In Selma, Alabama some white citizens erected a statue honoring Confederate General Nathan Beford Forrest. They claim he was an exceptional Calvary leader who deserved the recognition. Never mind that he was accused of war crimes for allowing his forces to massacre black Union troops who had surrendered after the Battle of Fort Pillow in Tennessee, or that he became first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan after the War. The Friends of Forrest persevere onward in a city renown for its racism.
The statue has been vandalized more than once, and disappeared completely a few months ago. The Friends of Forrest were outraged. “We take the position,” said spokesman Todd Kiscaden who is supervising the building of a new monument, ”that, in this country we’re allowed to venerate our heroes. There’s a monument to Martin Luther King in town. We don’t deface that monument. We don’t harass people. So let us enjoy the same treatment.”
We seem to have lost all sense of decency in this country. Mr. Kiscaden was comparing freedom to erect a statue to the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan to one honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. And apparently said it with a straight face. Try telling the Jewish community that honoring Nazi General Erwin Rommel for his exceptional leadership in WWII deserves the same respect as memorials at Dachau or Auchswitz. The outrage would be heard around the world. Yet the Friends of Forest insist their racist act is within their rights as Americans.
This is yet another example of a practice that has become common today. It is called false moral equivalency, the practice of claiming things are equal when they are anything but. The idea that someone would compare the freedom to honor MLK with the freedom to honor the first grand wizard of the KKK is about as morally reprehensible as it gets. I wonder if any white citizens in Selma have said so in public? I wonder if any Christian has? I wonder if any minister said anything from the pulpit about it when it happened?
I would like to believe someone did, but I wouldn’t bet money on it. There are always risks involved in exposing racism. But it is precisely because we are people of faith that we should be willing to take them. The failure of white Christians to speak up for justice is one of the main reasons a majority of Americans believe the more religious you are, the more intolerant you become. I don’t believe this is true, but for most people perception is reality. That perception will not change unless and until churches do.
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Thanks for educating me on this; I did not know about it. Well-done, Jan!
Being silence is like not showing up or being present. To show up and being present is to respect another human being regardless of color or religion. Did you know that the word “respect” comes from the word “respicere” which means “the willingness to look again”. I don’t think that I have to explain the meaning of that. All I can say is that if we are willing to look again, we extend respect. This allows us to stay open and flexible toward ourselves and others. So, I challenge you to look again, show up and be present and say out loud: “How can we respect or honor those who don’t respect others because of their color or religion.”
Thank you for exposing this story, Jan, with its implication of how engrained our species is in its “fear of the other”. So many carry this unfortunate trait and silence only galvanizes its truth. If we, those who call ourselves Christians, would grasp the full implication of Jesus message that “The kingdom of God is within”, that we are all brothers by virtue of the endowment of a spiritual essence coming directly from the creator, then we would not be distracted by ANY lesser characteristic. However, that requires a spiritual maturity that has yet to be made manifest by humans devoted to truth, beauty and goodness or their institutions providing such direction, especially the churches. They’ve become preoccupied with social brotherhood and thus both spiritual and social values suffer. Evolution is ponderously slow, but, ever moving. Therein lies the promise of the faithful. “On earth as it is in heaven” WILL come, eventually.
Jan,
As an Alabama resident for over 30 years, I would be happy to be one who is more than willing to “bet on it.” Christianity teaches selfless love which, I believe, requires humility and respect. I saw plenty of that while in Alabama, and I pray that one day “plenty” will be sufficient in Alabama and elsewhere to completely overcome all vestiges of racism. Some of my optimism is encouraged by sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer during the terrible days of Nazi Germany. Love is far, far more powerful than evil. Starke