Op-Ed

Rev. Franklin Graham Ignores Racism

Published

10 years ago

April 6, 2015

By Rev. Amos C. Brown
NNPA Guest Columnist

Easter was last Sunday, but Rev. Franklin Graham is still wiping egg off his face.

In an unintentionally insensitive Facebook post on March 12, the hugely influential White evangelist ignored the existence of racial bias by law enforcement in the U.S. by suggesting the easy solution to police shootings is to teach our children to obey authority.

“It’s as simple as that,” Graham wrote. “Even if you think the police officer is wrong – YOU OBEY. Parents, teach your children to respect and obey those in authority…The Bible says to submit to your leaders and those in authority ‘because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account.’”

The controversial comments are being criticized across the nation. What is most alarming, however, is that almost immediately after the ill-advised post had been published, more than 200,000 people took to the Facebook comment section in order to support Graham’s statements.

Since the post, I have personally spoken with Rev. Graham – reaching across cultural, racial and religious divides – and we both agreed that his comments were insensitive and not clothed in the right language to convey that he meant well and not ill.

Graham is not wrong that parents should teach their children to respect law enforcement. But his post failed to acknowledge that the relationship between institutions of authority and citizens is a two-way street. Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to respect the worth and dignity of all human beings regardless of race, religious expression, gender or personal orientation.

The presence of injustice in the criminal justice system is now undeniable. A Department of Justice report on the Ferguson, Mo. Police Department revealed widespread racial bias. That racial bias, as much as the perceived disdain for authority by citizens, was bound to lead to officer-involved shootings such as the controversial killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The DOJ’s report revealed that people in authority must also take steps to prevent police shootings.

Though unintentional, Graham’s Facebook post perpetuated the narrow-minded view that is reflective of the mindset of established privilege; of someone who has never had to be a victim of the kind of oppression and injustice that average, law-abiding kids of color face on a daily basis in this country.

Sure, we can attack Graham for views that were shaped by his upbringing and environment. But in my view, the better solution is to have a candid conversation with Graham and his flock about the experiences that have shaped the mindsets of Black youth in our nation.

I would not simply decry injustices in our criminal injustice system and the unfair economic policies that have Blacks living in ghettos and prison cells. Rather, I would take folks like Graham on a “ride-along” with the average Black student heading home from school. He should know what it is like to feel like a suspect in the eyes of a police officer, rather than as a normal citizen requiring protection.

He should know what W. E. B. Du Bois, the great African American thinker, meant when he wrote in The Souls of Black Folk, “One ever feels his twoness – an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”

My hope is that Graham’s 1.06 million Facebook followers could be tuned into this alternative perspective. As a pilot, Franklin knows it takes two wings for an airplane to remain airborne.

Despite our different racial backgrounds and theological persuasions, Franklin and I have started seeing where each other is coming from.

Post-Easter, spiritual and faith leaders must move beyond the crucifixion of misplaced and in inept utterances to a point of resurrection and cooperation between law enforcement and the people they are sworn to protect.

We pledge our support for families, for economic justice and for substantive rehabilitation programs so that this season will not just be words about a Savior who rose from a grave, but about the potential for a social and political resurrection in our nation where people will do justly, love mercifully and walk humbly with their God.

When we do this, we shall become friends who understand and respect each other’s perspectives. We will no longer seek to blame or divide but rather to identify common ground from which we can rise up and improve as a fair and just society.

Rev. Amos C. Brown, a former student and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is president, NAACP San Francisco Branch and a member of the NAACP national board.

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Underwood also spent quality time with the Oakland Ballers ownership group and visited the amazing Raimondi Park West Oakland community revitalization site. In the 1996 TV film Soul of the Game, Underwood played the role of the legendary first Black Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson and commended the Ballers owners.

“This group of sports enthusiasts/ philanthropists needs to be applauded for their human capital investment and their financial capital investment,” Underwood said. “Truly putting their money and passion to work,” Underwood said.

Underwood was also inspired by mayoral candidate Barbara Lee’s open-minded invitation to bring public-private partnership opportunities to Oakland.

Underwood said he wants to “reinforce the importance of ‘collaborative activism’ among those most marginalized by non-empathic leadership. We must ‘act out’ our discomfort with passionate intentions to create healthy change.”

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Councilmembers Ramachandran, Kaplan, Unger Identify Funds to Save Oakland Fire Stations

Our budget crisis – one of the worst in Oakland’s history – is compounded by the fact that people do not feel safe coming to Oakland due to our public safety crisis. By investing in our fundamental public safety resources today, we can send a signal to the world that Oakland is open for business. We have such a rich and vibrant culture, arts, and food scene that is worth celebrating – but we can only showcase this if we are able to keep our neighborhoods safe. Having fully functioning fire stations are absolutely essential to these efforts.

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Councilmember Janani Ramachandran. Courtesy photo.

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The fight to save our stations is not over. The resolution we introduced is a critical first step, and there are hurdles to overcome. If you support keeping our fire stations open, we invite you to be a part of the solution by making your voice heard at the March 4^th City Council meeting at 3:30 pm.

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NNPA Launches National Public Education and Selective Buying Campaign

“We are the trusted voice of Black America, and we will not be silent or nonresponsive to the rapid rise of renewed Jim Crow racist policies in corporate America,” stated NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr. “The Black Press of America continues to remain on the frontline keeping our families and communities informed and engaged on all the issues that impact our quality of life.”

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iStock.

Washington, DC: The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing the Black Press of America, has announced the planning and implementation of a national public education and selective buying campaign across the nation in direct response to those corporate entities that have dismantled their respective Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitments, programs and staffing. NNPA Chairman Emeritus Danny Bakewell Sr. explained, “Now is the time for the Black Press of America once again to emphatically speak and publish truth to power.”

At a recent convening of NNPA member publishers and editors, a united resolve was reached that each member publication of the NNPA will begin a national public education campaign coupled with the release of research data on those American companies that are engaging in efforts to sanction racial injustice, inequitable polices, divisive leadership, and economic apartheid in America.

“We note forthrightly that Black Americans spend $2 trillion dollars annually as consumers of products and services throughout the United States,” NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. emphasized. “We now must evaluate and realign to question why we continue to spend our money with companies that do not respect us,” Chavis continued. “This now must come to an end. These contradictions will not go unchallenged by 50 million Black Americans who have struggled for centuries to ensure equality, fairness and inclusion in our nation’s democracy.”

A selective buying campaign involves exercising the right to select what we spend our money on and who we spend our money with. We are starting with targeting TARGET.

The following are some of the major American companies that have publicly retreated from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: