The Power of Martyrdom

When Dylann Roof walked into the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina he had no idea that what he was about to do would result in the demonization of the symbols of the Confederacy that he held so dear. Not in his wildest dreams did he think that his actions alone would create a national conversation that would eventually remove the confederate battle flag from the state capitol grounds in Columbia, South Carolina and Montgomery, Alabama, the license plates of Virginia, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, as well as remove the emblem from the state flag of Mississippi. I am sure he had no idea that within days, anything with the battle flag on it would be impossible to buy at Wal-Mart, Sears, Amazon, Target, or E-Bay. I am sure that he had no idea that with his singular, incredibly evil act he would do more to illuminate the true purpose of the Civil War than all of America’s schools have been able to do. Surely, he had no idea that he would bring all of God’s children, Blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles, Protestant and Catholic, Democrat and Republican, together to a table of brotherhood and mutual respect.

Rev. Clementa Pinckney, State Senator. Ms. Cynthia Hurd, Librarian. Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Speech Therapist and Girl’s track coach. Mr. Tywanza Sanders, recent graduate of Allen University. Ms. Ethel Lance, seventy-year-old member of Emanuel AME, served as church sexton for more than 30 years. Ms. Susie Jackson, 87-year-old member of Emanuel AME, choir member and usher. Ms. DePayne Middleton Doctor, retired Charleston County Director of the Community Development Block Grant Program. Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr. 74-year-old retired pastor, member of Emanuel AME ministerial staff. Ms. Myra Thompson, 59-year-old wife of a local minister. They are all dead. They were murdered on Wednesday night while attending bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. They have become martyrs, known all over the world.

On June 23, 1963, fifty-two years ago yesterday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made a speech in Detroit, Michigan in which he said, “A man who hasn’t found something he is willing to die for is not fit to live”. Later that year, Dr. King would deliver the eulogy for three of the four little girls that died when another church was desecrated by the act of those poisoned by racism. The 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham was bombed on a Sunday morning by the ku klux klan. The deaths were an awakening for white America. “Conservative” politicians declined to defend the indefensible, and in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, and the laws that mandated racial segregation and discrimination came to an end.

In 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson, Rev. James Reeb, and Viola Liuzzo gave the “last full measure of devotion”. The march from Selma to Montgomery was sanctioned and protected by the federal government, and the Voting Rights Act was passed. As a result, one hundred years after its passage in the aftermath of the Civil War, the promise of the 14^th and 15^th amendments would be fulfilled, Blacks would finally be allowed to vote, and true citizenship for African Americans would at last become an American reality.

Dr. King himself would pay the price in 1968. His martyrdom would silence his many critics, and secure his place as an American hero. He would take his place beside Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin Roosevelt on the National Mall. His birthday would become a national holiday, and his legacy would continue to advance the cause of freedom and equality all over the world thru the present day.

The power of symbolism cannot be underestimated. The Nazi’s recognized this power, and the swastika and what it means was and remains unmistakable to this day. The Stars and Stripes of the United States is a beacon of hope and symbol of freedom all over the world. The Cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the essence of Christianity, and the martyrdom of Christ and its effect on the world is unequaled.

It is very likely that the nine people that died at Emanuel AME Church had no desire to be martyrs. Like most of us they wanted to live, and enjoy their lives as long as possible. But I am confident that all of them, if they knew that that day, would be their last day, would hope that their living, their lives, would not be in vain. I am sure that if they knew that their blood would be sacrificed on the floor of their place of worship, they would want something good to come from it. As natives of the South, it is unlikely they would have imagined the response from the people of Charleston, America, and the world.

Something momentous is happening in the old Confederacy. Eyes have been opened, hearts have been touched, and minds have been changed. The racists are embarrassed and searching for excuses and reasons for being. Love, respect, understanding, and brotherhood is winning. The blood sacrifice of Mother Emanuel is generating mass empathy all over the South.

“A man who hasn’t found something worth dying for, isn’t fit to live”. Dr. King’s statement is one that all of us should take some time to think about.    

Freddie's Dead

In the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, I would watch the television coverage anxiously. During the days when the city was under the curfew that had been imposed by the mayor, and was being enforced by legions of imported police officers, including the Maryland National Guard, I would grow more and more nervous as the hour for everyone to be off the streets approached. Each night I would silently pray that the citizens of the city would go home. I silently cursed the hundreds of reporters, camera men, and photographers that seemed to outnumber the citizens on the streets. It seemed as if they were hoping for something to go wrong, something sensational to photograph and report. Some seemed disappointed when it didn’t happen. I have no doubt that their ubiquitous presence was an irresistible temptation for those that were the last to leave the streets each night. The desire for even momentary fame is almost a universal desire for many young Americans. We are drawn to television lights like moths to a flame.

I was one of the many that breathed a sigh of relief when the police officers involved in Mr. Gray’s death were charged with various crimes related to his death. I have no doubt that the charges contributed to the détente in the streets. I am willing to accept the results of their trials. If the citizens of Baltimore that sit as their jurors find one, some, or all of them innocent, so be it. But they had to be charged.

 I never thought about what the police might do in response to those charges.

According to the Washington Post, USA Today, ABC News, The Guardian, and several other news outlets, May was the bloodiest month in Baltimore since December of 1971. The city had 43 homicides in May, 2015. In December, 1971 it had 44. In 1971 the city had 900,000 residents. Today it has 600,000 residents, (a third less). Since January of this year there have been 116 homicides. Most of the killings have occurred in the same west Baltimore area that was the epicenter of the recent riots.

One Baltimore police officer was recently interviewed on Fox News with his face and voice disguised. According to him, the citizens in west Baltimore wanted less of a police presence, and “that’s exactly what they are getting”. According to him, the police are acting in unison because they are angry about the charges against the six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. The facts support what the officer said. A Baltimore TV station, WBAL, reported that there has been a 32% drop in arrests since the curfew, and the homicide rate is up 40% over last year. Apparently, their duty to “protect and serve” only applies if they are not to be accountable for breaking the law themselves.

The most violent month in the history of Baltimore occurred in August, 1972, when the city suffered from 45 homicides.  That same year, Curtis Mayfield released the soundtrack for the movie “SuperFly”. One of the songs from the album was called “Freddie’s Dead”. The lyrics included the following;

“Why can’t we brothers, protect one another?

No one serious, and it makes me furious

Don’t be misled, just think of Fred,

Cause Freddie’s dead”

The psychological, sociological, and economical reasons that young Black men are conducting this intractable war against themselves is debatable. But a “War” is exactly what it is. The casualty rate is unacceptable. The collateral damage is affecting the women and children that live in the war zones all over America. For the moment, the national media hordes have left to seek out more sensational opportunities to increase their ratings.

 Fortunately,??? recent events have inspired certain media outlets to at least count the casualties.

The challenges facing the leaders of Baltimore are similar to those facing the leaders of Chicago, Birmingham, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and many other cities. The lack of national media coverage does not mean that the urgency is less. People are still dying, violently, needlessly, every day. Women are still being widowed, children are losing parents, mothers and fathers are grieving. Something must be done. The status quo is not sustainable. There is nothing more important than stopping this daily, violent loss of life. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is present not only among the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is also present among the men, women, and children that live in America’s urban war zones.

Curtis Mayfield was right. In Baltimore, the police peacekeepers have withdrawn from the battlefield. It’s going to be up to the brothers to protect one another.