This post was originally published in the January 15th, 2020 edition of the E-Crier.
We Shall Overcome!
As we live in the aftermath of the violent attacks on the Capitol, record-setting COVID-19 related deaths (projected to 400,000 by the end of January) and infections, and look forward to the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, I reflect on the life of Dr. King, whose day we celebrate a day before the new administration takes power. “We shall overcome; we shall overcome,” Dr. King sang as he led masses into the streets to denounce racism. His nonviolence philosophy was once demeaned by Malcolm X, but proved effective in shaming those who defended segregation, white supremacists, and those who sought violence as the solution.
Fighting oppression with violence is the oppressor’s end game. The oppressor wants the oppressed to employ violence in their fight for liberation. If the oppressed do so, the oppressor wins. But if they refuse to use violence, the oppressor is shamed. It is this ethic that Jesus taught; it is this ethic that Gandhi used in India, and it is this ethic that characterized the civil rights movement Dr. King led.
The walls of injustice and oppression don’t fall on their own but are broken by those who believe that humans can change. Yet these walls are not erased forever–like trees in Winter, they remain alive until the weather changes. Unless constantly monitored, they can be rebuilt in a moment; something we have seen over and over again. In fact, this is what the attack on the Capitol revealed. The human heart can be angelic but it can also be devilish.
I don’t want us to ignore the challenges ahead of us. We are living at a time when nothing is off the table. Sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Semitism, gun violence, and racism will always have religious and secular supporters in our national life. This is part of our national history. As shameful as it is, ordinary people’s moral courage can compel us to fight hatred with love and nonviolence, as Dr. King did.
As a nation, we have had very dark days before. Slavery, the Civil War, attacks on Suffrage movement leaders, World Wars, the Vietnam War, the bombings in Alabama, the assassinations of the Kennedys, Dr. King, and Malcolm X, and September 11 terrorist attacks, are among the darkest moments in our history. But each generation overcame its challenges with love and self-sacrifice.
I am an optimist–I believe in the good heart of humanity. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump Administration will pass, but ideological divisions, isms, phobias, and violence will remain for years to come. As much as the laws can be passed, these isms and phobias will outlive the Trump Administration. In fact, we should expect more and more violence on our streets.
Dr. King was a minister who repeatedly quoted the Bible in his moral arguments against racism and violence. Likewise, I am an Evangelical Christian. I love my Bible as the Word of God. But carrying the Bible is not enough. Jesus did not ask us to carry Bibles–rather, to live his Word. I strongly believe that seeing Jesus in each other can transform us into realizing that we are all human; we are One People; One Nation, and One World. Is this not what Dr. King taught? We Shall Overcome!
E Pluribus Unum!
Join us for our service on Sunday at 10 am on our Youtube Channel. I will be preaching.
Look out for the annual report for our January 24, 2021, annual meeting.
-Rev. Kapya Kaoma