Monday, June 1, 2020

This Is War


If there is no other period in our lifetimes to rise and be counted, now is the time.



I’m not talking about those who have cast their lots with shucking and jiving, invoking platitudes that do not improve the present situation, and assorted levels of cooning for a system that was never intended to help us in any way, shape, form, or fashion – you can stay where you are. I know what my eyes have seen, and my ears have heard, so do not try it.


Since war has been declared on us, how do we fight back – to win? Not everyone can serve on the frontlines; we must find our lanes and really accentuate our strengths for the victory. For example, if you cook, find a way to help feed our fighters as they will need all of the sustenance they can handle to return to the battle stations; since I write professionally, I will continue to document the experience wholly and honestly as we know 1) the victors get to tell the tales; and 2) white America has done such a masterful job of telling only their side even when it can be easily debunked that a lie is the cause of mass destruction, resulting in thousands of Black lives lost. Disagree? Look 200 miles west of here to Tulsa. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riots, and their city’s leaders keep trying to minimize their roles in the genocide. As recently as 2001, county officials were still trying to cover up the events of the fateful week as they indicted their own relatives and other prominent citizens of the era.




As teens, my brother and I were prepared for the onslaught of what the world would do to us growing up Black in Conway, Arkansas – don’t let the stock diversity images of smiling folks fool you, my hometown has a shitty relationship with our neighborhoods and in general, our skin. [Shout out to the real ones who grew up in Friendship, Salem, Gold Lake, Cowtown, Caney, Chateau, Conway proper, and the ‘hoods I may have missed who know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.]

How were we prepared?

Dad taught us to strategize our moves, and Mom prayed over us each morning.

Since Dad was already off to work by the time we woke up in the mornings for school, Mom gave us a Scripture to prepare us for war once we stepped off the porch of the little white house in the curve. That text is Ephesians 6:10-20, and as I revert to the 90s of being covered in the Blood of Jesus but not necessarily protected from bullies both in the ‘hood and on-campus, this is the King James Version below:

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but also against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all of the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Sprit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds:  that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Before anyone says, “Brother Deacon just said a mouthful”, let me explain line-by-line what you just read. Also, if your pastors and men of God are not making their presences known as spiritual leaders rather relying on the by-and-by Beatitudes or outright dismissing the events of the world as social justice warriors stepping out of their lanes, then you (and I) may need to find a place that is truly feeding us real meat versus the sugar high from falling out all over the aisles.

In verse 10, Paul implores the church of Ephesus to stay strong in the faith and to be prepared for whatever comes their way. How does this relate to Black America? More than you think. By maintaining our faith and hope in God despite enduring a systemically unequal society, change can occur albeit at a glacial pace. When we put on the whole armor of God, we acknowledge that that we are engaging in warfare which the terms are not known to us nor shall we expect a fair fight but rather guerilla warfare which there are no rules. Only once we know that the wiles of the devil (v.11) constitute an ideology of supremacy at all costs are we able to go to war.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but also against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6:12

Verse 12 above could very well be the most critical reason for entering battle. We must know not only who we are fighting but also why we are putting up our dukes. On the ground level, police brutality symbolizes flesh and blood; Black people have had to put up with the blue line since slavery [study the history of slavecatchers and how they later became law enforcement before you get too butthurt in the comments]. We also must contend with discriminatory laws and social contracts that negatively impact us and their residual effects for years to come. For example, in The Banker, Bernard Garrett (played by Anthony Mackie) returns to his Texas hometown to purchase the community bank and as soon as he does, the Black residents suddenly are able to receive loans without having to sacrifice their life savings to update properties, establish small business, and so forth. The case eventually finds its way to the Supreme Court where Arkansas Sen. John McClellan of Little Rock McClellan High School fame plays his racist hand to not only force Garrett to surrender his assets but also send him to prison as an example of what happens when Black people push for progress in the banking sector. I will not divulge the remaining details of the film, but it did lead to the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that outlawed racial discrimination in obtaining housing and loans for businesses.






Here in 2020, we still wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Our more conservative associates label them the Deep State or Antifa, and even have the audacity to call Black Lives Matter a terrorist group! More than Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netayahu, and world leaders with the mentality of me > we, dark money still exists [See the US Supreme Court, Citizens United, Soros, Koch, Walton, DeVos, etc.] in American politics – and nowadays, foreign leaders have entered the pay-to-play game to maintain white supremacy at all costs as the United States devolves into an oligarchy.
You cannot tell me Congress or even our state legislatures have our best interests in heart:  Check their voting records and histories of inflammatory statements. Not only would you be surprised (Arkansans are used to Hammer, Clark, Garner, Rapert, Ballinger, Hester, Irvin, etc. but it does not mean they can be excused for one good deed in a lifetime of hatred, of which they are notorious for perverting the Gospel to their own means. Also, note their deafening silence during this hour.)


Once the whole armor of God is on, stand proudly! Here is how you rise proudly, taken from verses 14 through 17:

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all of the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Sprit, which is the word of God:

In the ancestors’ days, the practice of temperance – abstaining from alcohol and other intoxicants – was passed on for us to remain on guard at all times. Sometimes that literally included keeping our pants up! It is kind of difficult to run and hold up our sagging britches. Therefore, these tormentors do not care about our respectability as we wear our Sunday best to prevent an assault because they lack both morality and the value of our own humanity. As we revisit verse 15, it indicates that we control the direction of our feet:  Tie your Jordan Brand sneakers or footwear of choice for we do not know the direction we must traverse. Once we look deeper at the text, we also recognize the elements of Matthew 10:14 where we shake the dust off our feet if the message does not get across. Cursing someone out or slandering them to convey our point is simply being extra and contrary to how we should conduct ourselves in war. In verses 16 and 17, the interpretation is not toting a literal Bible everywhere despite the fact of most of us having downloaded the app to our smartphones as much as taking the time to protect what we consume and having the wisdom to know that not everything good to us is good for us.

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. – Matthew 10:14

God ain’t put us on this earth to get murdered.


Again, not everyone has to be on the frontlines of war:  Some of us must strategize, and others have strengths that need to be utilized such as organizers, logistics wizards, policy professionals, and so forth. The saints still matter – and need to be protected for they are the ones who constantly pray for us and our wellbeing as we endure storms together and/or apart from their own battles in this journey we call life. Lastly, verses 19 and 20 are our official marching orders:  We are now properly armed; let it be known that this war is for the Lord and He will be credited with the victory. DO NOT BE ASHAMED OF WHAT YOU POSSESS. THE ENEMIES WILL USE YOUR WEAKNESSES TO THEIR ADVANTAGES.

If there is no other time to stand up and be counted, now is the time. Be safe our there.




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