What Was Won in Selma 50 Years Ago Being Lost Today

[loyalsister]

1. I heard a clergy man beautifully articulate this sentiment and more at a march last Nov.

He focused on grief.
The grief the trailblazers must feel to see the fruits of their labor rotting. The grief of their children who believed that the stories that dominate black history in the US are part of the past. Their children whose dreams were dashed after seeing the racist backlash unleashed in response to the candidacy and election that inspired so much hope. Their children who have been told that they are living in a post- racial US only to come of age and discover the stories of racism in the US have laid dormant and are again part of the US present and foreseeable future.

The grief so many of us share as we see youth being buried.

That speech came from a theological perspective. Upon hearing that, this atheist totally understood the appreciation of MLK's religious language and appeal to a benevolent force that would support the cause to find a greater good.

It's a way of framing ugliness so that people could find hope amid the grief. I don't have the inclination to find hope in those beliefs, but I have a new appreciation for how it soothes and motivates other people.