CROSSING THE DIVIDE

Here’s a link to my political commentary that ran on WBHM, Birmingham’s NPR station.

http://www.wbhm.org/News/2008/crossingthedivide.html

Or, if you can’t open it, here’s the transcript:

Crossing Over

Growing up on the east side of Birmingham, most of the folks in my all-black neighborhood only went to church on Christmas and Easter Sunday. For them, religion was that dusty Mahalia Jackson album tucked away in the hall closet.

My family, on the other hand, was ultra conservative Christian, or in other words, “the odd balls.” We answered the phone by saying, “Praise the Lord…,” owned stacks of books and cassette tapes from those charismatic TV ministers, and by 6 p.m. on Sundays were gearing up for our third church service of the day.

When I turned 18, I proudly brought my conservative beliefs with me as I marched into the neighborhood elementary school to cast my very first vote. Since it was a primary, the pollster asked in an obligatory tone, “Democrat or Republican?”

When I said, “Republican,” she and others within earshot bucked their eyes as I signed a sheet that listed the only two other Republicans in my voting area — mom and dad. I cast my vote, and when I left, I felt a slew of eyes cover me as I walked out the door. That didn’t sway me, though. They were all lost, I thought. 

We were the only black Evangelicals I knew. And to our family and friends, we may as well have been traitors to our race. It was ironic, though — typically blacks and evangelicals believe along the same lines when it comes to abortion and gay rights. But there is also a perception in many African American communities that evangelicals only care about their two plum issues and could care less if other Americans can put food on their tables, have proper healthcare, and are able to send their children to college; effectively making them Christians who lack the charity of Christ.

As a Christian and a black woman, I have been conflicted about voting with the evangelicals during this election. After years of sitting under a Republican regime that has brought about war, the threat of recession and soaring gas prices, my allegiance has begun to soften. So today, nearly 16 years since I cast my first Republican vote, I am considering siding with a democrat.

I’m no longer sure Jesus is necessarily a Republican and I don’t like the pattern I’ve seen emerge among my fellow Christian Republicans. When an election comes, they preach against abortion and gay marriage, vote for conservatives and then return to their world of towering churches, white picket fences and shiny SUVs. They don’t reappear again until another election. All the while, the world around us is crumbling.

When I drive through my non-Evangelical neighborhood in Ensley, the reality of this nation’s brokenness slaps me in the face. I am pained to see men and women wandering the streets after losing their homes. I tear up when I see bright-eyed kids unsuspectingly march into local schools that are near the bottom in national ranking. And, I get weak when I look into the eyes of person after person so consumed by poverty that they can’t even muster up enough hope of something better.

I am beginning to question how I can continue to vote with a block of people who narrow the problems of this nation down to two or three issues. Why aren’t Evangelical Christians protesting in the streets on behalf of America’s poor and disenfranchised? Why aren’t they just as verbal about issues affecting the lives of babies who weren’t aborted?

So, after much contemplation and deep prayer, I won’t be voting with the Evangelicals this election. I won’t be voting as a “black woman” either. I am shedding all my labels. I’m still a Christian and no doubt, I’m still black. But, as an American, I am going to the polls and voting for issues that will bring about what’s best for the children, the elderly, and all people of this nation whether they are black, white, Christian, Buddhist or none of the above.

Now, I’m not signing up to be a lifelong member of the Democratic Party and I don’t believe Barack Obama is America’s Messiah. I do believe, however, the issues he and his party are trumpeting have ignited a hope in people all across this country.

So, on that great day — the election, not the Second Coming — I am going to walk into my local poll place, say a prayer and make a change. I pray I’m making the right decision.

No Comments Yet

No comments yet.

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI