East Flatbush Writer

So, where do we begin? I am not sure, quite honestly, except that there are many right now who are struggling with being young, Christian and black in America. We are living against the backdrop of the obvious historic hate hurtling towards young black men, and the reciprocal anger from them to a country that has placed little to no value on their lives. Some of them are actually trying to follow the teachings of Christ, not unlike George Floyd. How inconceivable it must have been for Mr. Floyd in the final minutes of his life trying to understand what was happening to him while negotiating all three of those titles he wore.

The complex nature of explaining what it means to be young, christian and black in America, could not be clearly articulated by one individual, so I asked three people to share their thoughts.

On being young…(African-American Male,  23 years old)

I’m just old enough to see the cycle now. 

The last time this happened it was the summer before my senior year of high school. I had never seen a protest before. Of course I’d seen the crackling black and white images projected on a white board in my high school history class. But in that context it felt like a museum exhibit – sterile. Selma and Birmingham were discussed as if they were glitches in the otherwise flawless story. We didn’t even mention Black Wall Street, or Watts, or the LA riots.

 So as I sat and watched the people of Ferguson – people that looked like my mother and father and uncles and aunts – being pursued and subdued by nightmare men in riot gear my stomach filled with fresh anger. 

   And now here we are again. Five years later. The country on fire, and us under the boot and baton. It makes me wonder how many more times this cycle will repeat. How many times my younger siblings will watch people that look like them be brutalized for the sake of an elaborate lie spun over the course of hundreds of years. As a young and able-bodied African-American, I felt it was my duty to go to the streets and raise my voice with the hundreds of others gathered. If for no other reason but for the sake of kids younger then me: the youth whom I mentor at my church; my cousins; my niece; my younger brother and sister. This is their country too, and because it does not treasure their futures, we must do so. 

On being a Christian…(African -American Female, 50 years old)

I grew up in church my entire life and one of the most challenging things to be is a Christian.  It can be very difficult socially as many times you feel like an outsider. People exclude you, ridicule you and sometimes even pity you. You feel as if on the day of your commitment to Christ you were not only offered forgiveness, promised eternal life, but handed a very long list of “dos and don’ts” for the rest of your life. Getting to the end of your life can feel like a race, you against your weaknesses, and overcoming the ever-lurking temptations of this world. You are required to be kind, loving, patient and understanding of everyone’s faults. And if that is not enough, your allegiances are constantly being questioned. People ask,  “which side of the issue do you stand?”  Everything about the legitimacy of your faith is based solely on the answer to that question. If you are a true Christian, then you are Republican, anti-gay and anti- abortion. For many, unfortunately, that’s enough, you are given a pass, and grace is extended for any of the other atrocious, ungodly behaviors. This of course, includes poor treatment of others that are different, selfishness, materialism and racism.

Let me be perfectly clear, I believe in the authenticity of Jesus Christ as God’s son and accept the Holy Bible as the infallible word of God. And for the past 43 years, I  have found the Christian journey to be one that has offered me hope in the face of some of life’s despairing situations. The teachings and Spirit of Christ elevate my opinions and reactions about and towards fallible humankind. Being a Christian for me has been a very personal journey of knowing God more, but also participating in a deeper level of self-discovery. As with any family, community or organization, there will be dysfunction. I cannot apologize for that, but I do know, that if I were not a Christian, I would truly be a lost person.

On being black...African American Male, 44 years old)

Being black is a double-edged sword
Being black is to be cool
Being black is to be feared
Being black is to be emulated for having unique fashion sense
Being black is to be branded a thug for having a unique fashion sense
Being black is to be admired for speaking with style
Being black is to be derided for speaking Ebonics
Being black is to be praised for being athletic
Being black is to be admonished for succeeding academically
Being black is to desire to salute the flag
Being black is to be oppressed by the system the flag represents
Being black is to be strong under 400 years of oppression
Being black is to be expected to endure another 400 years
Being black is a double-edged sword

I fear that I have failed still to present an adequate answer to the question of this blog. Is the coexistence of these three identities within the body of an African-American really possible, has it ever been? I believe the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is the strongest evidence in my lifetime that this harmony is attainable.

Can one truly be young, Christian and black in America?