7) As Christians we are called to forgive. (Colossians 3:13) Not forgiving the white man for what they did to our ancestors, or even to us, is a sin and is the source of the minority’s current struggle.
We must follow the example of black men and women who bettered them and their families, and not the losers that are making a living out of keeping the issues of racism alive. We must learn about Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King and even Malcolm X. They, among others, did not fight for handouts; they insisted that we could do things as good and sometimes better than the white man.
Frederick Douglass, a former slave, in the times before the civil war, found his freedom and respect as he educated himself and became one of the great speakers in our history. Martin Luther King achieved a doctoral degree; another amazing speaker and someone who advanced the civil rights movement like no other. Malcolm X, even as we share a different faith, was not asking for anything from the white man; the nation of Islam wanted their own black nation, independent from whites. These men did not ask for any special treatment; they fought for us to have the opportunity, just like everyone else.
But what is happening today? We are filled with bitterness against the whites. We are so focused on finding racism in every statement that a white man makes, that we can’t move forward with vision and mission for our lives. We are so blind by the liberal ideology. We continue to fail in understanding that we can be self-reliant.
We don’t need any programs. We are not idiots unable to make it without government assistance. We are celebrating dependency; we are fighting to get free healthcare, free housing, free food and so on. We fight under the umbrella that the white man owes me. Depending on these programs can only take you so far. Judging by our statistics, that dependency is literally killing us.
Beloved, the only thing white people owe us is the opportunity; the opportunity to worship God freely, the opportunity to be politically and socially free just like everybody else, the opportunity of being treated like a human being with the same rights as everyone else, the opportunity to interview for any job and for our qualifications to be looked at fairly, the opportunity for education and higher education, the opportunity to prove that we can square off as a boxer, baseball prayer, basketball player and any sport on this earth with the best-of-best in the world.
No, we don’t want you to lower the standards so that my sons and daughters will be able to get that job or enter that school. That is an insult to me! I want you to give them a fair chance to prove to you that it will do you well to hire them because, just like the story of Joseph in the Bible, they will be a blessing to your business. Whether you have racism in your heart or not, I really don’t care, that’s between you and God; all I want is the opportunity.
The United States of America has a shameful past filled with plenty of hypocrisy and contradictions just like you and me. We are not exceptional. My Bible tells me in Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” (KJV) If we judge the opportunities that we as minorities have today, in comparison with just 50 years ago, we will conclude very quickly that our slave song must change. The old song of seeing ourselves as victims is ludicrous and it feeds bitterness. That song is getting old; as a matter fact, it’s old already.
Whatever white people did to us, our current racism and discriminations, and even the idiots that want to act like this nation is perfect; nothing justifies us, as minorities, to act like fools. Again, racism is a spirit, it existed, it does exist and it will exist until the Lord’s return.
Today we have blacks that are successful in higher learning. We have doctors (My wife is one of them), we have lawyers, judges, we have businessmen, politicians, we have actors, athletes, we have CEOs and, we have our current president. But apparently it is not enough.
Agitators like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and many civil rights organizations are getting paid good money by reporting discrimination and closing their eyes to progress and personal responsibility. Can’t we understand? Not only have we learned how to fish, but also now we are able to own the lake.
If we judge America based on how she has opened up and leveled the ground for opportunities for us, I have to say, “Mission accomplished”. If you are waiting for America to be racist-free, it will never happen: not here and not around the world. Nevertheless, in spite of all that, you and I have no excuse. You need to make up your mind to either go after opportunities or to feed your bitterness.
So I say, White folks, you owe me nothing, you don’t even have to like me! You don’t have to “act black”. You are free to be whatever you want. I forgive you and your ancestors and embrace you all as my brothers and my sisters. I have something to offer to make this nation a better place for you, for your children, for me, for my children and for generations to come. If you are a born again believer, I hope you understand, that we are now citizens from heaven. (Philippians 3:20) Lets show the world our love for one another so they know that God is real. And let us remember that we are to owe one another nothing but love.
“Owe no man anything, but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law..” (John 13:35) NKJV
Would You Allow Your Daughter to Marry a Black Man?
