Dear Caldwell,
As we move from Christmastide and through Epiphany, the recognition of the manifestation of our Lord in Christ ending tonight, we approach yet another important date in the life of America and Caldwell; the time of year when our nation is called to stop and reflect on our journey as a nation toward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s dream for America.
I’ve been thinking about one of the most well known lines from that famed speech, in which Dr. King said,
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Dr. King was ‘dreaming’ about the day when a person’s skin color would no longer trigger a ticket to go to the rear of the line in America. He yearned for a day when one’s character was enough. Character matters, to be sure. Perhaps nothing is more important for each of us as an individual.
But, for a people, the truth of today’s America is that character is not nearly enough. For a people, namely African-Americans, it is only a needed start. For a people, centuries of legalized discrimination in America have left structural, systemic and institutional barriers and injustices that limit opportunity and rob hope just as much as the old Jim Crow laws once did.
So, the question today may be one about the character of our nation: what will it take for our country to level the playing field in all aspects of our life together so that, one day, the content of one’s character is the defining factor Dr. King had in mind.
These are complex questions, to say the very least. The answers must gather in social, economic, educational, political, historical and other factors, too many of which have hardened like concrete in the arteries of our country. There is a justified urgency to the fact that America is not closer to King’s dream and that urgency often brims over to anger. We may wonder where to start, or where to take the next step. What can we do?
To paraphrase that loved passage in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything and this is our time to march. As MLK Parade Committee member Leigh Porter writes:
Caldwell will be marching with joy on Saturday, January 16, 2016. Come represent our amazing church community and the city of Charlotte. We will be making music, walking alongside our float and passing out treats all the way from Tryon to Stonewall. Not up for walking? No problem…ride on the float and join the celebration! In the event of cold weather our energy and supply of fleece scarves will keep us warm. The more the merrier so bring friends and family of all ages!
I hope as many of you as possible will come out for our “float decoration party” this Saturday, January 9th at 2:00 behind the church. Then, on the following Saturday morning of the parade, we will meet at the church at 9:00 AM for carpooling into town for the parade beginning at 11:00 AM.
Our shared journey over time toward racial justice and reconciliation is like a coiled wire – thrusting forward and then, tragically, coiling backward, only to thrust forward again. It is filled with highs and lows, trials and triumphs. Still, we are called forth to bear witness as people of faith to justice, mercy and love, following a God who offers liberation to all individuals and systems. I hope to see you all at the parade.
In Christ,
John