China, Human Rights and American Slavery

With the Beijing Olympics going on right now, the world's stage is in China. Along with the attention given to the well-done opening ceremonies and the dominance of Michael Phelps, is the focus being placed on human rights violations by the Chinese government. President Bush has addressed this and the abuses directed towards Christians in China has been well documented.

Although it is proper for these abuses in China to get addressed to a watching world, I find that many Americans are quick to forget our country's own sordid history when it comes to human rights violations.

The harsh reality is that our present position in the world as a wealthy superpower came in large part as a result of human rights violations, namely towards the indigenous peoples of this land we now call the United States, as well as Africans that were forced into slavery. Although we should recognize the culpability of the Chinese government when it comes the treatment of its citizens, we would do well to not forget our own past.

When it comes to slavery, many nowadays are quick to stereotype those in former slave states as the main culprits during the sad chapter of American history when human beings were treated as chattel. While it is true that plantations in the South were where slaves lived and worked, not all Southerners were involved in the slave trade. And while it is true that there were some in the North that were active abolitionists, some were heavily involved in slavery.

Thanks to Racilicious I came across a story that shares the inside scoop on a family from the North that was one of the most prominent families involved in the U.S. slave trade. Having never really questioned how her family came to such affluence, Katrina Browne eventually learned the full extent to which her family had been involved as slave traders. Her research led her to contact a number of her relatives who joined her in examining this aspect of their family's history. Browne is also the producer, director, and writer of "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North", a PBS movie which chronicles her journey of discovery about her family, the DeWolfs. The article mentions how it benefited Browne's family:

"Even though none of the modern DeWolfs directly inherited any money made during the slave trade, there is a definite sense that their current affluence is a result of their ancestry. The DeWolfs' influence was so far-reaching that President Thomas Jefferson gave them a dispensation to continue trading slaves after it became illegal in 1808. It's hard to ignore that this kind of elite status typically sustains itself for generations; many members of Browne's group, including Browne herself, attended Ivy League schools and lead very affluent lives."

You can read the article here.

In contrast to what Katrina Browne learned, I found out a little personal history when it comes to the slave trade and it was surprisingly positive. My hometown of Port Huron, Michigan recently celebrated 150 years of existence. Not only is it a beautiful location on the St. Clair River, it was home to Terry McMillan (author of popular books like "Waiting to Exhale" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back") and inventor Thomas Edison. It was also one of the last major stops on The Underground Railroad before runaway slaves left the United States and entered into Canada.

As much as I am ashamed of the mistreatment of African Americans in our country, I can take some pride in knowing that the town I grew up in was a place of refuge and hope for those seeking freedom. Maybe some of that rubbed off on me...

A Lesson From Childhood

I’ve had the opportunity this summer to spend a couple of months in my hometown of Port Huron, Michigan. Not only has it been great to visit with family and see old friends, but I’ve also gotten the chance to show my kids some the areas that were important to me as a kid – the schools that I attended, the homes I lived in, where I played sports, the church I went to. While there can be many good memories that come with revisiting one’s childhood, there are also painful experiences that come along with that. As well, there are people in all of our pasts that we’d rather forget.

A couple weeks ago I ran into one of those people. I was at the local shopping mall and as I walked through the food court, I saw him sitting there -- Freddy. The Freddy that lived in my neighborhood. The guy that was several years older than us and used to scare us to death. He rode his bicycle throughout our hood looking for young kids to terrorize which caused us to view him as some sort of monster.

Now as a adult I realize that Freddy was mentally retarded and was simply misunderstood by the neighborhood kids. I don’t ever recall him harming anyone physically or doing anything illegal, but that didn’t stop us from being deathly afraid of him. With our elementary-age minds, Freddy was a mad man that was to be kept away from.

As I saw him sitting there in the food court at the mall all of these memories from when I was a kid came flooding back to me. It was unmistakably him (although his hair was a little grayer and thinner) and as he quietly sat there sipping on his soda, I didn’t feel fear towards him, but experienced more of a sense of pity. Not for him, but for me.

Several years ago I participated in a high ropes course as a team building exercise and the instructor said something that I’ll never forget. He explained the difference between perceived fear and actual fear. Perceived fear is when we’re fearful of something or someone that is based more in irrationality than rationality. For instance, walking on a board that is two inches off the ground would be no problem. But walking on that same board ten feet off the ground invokes lots of fear (even when strapped to a harness that would prevent any injury). Our perception causes our fear.

So I felt pity for myself because my perception of Freddy, which was not based in reality, caused me to be fearful of him. I was scared he would try to hurt me even though he had actually never really tried to harm me. And our collective perceived fear of him by kids in the neighborhood caused him to be an outcast with kids scattered into homes and back alleys every time he came near.

Unfortunately, my irrational fears didn’t end in my youth. I still get scared in situations that I really don’t need to be afraid. At times I am intimidated to share my faith with others. I can feel inferior to others when asking them for financial support. I even get butterflies when simply introducing myself to someone that I haven’t met before.

But as a follower of Christ, I realize that I don’t have to live in a state of fear. God’s Word tells me that “perfect love casts out all fear” and when I rest in His love, I can live by faith instead of fear. I can take that leap that I normally wouldn’t take. It’s why when I’m living in the light of God’s love, I can share the gospel with others or invite them to invest in our ministry or simply not run the other way when someone unfamiliar comes my way. In some ways I’ve grown up quite a bit from the child that wouldn’t ride his bike down certain streets for fear that this odd man would try to scare me, but in other ways I haven’t. I still need God’s grace and His Spirit to direct me to live by faith and not by sight…or fear.

Life on an Indian Reservation

Experiencing life on a Native American reservation is something that few Americans ever get the chance to do, but documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, recently provided a window into this world. On his FX television program, 30 Days, Spurlock spent a month on the Navajo reservation where he lived, worked and played as the people that live on the reservation. Spurlock is perhaps best known for his award-winning documentary, Super Size Me, in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s food each meal for a month and documented the whole experience on film for the world to see. (If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it. You’ll never view Big Macs or McDonald’s French fries the same).

His television program follows a similar premise by doing something new for 30 days in order to get a taste of what it is like for individuals that live in that lifestyle or engage in those activities on a regular basis. His time on the rez was certainly impactful for him and the episode does a superb job of focusing on issues that impact reservation life. Topics like spirituality, unemployment, poverty, family, alcoholism, injustice, casinos, language and Native culture all play a prominent role. You can view the episode online, entitled “Life on an Indian Reservation,” by following this link.

Essentially forgotten by many in the mainstream culture, Native Americans are still coping with the legacy that our forefathers left them and that our government still perpetuates today. The high rates of suicide, alcoholism and poverty are nothing like those in other American communities and the historically weak attempts at missionary work on reservations is well-documented.

It is why I’m excited about Nations, Campus Crusade for Christ’s outreach to Native American students. We have an increasing number of staff and volunteers that are focused on reaching this segment of students and are seeing God honor their faithfulness. Though Christians have often misrepresented Christ to those on reservations, our staff and students with Nations are seeking to be “salt and light” to those that need to hear about Jesus. Nations embraces and honors First Nations people and recognizes that there is one true Creator who desires to bring restoration to what has been lost by placing his Son Jesus Christ at the center of Native life and culture. May your tribe increase!

You can visit the website for Nations Movement by clicking here.