Remarks of Dell Erwin Read by Sheila Holsinger at February 22 Worship
March 4th, 2009 by Racial Justice JBSojourners – February 22, 2009
Questions: What does the election of Barack Obama mean to you personally, and how does it challenge our work in racial justice at Sojourners? Are we too “comfortable” at Sojourners, given the fact that we “love’ everybody?
The election of Barack Obama means this to me personally.
HOPE. One of the best-loved campaign pictures, and my favorite, is the one in black and red on which is written, “HOPE.”
Hope for many things-but especially hope for change for the injustices and inequalities experienced by African-Americans since they were first brought here in chains.
As a little girl in racist Alabama, I wondered why we called our maid, “Susie”, instead of Mrs. Kemp. All polite southern children referred to anyone older than they as Mr., Mrs. or Miss.
I wondered why my dad rebuked me for saying, “Yes, Sir” to an elderly dignified man riding by our country home on a mule. Dad said, “Never call an N—– sir.”
I wondered why my black playmate called me Miss Dell but I referred to her without the “Miss”.
When I went to college in Chicago, I often wrote Susie, and I always addressed the envelopes, “Mrs. Susie Kemp.” Perhaps with the hope that someday she would be treated with the respect of her white peers.
You can imagine my thrill at being able to say “President Barack Obama” to a partly African-American.
Many people my age, in their 70′s, particularly African-Americans, never even hoped that a black man would be elected president in their lifetime. Yet, it happened. Largely because millions of people like me and my husband worked many hours and donated money to bring Obama’s hope to this country. Not just because he was black-a significant plus-but because we felt he was the best candidate to bring hope after eight rather hopeless years. And because millions of us helped fulfill part of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream: We judged him on the content of his character-not the color of his skin.
Racial justice at Sojourners includes many things, such as the Prison Ministry we have. As you know, poor blacks are incredibly disproportionately represented in our penal institutions. The parenting class that Joan Richardson and I teach, aided by many of you who come as speakers, reaches mostly African-American mothers. Our present class represents 30 African-American children and grandchildren.
Tutoring at some of our largely black Charlottesville schools can provide intervention that often means a child becomes either successful or another statistic among the poor and/or imprisoned.
Supporting The Salvation Army campaigns and food banks, again, helps a disproportionate number of blacks.
As we contribute to Books Behind Bars, this helps that large African-American prison population.
As we support City Council candidates like Kristin Szakos and others who care passionately about the poor and inequities in Cville, especially, in our schools, we help bring about racial equality.
Helping the African-American Teaching Fellows is another way we seek to enact racial justice in our area.
It is great that we at Sojourners seek to love everybody, but let us remember that the Bible says that God showed his love. Not just talked about it.
And that we show our love by obeying His commandments, which include the wonderful verses in Matthew 25 about feeding the hungry, visiting those in prison-helping those considered by others as “the least of these.”
Note the words in I John, “You show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it.” Let’s persist in finding ways to put feet to our words.
Let us continue to support and expand our ministries that aid racial justice and maintain Obama’s mantra, “Yes, we can! YES, WE CAN!!”
–Dell Erwin