Used by permission. Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church.
The high school marching band competition had finally arrived! Proud parents, families, and fans shivered in the night air, waiting for their kids to take the field with their well-prepared show. I was one of those parents, as my two younger sons would be playing in the percussion section. A loud voice came through the public address system, silencing the crowd with a few announcements and recognitions. He then invited us to stand for the opening, which featured the band’s majestic version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our glorious national anthem.
This event occurred during a period of extraordinary unrest in the country. I was personally worn and weary about the climate in the United States, marked by heightened political polarization, police brutality, xenophobia, and what appeared to be a brutal attack on democracy. Further, some of these challenges were infiltrating the church as it navigated them amid an enormous theological divide across the conservative and liberal spectrum.
A few years before this night, a famed National Football League quarterback knelt during the display of the American flag and the singing of the national anthem at the start of each football game, drawing ridicule from one group and support from the other. This protest struck a nerve with many, and he was labeled anti-American.
So when this announcer at my son’s band competition invited us to stand, everything in me wanted to sit in protest and raise awareness of so many justice issues that concerned me.
Here’s what I thought about while considering this action:
- Was this the time and the place? As an African American and one of the very few in the crowd, I was not sure I was “safe” enough to make such a bold gesture.
- How difficult would I make life for my sons by possibly angering the community where they learn, perform, and carry out their social lives?
- Would I disenfranchise my own ecclesiastical denomination by such a protest, at such a place, at such a time?
- Would I take away from my sons a night that belonged to them and their band after many hours of preparation?
So I stood for The Star-Spangled Banner, even though at times that anthem may not have stood for me. I don’t say that cruelly. I say that in honor of the many African Americans who have suffered and struggled in the pursuit of freedom and justice, while coming through a history that is now being revised and reshaped to support a narrative that diminishes the horror and impact of slavery and its years of evolution and impact that followed. I also say that in honor of the many white Americans who gave their lives and resources to the struggle for freedom. I say that in respect for the journey of the Native American community, who recalls the historic Trail of Tears and other imperial acts while being colonized on their own land. I say that to all who have been ridiculed, bullied, and traumatized in pushing America to be the best version of itself, as outlined in the opening words of the U.S. Constitution. If I may paraphrase, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all are created equal.”
Engaging in civil disobedience and speaking truth amid angry voices is often seen as too disruptive in the town square, the pulpit, and the sanctuary. This type of “disruption” makes many nervous and unsettled.
It is worth noting that while Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., led anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, where he intentionally defied a court order not to protest, the white clergy of Birmingham urged the citizens in the town newspaper to not participate in the demonstrations, as they were untimely, unwise, and a product of an outside agitator, King, himself.
Civil disobedience is not a random defiance of the law. It is an objection to it, in a way that is peaceful, calm, public, and profound.
As a person, I have a few layers. I am an African American male who grew up in the city, attended college and seminary in the South, pastored on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and am a United Methodist pastor in the Midwest. So much of my own integration challenges me in the way I speak while standing in many places at the same time.
We all live in different realities. We have different views. We have a wide array of opinions. We have cultural angles of speaking, cooking, dressing, and learning. We are all from a particular neighborhood, a particular people, a particular cultural nuance, and because of these dynamics, finding common ground is tough.
Yet, it is not impossible. The path to finding this common ground has often been led by those who were willing to engage in the work of civil disobedience and protest.
We all need a prophetic voice, from time to time. We all need a Moses who makes his way to Pharaoh with a divine demand to liberate people. We all need an Amos and an Isaiah to demand justice. We all need to be offered the question from Micah, “What does the Lord require of thee?”
I often wonder if I did the right thing that night at the marching band competition. To engage this work of justice is not for the faint of heart. I chose to honor my boys’ hard work instead of utilizing this event for a different cause. I stand by my decision as a father. However, there comes a time when the decision is made for us. This too is what it means to be American.
As we celebrate these 250 years of American sojourn, we must admit that for many of us, the ever-evolving American Revolution continues to develop our own voices.
It often sounds like this. “No Justice, No Peace! Know Justice! Know Peace!”
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The Rev. B. Kevin Smalls is lead pastor of Hope United Methodist Church, Southfield, MI