“The Moral Significance of Black Folk in America”

Black people are the ones who always remind and warn America about the importance and practice of justice, truth, and righteousness.

They are also the ones to diagnose America’s bankrupt institutions, ungodly systems, and unjust structures.

They are also the first to complain about the bankruptcy of America’s legal system and political organizations.

They are the same people to remind America that racism and white supremacy are two great social and spiritual demons and evils in the American society.

They are also the first to tell America chattel slavery, (Jim Crow laws) racial segregation, and lynching are/were antidemocratic, unchristian, and anti-human flourishing.

They are the same group to urge America that injustice and oppression have consequences and may lead to national decline and ultimately the destruction of a civilization and of a nation.

They are also the same people to remind America about the humanity and dignity of black and brown people and the precariousness of life and the sanctity of black and brown lives.

They are also the same people to remind America that God’s children actually live in the ghetto and their life matters, and not to undermine their collective suffering and poor living conditions.

They are the ones to compel America to change its character; to remove the stain of antiblack racism from its laws and public policies; to call America to repentance and justice; and to create an atmosphere for the possibility of racial healing and unity, shalom and reconciliation.

Black people are America’s redeemer and soul. Without Black people, America will not have a soul and a conscience. Black people are the ethical light and moral conscience of this nation.

***Have you ever wondered about the reasons (the economic and historical trajectories and the cultural and political conditions as well as the moral issues and ethical matters) that have led Black people to play these various roles and functions in American history and in the American society?