A Racial Prayer

 “The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” Frederick Douglass

Regardless of which side of the street you walked on, living in a society where fear and anger were, and still are, directed at groups of people who are different from the norm is toxic to everyone living in that society. Having grown up in the segregationist turmoil of Mississippi during the 1960s and come out of it as a progressive Southerner, this is a topic dear to my heart after having been:

u Slapped in the face when I was 3 years old for wanting to hug the maid, Ora, goodbye as she was leaving for the day and not understanding the fear and anger I saw in the face of the relative who slapped me;

u Moved from public school to private school in the middle of first grade because of integration;

u Moved to a new segregated church founded by relatives because our old church had integrated;

u Moved from one private school to another (more expensive) private school during my high school years because I wanted to have a sleep over with my group of friends, one of whom was black; and

u Called a “nigger lover” and “sand nigger lover” by relatives because I wanted to eat at a private club where a black band was playing or because I dated a man from Iraq during my college years.

This list could go on and on. Before I go into the topic about slaves, my prayer is this: May God forgive us all and bring about healing and reconciliation. Just dear Lord, make it soon!