“I Am a Uniter, Not a Divider”

The other day, I drove to Reynolds Park Golf Course to play golf. In the parking lot, in the middle of the roadway, sat an elderly white gentleman. His golf cart was parked so I could not pass on either side. Being black, I was used to people stopping their cars in the middle of the street and carrying on a conversation with their friends. When the gentleman saw I was a black man, rather than pulling the golf cart to the side of the road, he slowed down even more. So I waited the customary 90 seconds before blowing my horn. As I passed this gentleman, I roll down my window and I said, “Thank for letting me pass.” I was told after I left, one of my fellow golfers was challenged by another white man about where I parked my car. Reynolds Park Golf Course is fast becoming a poor White Man’s Country Club; my friends and I played at Winston Lake Golf Course, where we belong.

In this election season, I remember President Bush’s statement about being a Uniter, not a Divider. This country is more divided now than before the end of slavery. I remember when Black Golfers could not play at Reynolds Park Golf Course, although it was a tax supported public facility. Why bring back things from the ‘50s and ‘60s? Because people who forget their past are doomed to repeat it. People are poorer now than ever. When people are out of work and financially stressed, they began to look for someone to blame for their discomfort. Traditionally, the weakest in our society are the easiest to blame. Just driving to the golf course and paying the green fees under the Bush Administration has become a luxury, rather than an every day event. Rather than blaming President Bush for the raising cost of Gasoline, Healthcare, Higher Taxes and less spendable income, people are now ready to blame Blacks and Browns over the crumbs left over from the rich man’s Tax Cuts. The white gentleman above clearly saw me as the cause of his problems.

Supposedly, Black Christians are voting for President Bush. As I wait for my 40 acres and a mule, some Black Churches are still waiting for money from Bush’s Faith Based Initiative. President Bush is such a Uniter that he has divided the Black Church. The Black Church is such an important institution in the Black Community that dividing the Church divides the community. Suppressing the Black Vote is a goal of the Republican Party. The Democratic issues used to divide the Church are Homosexuality, Abortion and StemCell Research. As a Christian, there is no doubt where I stand on Homosexuality and Abortion, I stand with Jesus Christ. StemCell Research is a little more complicated. If you are against StemCell Research for religious reasons, are you also against blood transfusions, Bone Marrow and organs transplants? The Bible says, “For the life of a creature is in the blood,” Bone Marrow is the transfer of cells in hope that they will heal cancer, some organ transplants involve the death of the donor; so shouldn’t we also be against these medical procedures?

Nothing in any political party should be allowed to separate the Black Church. Any Political Party that divides the Black Church to suppress our voting strength is evil. No matter what we call ourselves politically, Democrat, Republican or Independent, our God is supreme in all phases of Black Christian Life. Our faith in Jesus Christ is a uniting, not dividing agency across all Racial, Economic and Political Affiliations. It is so ironic that the Christian Right is neither Christian nor Right. And it is too bad that the Democrats are not knowledgeable enough about our belief in Jesus Christ to counter the agurements from the Christian Right. Our savior is not a Democrat, Republican or Independent, but the Supreme God of Justice and Peace for all. The only true Uniter, not Divider.