Art (c) Doyle Burbank-Williams. Used by Permission.
American Pieta
The Rev. Doyle Burbank-Williams, artist, wrote on his Facebook page: "In light of the so-called justice system's results this week [acquitting Jeronimo Yanez of murder for shooting Philando Castile], I wanted to share a painting I created in the wake of the Castile incident. It is entitled, 'American Pieta.'"
As I write this, it’s Juneteenth in Texas. For those who aren’t familiar with this holiday, Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, bringing the news that the Civil War had ended and that Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves two years before. Juneteenth is a cherished holiday in among black Texans and elsewhere, I'm told.
Yet on this Juneteenth, some 152 years after the glorious news of emancipation landed on Texas shores, questions still haunt us still in the wake of the acquittal of the ex-police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who shot and killed Philando Castile a year ago in Minnesota. Castile was one of 963 people fatally shot by police last year, according to The Washington Post.
- What must we do to stop the shooting of black citizens by law enforcement?
- How can we dismantle the institutional racism that threads through U.S. “law and order?”
- Can a black person receive true justice in America?
As a white woman deeply grateful for my smattering of West African and Native American heritage, I’ve simmered with rage all weekend long, heartbroken that another black man’s “death by cop” is going unavenged. I tremble with the knowledge that the white privilege into which I was born has perpetuated law that allowed Philando Castile’s killer to escape, even though he is no longer employed as a police officer. I have no way to articulate accurately how I feel or what I fear because, for all my empathy, the black experience is not mine.
Instead, I decided simply to listen to the voices of our black sisters and brothers. When I did, I found an array of responses that I gathered in the hope of understanding what black America is going through. I was especially enlightened by the conversation on a Chicago R&B radio station, V-103, where Darryl Dennard, host of “Chicago Speaks,” interviewed Dallas attorney Yulise Reaves Waters, and took listeners’ calls. Here is some of what I heard:
- "The original sin of America against blacks -- and people of color and ethnic minorities -- is greed, really." -- Yulise Reaves Waters.
- “The answer is to vote in every local election. Local politics are where you get your police chief, your police department.” – “Chicago Speaks” Caller
- “We need to address black on black crime. Until we do, nothing else matters.” – “Chicago Speaks” Caller
- “Nothing we do will help. People can’t change. You can’t retrain a racist.” – “Chicago Speaks” Caller
To this last comment, Mr. Dennard surprised me with his response: “People always have, as long as they have breath in them, the ability to change.” He then told the story of former slaver John Newton, author of the beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace,” whose salvation experience turned him from slaver to abolitionist. Attorney Waters affirmed Dennard’s perspective: “When there is no hope, that’s the end of the journey.”
Mr. Dennard said that station V-103 shortly will begin a program to teach black people how to respond when – not if, but when – they are stopped by police. Ms. Waters again affirmed the idea, adding that she also advocates training for police on how to de-escalate tense situations, along with annual assessments to detect officers’ bias toward violence, and ongoing stress-related mental health care for police.
Hopeful as their exchange was, I was struck once again by the fact that white citizens never have to be trained in how to “de-escalate” an encounter with police. Later I read this quote from a sermon heard by a Facebook friend over the weekend: "When the color of your skin is seen as a weapon, you will never be seen as unarmed.”
What I fear, and what I pray will come to some redeeming end, is the prediction made over the weekend by the Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey of United Methodist-related Boston University School of Theology. I quote Dr. Lightsey’s copyrighted statement here with her permission:
“America is incapable of handling the Black rage that is about to be unleashed on it this summer. The elixirs of love and justice have been polluted in its courts and churches. America can not turn to the words of the prophet Martin Luther King, Jr. for help, for Black people will hear them flowing from national lips painted with his blood. Creeds of patriotism will have no influence. Black rage will not be assuaged by flag nor ballot. Then "what," you say, "shall extinguish this seething rage?" "Surely, god and god alone" white supremacy answers with the assurance of those whose god has always been structural racism. No, this rage shall not recede at the behest of whiteness empowered, embodied or internalized. Black rage is the one uniquely Black gift that has not and cannot be commodified or tranquilized by whiteness. Black rage will be unleashed this summer. Its fire sanctifies and illumines our hearts and minds. Lo, it is the only elixir against the bitterness of the soul. Yea, even now, come holy rage.” © Pamela R. Lightsey
When I asked her what she would say to white people like me, she said she no longer tries to counsel white folks, because white privilege is so endemic in American society that any such efforts are useless.
I got a different perspective from another Facebook contact, Carolyn Thomas-Davis, who responded to my question of Dr. Lightsey and gave me permission to quote her:
“I will tell you what I tell my white friends and family ... the systemic oppression and police state violence did not begin with you. It predates our existence and will probably outlive us. What you can do is love, be sincere, listen non-paternalistically, be compassionate, acknowledge your privilege and use it for good of others when you can. You owe me nothing, but if love is your guide, you will do what you can with what you have. And I will love and support [you] just the same. Funny how abnormal this normal behavior tends to feel for some.”
Listening to these voices of bittersweet hope and desperate rage is how I’ve celebrated Juneteenth weekend 2017. May we ponder their words in our hearts as we go forward, mourning Philando Castile and all the named and unnamed black people who die daily from gun violence. Slavery may be gone, but racism still stalks America.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor and Founder of United Methodist Insight.