I was born into the church and have always attempted to live out God’s greatest commandment “Love.” I was introduced to prayer as a child, but as I matured and became aware of the multitude of roadblocks that confronted Blacks it was apparent that prayer without works would not be sufficient. In the days when the KKK was so active a chaplain also rode with them and prayed for them as they lynched our grandparents. Sunday, a day that is considered by the majority in America as the Sabbath, is the most segregated day of the week. It is a day of prayer but the overwhelming majority of those in attendance attend all Black or all White churches.
Do you remember the time frame when all of our homes and churches portrayed images of Christ and he was always portrayed as white skin, blue eyes and blond hair? However in the ’60s an overwhelming cry went out as we began to question why Christ was not portrayed as a person of color with hair of wool.
Black Americans have been portrayed as the most praying citizens in the history of this nation. Why? We came here as the property of another man, with absolutely no rights. Our women were degraded and our men were lynched, and oft times we were viewed us as less than human. God and prayer became a driving force in our lives.
I remember in a museum in Ohio many years ago I saw a portrait of an elderly Black woman, and it read “everyday of my life I pray to my God that he allows me to live long enough to see my children as free people.”
Yes there was a period of time that we had no legal vehicle to help us, and we turned to God in prayer. Do you remember when every church had a substantial number of members and we would be referred to them as praying churches?
That’s not necessarily true today why? Too many homes are one-parent homes, why? Drugs saturate our communities, why? Violence is devouring our neighbors, why?
Unemployment figures are staggering, why? There is no Black owned Bank, why? Blacks have become less important in both local political parties, why? Black parents fail to attend school board meetings, why? Black persons fail to attend Allegheny County Council meetings and Pittsburgh City Council meetings, why? Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh and state of Pa. have provided Blacks with extremely limited business opportunities, why?
All of the above questions that are so relevant to improving the quality of life for you and I can be changed when we come together and work it out and then pray about it.
Prayer without works will not solve our critical situation.
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a contributor to the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
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