Election Not the End to Bigotry

I read an article in the Hartford Courant today about an event in Connecticut where Jeremiah Wright made his first public appearance since President-elect Barack Obama and he parted ways last spring. Wright is the UCC minister who some say almost derailed Barack Obama's presidential bid. Controversial statements that Reverend Wright made in a sermon preached almost seven years ago caused such a stir that it led Obama to give his much-praised speech on race to the nation. It also led him to repudiate his friend and mentor Jeremiah Wright and to leave Reverend Wright's church of which Obama was a member. The Courant reports:

"Wright's talk, replete with detailed references to theology books and quotes from Scripture, was rife with the kind of quotes that, quoted alone, could generate controversy. But understood in the larger context of Wright's talk, the statements did not seem controversial and frequently elicited laughter from Wright's mostly white audience of several hundred. . . ." [This would lead one to wonder whether his other controversial statements taken out of context would have been viewed differently if his entire sermon had been broadcast to the nation.] . . . "My biggest fear is that we will take what's just happened in this country and think a whole lot has changed," Wright said."If you take a Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, their success should not lull us into thinking society has changed."

I tend to echo to a point the sentiment that nothing has changed. I would amend Wright's statement to say that Jordan's, Obama's, and Wood's success should not lull us into thinking that society has made a drastic change with regard to racism. In order for this society to elect a black man as president, one cannot deny that society has changed. But there is still deep racism in this country. Barack Obama (like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods) has black skin, but for many people he is different from other blacks. Different not just in the sense that his background and heritage are different, but different in the respect that society's perception of him is that he is not like other black people. His achievements do not erase the stereotype that many white Americans have of black people. So, racism continues and bigotry of all kinds continues.

I was one of the many hundreds of thousands of Americans who was moved to tears upon hearing that we Americans had made history by electing a black man to the presidency of the United States. But, despite the euphoria experienced by so many Americans from every walk of life on the election of a black president, we must note that California banned same-sex marriage at the same time they were electing this black president. Bigotry continues. At the same time that this country was electing a black man as president of the United States, Arkansas adopted a measure banning unmarried couples from fostering or adopting children. The Arkansas Family Council portrayed its support of the measure as a battle against a "gay agenda." Bigotry continues.

Bigotry of all kind continues in this country and around the world. And we must continue to fight against it. We must also continue to protect ourselves from the hurt, humiliation and loss of self esteem that bigotry causes. That is why I urge you to visit http://www.withstandingthelie.com/ and support Roger and Nicole in their efforts to teach others how to withstand the lie.

Withstanding the Lie Giveaway

Roger and Nicole are offering a monthly giveaway on their blog. Readers of the blog who leave a comment or question about withstanding the lie will be entered into a random drawing, starting today. Go to the withstanding the lie of bigotry blog for details. A link to the blog can be found under my blog list on the menu to the right.

UPDATE

Much has happened since my last blog. Nicole and Roger had their first book signing and Q&A. It went very well. It was a good turnout and there were many good questions that Roger and Nicole were able to answer. Many people had stories to share about their experiences with bigotry and the need to withstand the lie.

Another good review of the book has been placed online. We all were very excited about the review because it appears that the reviewer really understood the concepts that were being discussed in the book. This is not always the case. The review can be found at booksellersworld.com. The link can be found at the right.

Roger and Nicole are still looking for opportunities to speak to groups about withstanding the lie and they have some tentative events scheduled for January and February of next year. I'll keep you posted as they move forward.

As always I invite you to visit their website and share your experiences with bigotry with them. They look forward to discussing the concepts with you.

Wow - Front Page Cover Story

Roger and Brewer had a front page cover story in the Middletown Press, one of the local newspapers in our area. It was exciting to see. The same article can be found online at the newspaper's website. The word about withstanding the lie is getting out there. Tomorrow, Roger and Nicole will be at our local library for a book signing followed by a discussion and Q&A about the ideas in the book . The ideas are getting out there! It is our hope that this publicity will lead to more opportunities to discuss the ideas of withstanding the lie. Again, I invite you to visit the website and blog dedicated to presenting the ideas of withstanding the lie and to make your comments either at the site or at the blog.

Have you ever been the victim of bigotry?

A few days ago, Roger and Nicole's book Withstanding the Lie was reviewed on a popular website carpelibrisreviews.com. The reviewer offered the readers a chance of receiving a copy of the book as a giveaway if they would leave a comment telling about whether they had ever been discriminated against, how the discrimination had hurt them, and if they tried to do something to get over the hurt. She received more than 50 comments, many of them very detailed and moving. The kind of comments she received are the very kind of comments Nicole and Roger are seeking on their withstanding the lie website and blog. They know there are people out there hurting and they would like to help. That's why they wrote the book. So please visit their blog or website and start a conversation with them. They might be able to offer you some insight from their experiences, you might be able to offer them some insight from your experiences, and others might be helped by the simple sharing of these experiences. Of course feel free to leave your comments here also and I'll pass them on to Roger and Nicole.