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NEW BEGINNING: Starting Over to End Racism
Rev. Donald Cameron-Kragt
September 29, 1996

SONG

"TOO FAR TO LOSE OUR WAY"

It's not a question of what's wrong or what's right . A simple answer in black and white. We've come too far to lose our way.

It's not a matter of what's good or what's bad. A major difference in the values we have. We've come too far to lose our way.

Chorus: But we find ourselves on separate streets with crowded paths where they should meet and signs that turn us left then right spinning from our center's sight

It's not a question of who's won, who's lost who's to bear the burden of cost. We've come too far to lose our way.

It's not a matter of who's first, who's last Only that we find the path. We've come too far to lose our way

Repeat chorus

It doesn't matter who's read from which book only that we continue to look. We've come too far to lose our way.

It's not a question of whose fault was the past only that we continue to last. We've come too far to lose our way.

Repeat chorus

--words and music by Syl Smith performed by Syl Smith, guitar and vocal

READING

I remember years ago, when the Catholic church added the so-called kiss of peace to the Mass--that's the part where you turn to your neighbor and shake hands and say, "May the peace of Christ be with you." And at one Mass that I attended, someone turned to me and said, "May the unrest of Christ be with you." And it struck me then, that most of what Jesus talked about when he was alive was not very comforting. It was more unrestful than peaceful.

I've since come to see that it would be just as appropriate to say, "May the unrest of Buddha be with you," or "the unrest of Susan B. Anthony," or "the unrest of the Jewish prophets." I believe it doesn't matter so much who your saviors or models for living are. What does matter is that you have some of their unrest.

And you never get to be free of that. You never get to be in a state of total peace. If your mind is fully engaged, and if you have an ounce of compassion--then you should suffer unrest all of your life.

When one sees things like what's happened in Bosnia or Israel, or Rwanda, or Northern Ireland, or Chechnya--how can any caring person look at those places and not hurt for those people? So no matter how hard you try to be at peace inside, you will never be free of unrest.

An image I like is from the Jewish scriptures, where the Book of Deuteronomy describes God's way of dealing with her children. It says God is "like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young." (Deut. 32:11) I like that. That's what religion is supposed to do. Stir you up. Flutter over you. Get you to fly. Push you out of the nest.

And I'm not talking about the kind of unrest you feel when you hear a sermon on some social issue with which you agree. That's OK, but I'm talking about the kind of unrest that hits you personally--that challenges you; that doesn't just confirm you in your beliefs about what's wrong with the world-- but actually confronts you with the demand to do something about it.

-Tony Larsen

SONG

"NEW BEGINNING"

The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing. It's time to start all over, make a new beginning. There's too much pain, too much suffering. Let's resolve to start all over, make a new beginning.

Now don't get me wrong. I love life and living. But when you wake up and look around at everything that's going down all wrong. You see we need to change it now this world with too few happy endings. We can resolve to start all over, make a new beginning. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over.

The world is broken into fragments and pieces that once were joined together in a unified whole. But now too many stand alone. There's too much separation. We can resolve to come together in the new beginning. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over.

We can break the cycle. We can break the chain. We can start all over. In the new beginning. We can learn. We can teach. We can share the myths, the dream, the prayer. The notion that we can do better. Change our lives and paths. Create a new world. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over.

The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing. It's time to start all over, make a new beginning. There's too much fighting, too little understanding. It's time to stop and start all over, make a new beginning. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over.

We need to make new symbols. Make new signs. Make a new language. With these we'll redefine the world. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over. Start all over....

-words and music by Tracy Chapman performed by Syl Smith, guitar and vocal

SERMON

This morning the ominous smell of burned churches is in the air. According to the Washington Post more than two hundred churches have burned over the past several years. This year this growing problem became more acute as the media started keeping count. President Clinton weighed in with outrage and concern, and various groups of religious leaders including the National Council of Churches have attempted both to wake up the country and to mobilize resources to help rebuild these places of worship.

The recurring accounts of new church burnings have some important things to say to us. First and foremost, the fact that these burnings are primarily aimed at African Americans is one more indicator of our nation's unfinished business with racism. Some have called racism the American "original sin," our peculiar and very deep national flaw. The fact that our nation suffers from an epidemic of black church burnings at the end of the twentieth century - after so many costly attempts to right the wrongs of slavery and bigotry - reminds those of us who worship in congregations around the country that something is still radically wrong at the heart of our country. When we remember that all too many of our churches and synagogues routinely verify the cliche that Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour in our national life, we must face the fact that despite our many attempts to be part of the solution we are still very much part of the problem.

...The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing. It's time to start all over, make a new beginning. There's too much pain, too much suffering. There's too much fighting, too little understanding. Let's resolve to start all over, make a new beginning.

Last week, I received a letter from the moderator of our denomination. It's entitled Breakfast at the White House -

When I left our General Assembly and all of you in Indianapolis, I headed for the White House. I had been invited by President Clinton to attend a breakfast on June 26 with leaders of religious movements, churches, and synagogues from around the United States to discuss the rash of race-motivated church burnings that had been occurring for months....

Many spoke, and made wonderful, moving, meaningful, spiritual and practical statements. Eventually, the President asked Jesse Jackson to tell us what he thought. Jackson replied, saying that the response was fine but nowhere near enough. He called on the President to gather a major conference on racism and asked us all to join in making it happen. He added that drawing national attention to racism in some concerted way was vital, for a month, for at least a week, in order to focus!

After Jackson, a young pastor whose church was burned got up and praised Clinton, Gore, Reno, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the local citizenry for all their help. He touched a chord in me that I would name "obsequious." I got uncomfortable. Then the President recognized another pastor from the deep south who asked if the President could use his power and authority to do something about the insurance companies who are giving people like him a hard time. These companies are waiting to settle claims until they see how much money will be contributed from outside sources. And they are being clear about their unwillingness to reinsure the churches when they are rebuilt.

Click.

Up went my hand and the President recognized me. "I'm Denise Davidoff, Moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and pleased to be here. I rise to call your attention to the connection between what has just been said and the Rev. Jackson's call for a conference to focus America on racism. The men in the blue suits who control the insurance industry are practicing racism that comes of their white privilege and power. We whites need to recognize, acknowledge, and understand what is going on and commit ourselves to the work of dismantling racism in our country."

I could see Jackson snap around in his chair to see who was talking this talk. And my take was that President Clinton was nonplused. He did not respond directly as he had to others in the room. I was a surprise. A white Unitarian Universalist anti-racist surprise.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was the final person to speak, and he preached a powerful homily. After the benediction, I went over to Jackson ..., which earned me a bear hug. "We need to talk," he said. "Please, please get in touch with me."

Then I went over to where Joan Campbell and David Saperstein were standing to say good-bye. Vice President Gore approached and Joan introduced us. "You made a very, very interesting statement," he said, looking straight into my eyes.

Denise Taft Davidoff Moderator June 26, 1996

I know that no one here is a flagrant racist. No one burns churches. No one is dressed in the blue suits that Denise Davidoff describes in her letter. But I do ask you to look around the congregation this morning. How many people of color do you see?

I want to stop and say two things. First, if I make you uncomfortable this morning, please know that I am already uncomfortable. I've been anxious all week over this sermon. Second, I have only one rule for today - no guilt allowed! It's not helpful and has never been a productive solution.

Now I put my rule and you and me to the test. Here we sit, on top of this hill, located in a neighborhood that is an African American majority. But it's more unique than that. For African Americans who live here have education and incomes that are unmatched by any other such neighborhood in this nation. On the face of it, given this education and income profile, this neighborhood should be fertile ground for any Unitarian Universalist church.

I sometimes hear in our ranks that African Americans are not interested in our kind of religion. Nor are many whites. There are more Baptists in Brooklyn, New York than there are Unitarian Universalists in North America! But if we proclaim our message loud and clear, and open our door with a warm, sincere welcome, then people who yearn for the liberation of inclusive religion will come, no matter what the color of their skin.

You see, it's not really about race. It's about the human spirit. But too often the race card gets in the way. We all know that.

Perhaps we should look more closely at ourselves. It could be that we too are part of the problem. Tony Larsen may be right, it's time to push ourselves out of our comfortable nest. It's time to try to be part of the solution.

In that spirit, our Director of Religious Education Veronica and I will lead a workshop after church on October 27. Lunch will be provided. Veronica tells me that this workshop transformed her life. And she went on to lead the workshop herself. The title of the workshop is Allyship. Its purpose is to help us become better allies with our neighbors by becoming more aware of the unspoken advantage of white privilege. To develop this kind of awareness and sensitivity can only help us to be better participants in the upcoming Dialogue on Race community project.

I know that such introspection can be uncomfortable, can cause unrest. But I ask that you join with Veronica and me, and step out from the comfort of the nest. I'm convinced it's the right thing to do.

As the song says -

We can break the cycle. We can break the chain. We can start all over. In the new beginning. We can learn. We can teach. We can share the dream, the prayer. The notion that we can do better. Change our lives and paths. Create a new world.

And there's much work to be done. There's people just down the hill who want and need our kind of religion. But the race card is in the way. We need to build a community spirit, and pull together to better our schools, to increase public safety, to do all the things that will improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. But the race card is in the way. We can do better!

I close on a personal note. I've grown fond of a colleague in the local clergy group I belong to. He's an African American. He's a Baptist preacher. He's a dyed-in-the-wool Republican. He was even a welcomed friend in the Nixon White House. And I love him dearly.

Don't you see how off the mark our stereotypes are? We've got to get the race card off the table! "Start all over, make a new beginning."

We must begin again, and finally get down that road where one day we all - both black and white, brown and red - will be able to join hands and sing the old spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I know my ending is a cliche. But think about it - all of us free of the race card, at last! May this be the goal of our new beginning.

Amen.

- Rev. Donald Cameron-Kragt September 29, 1996 Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church Camp Springs, Maryland

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