Anchored in a Dishonest Past

Why is black history so important? 

Black history is valuable for the accurate relearning of information that has been taught inaccurately by systemic racism. Black history is important to encourage African Americans in their identity deficits.

Black history should be the opportunity for the pursuit of truth that every believer should have. This history should be understood not just for the sake of knowledge but also for the sake of intimacy. Without a heart for truth we have been unable to understand the weight of long term sustained trauma. The still untreated trauma of the failure of slavery reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, and the systematic oppression in our current reality has impacted our entire nation. 

There is still a level of mental illness that we have suppressed and continue to pretend is not there. For Whites, there is the guilt and shame that is either suppressed or has a level of justification to keep us from confronting it. 

We struggle in honest relationships because we are anchored in a dishonest past. 

Shared relearning is important in order for the opportunity for reconciliation and unity to be realized. If reconciliation is God led it will not be built on deception. A lack of shared history causes a lack of shared sentiment and therefore shared solutions.

There is also the attitude that we should just get over it, however, it’s not that simple. That attitude does not take into account the weight of slavery and its impact on a people. It does not consider the weight of colorism and its impact on a people. 

Black history is extremely valuable for our nation as a whole. If we are ever to be whole it takes the whole story, an honest story. If the need for healing could be understood by the “Christian Community” then the value of authentic relationship could be understood. The value of the Black man or at the least the value of the Black believer is missed in American Christianity, unless the Black believer is assimilated into American Christianity. Unfortunately, however, what often happens is that the value of the Black individual is manipulated to justify the superiority of the dominant culture. 

In authentic relationship if a person brings a false self to the relationship, then the relationship is lacking the true value of the individual. As a result what that individual brings proves to be false. This is one reason why the identity piece is so important and why black history is so important.

To have an honest relationship because we have to be anchored in an honest past.