WHY are black people AND the black church being discriminatory?

It was just a matter of time.  When Attorney General Eric Holder, under directions from President Obama, dropped the Justice Department’s defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as it pertained to a lawsuit that challenged DOMA in February 2011, it was pretty clear then where President Obama stood on same sex marriage.  President Obama took it further with the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) in the military in September 2011.  So, all the signs were there.  Last Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press”,  Vice President Joe Biden, who has never been known to be shy about speaking his true feelings, said that he was “absolutely comfortable” (see Joe Biden on "Meet the Press") with same sex marriage and a media firestorm erupted.  The next day White House spokesperson Jay Carney, who normally appears to be cool as a cucumber, was visibly rattled from being peppered by the White House press corps with questions about President Obama’s position on same sex marriage.  The president said earlier on Monday that his feelings on the issue were “evolving”.  On Wednesday (May 9) President Obama ended the mystery.  In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, President Obama said the he personally supported same sex marriage BUT the decision to legalize same sex marriage should remain in the hands of the states.  Surprisingly, the reaction from presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and the rest of the GOP hierarchy could be described as milder than expected or even tepid.  Of course, as we get closer to November 2012 and when the GOP realizes the majority of the electorate wants nothing to do with Mitt Romney, we’ll see the expected bombardment of television commercials raking President Obama over hot coals for his position on same sex marriage.  Was this yet another brilliant stroke of political genius by the Obama re-election campaign?  It appeared to be because the opposition has been pretty much muzzled in its reaction.  Again, it would appear this was a BRILLIANT political move by the Obama re-election campaign.  Or WAS it? 

   The black community, who registered to vote in record numbers and overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama in 2008, was the loudest opposition to the president’s support of same sex marriage.  Right … the BLACK community.  The most despised and discriminated against demographic in America was this time the main DISCRIMINATOR.  Right.  When put in those terms it is challenging to wrap your arms around that one.  Not surprisingly, the resistance was wrapped around religious beliefs.  How complicit are black churches in this discrimination?  Very.  In fact, the seeds for black people discriminating against people for simply being different were planted in the black church long ago but it was manifested in 2004 when George W. Bush was running for his first ELECTED term.  (Remember he was SE-lected in 2000 by the Supreme Court.  That REALLY worked out well for the country, huh?)    In 2004, Republican strategists, namely Karl Rove, orchestrated the outreach to the black clergy with the message of re-electing George W. Bush in order to stave off same sex marriage.  This would be done by the ratification of a Constitutional amendment that would forever ban same sex marriage.  The GOP, knowing the majority of black parishioners would NEVER question a message coming from the pulpit, aggressively pursued this divide and conquer strategy.  The GOP also knew the vast majority of people receiving these messages of intolerance and discrimination would not take the time to research the steps necessary to ratify a Constitutional amendment.  Here’s a quick Civics lesson: it would take 3/4 of the states (38) to ratify the Constitution.  Secondly and most importantly, according to a large number of legal scholars, it would take 15-20 years to ratify the Constitution.  It is not as simple as states having the chance to vote yea or nay.  The ratification would face many legal challenges which would take at least 15-20 years to run the course.  Ratifying would not and could not be done in a year or two.  In other words, the black clergy and their parishioners were sold a bill of goods.  Again, the GOP knew that with most black church goers the word of “Pastor” (rhymes with Master) would go unchallenged.  As a result, a record number of black people, despite the obvious down turn of the economy, despite the fact that it had been proven that George W. Bush LIED the country into invading Iraq (by the way, we’re STILL looking for those weapons of mass destruction), despite the GOP’s relentless assault on Affirmative Action in hiring, college admissions and minority business loans and other initiatives that were designed to be sensitive to the needs of black people, cast votes for George W. Bush.  It was the electoral equivalent of pulling the pin on a hand grenade and instead of throwing it, putting the grenade back in your pocket.  This political chicanery worked and George W. Bush was elected for the first time in 2004.  (Again, he was SE-lected in 2000.)
   So here we are in 2012 and under the auspices of religion, the black community has shown that we, too, can be as intolerable and discriminatory as any other demographic.  Some of the comments and threads on Facebook and other social media outlets after President Obama went public with his support of same sex marriage would prove as much.  Personally, if the black clergy and black church wants to TRULY get knee deep into the political mix, I would prefer they address the number of states that have enacted what are unquestionably voter suppression laws that are designed to keep BLACK PEOPLE and other minorities, voting blocs that typically vote for Democrats and progressive causes, from voting at all.  I would prefer to see the black church address the record unemployment numbers in the black community.  I would prefer to see the black church address the number of black people and especially black CHILDREN who live in poverty.  I would prefer the black church discuss the attack on public education and why a quality education is not available to a significant number of black children.  Those are issues that DIRECTLY affect black people.  Not WHO can marry WHO.  I am a heterosexual black man and IF and WHEN I get married, I’m going to marry a woman.  I am unable to see how two men getting married or two women getting married would affect ME and MY preference. 
   Brothers and sisters … we don’t have time for THIS.  Same sex marriage IS NOT the most important issue facing the black community.  Look around you on Sunday morning when you’re in your respective sanctuaries.  There are gay people sitting in the same pew as you worshipping the same God as you.  Gay people tithe and donate to the church as well.  If gays are so repulsive and abhorrent, why accept the money they give to the church?  Of course, no tele-BANKER … I mean televangelist … would decline a monetary contribution from a parishioner, right?  After all, how could they make the mortgage payments on the mansion and the car payments on the Roll-Royce or the Mercedes while they convince YOU to vote against your own personal interests. 

Black people … WAKE UP!

Peace, peace in the Middle East.

Craig Riggins

 

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