Black History

By Gwendolyn Hawks-Blue Diversity and Inclusion Team co-chair

Responsible Choices benefit the good of all.

Dr. Pauli Murray M illions of lives have been affected by the actions and work of Black people of African descent. Many people know little of this history. When we become aware of it, we see more accurately the important part Black people played in developing modern society.

The individuals in this article made Responsible Choices that brought good into the world. They initiated or created processes and inventions that saved lives, established opportunities for ethnicities to work together, labored to build God’s shalom and unity among ethnic groups, and helped eliminate discrimination. I am so pleased we are acknowledging and celebrating a few of their actions.

Enslaved Onesimus was a gift to Puritan minister Cotton Mather from his congregation in 1706. Onesimus told Mather about the centuries-old tradition of inoculation practiced in Africa. Mather persuaded Zabdiel Boylston to experiment with the procedure when smallpox hit Boston in 1721.

Onesimus’s traditional African practice was used to inoculate American soldiers during the Revolutionary War, introducing the concept of inoculation to the USA. (See www.pbs.org/video/benjamin-franklins-tragic-associationwith-inoculation-ldjsc.)

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams practiced at a time when Black people could not receive care at White hospitals, and Black doctors and nurses could not practice at them. Columbia University Irving Medical Center reports:

Determined that Chicago should have a hospital where both Black and white Dr. Daniel Hale Williams doctors could study and where Black nurses could receive training, Williams rallied for a hospital open to all races. After several months of hard work, he opened Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses on May 4, 1891, the country’s first interracial hospital and nursing school.

Provident also was the first Black-owned and operated hospital in the USA.

George Graves and William Fuller, appointees of the church, succeeded in creating congregations made of white and Black people in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Although challenged by racial prejudices and the mindsets of the day that cautioned against interracial engagements, both men expressed the desire to take the gospel to all and to engage with other religious groups. Graves wrote:

In the name of Jesus Christ, let all Christians unite, and let us as ministers of Christ gather people together, high and low, rich and poor, to the glory of Christ and the benefit of humanity.

William Fuller George Graves

Harry Passman was among the white converts William Fuller baptized into the church. Because of his Jewish heritage, Passman represented the church in Palestine throughout the 1920s.

Garrett Morgan in 1912 invented the “Safety Hood and Breathing Device,” which came to be known as the gas mask. Also, after seeing an automobile collide with a horse and carriage, he invented an automatic traffic signal and sold the device to General Electric. Today’s modern traffic signal lights are based on his design.

Dr. Charles Drew in 1939 developed a technique that dramatically increased the shelf life of blood and plasma. His development of the blood plasma bank has given a second chance of life to millions.

Garrett Morgan Dr. Charles Drew

Pauli Murray’s vision was for a society that valued diversity and rallied around common human virtues. A graduate of Yale Law School, Murray’s written works profoundly challenged the legal foundation of racial discrimination and contributed immensely to the dismantling of segregation and discrimination. The first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest, Murray also co-founded the National Organization for Women.

This minuscule bit of history helps dispel myths, inaccuracies, and damaging omissions that distort perceptions about Black people. Individuals recognized in this article focused beyond themselves and demonstrated courage, perseverance, and commitment to live their unique callings. Facing tremendous challenges, they each made Responsible Choices that were for the good of all.

Their accomplishments show how all of society benefits when individuals are able to develop their talents and have their gifts received. Hopefully, awareness of these stories will expand our appreciation and celebration of the rich diversity of history and inspire us to make choices for the good of all, even when challenged.

Dr. Pauli Murray

A Prayer for Peace and Understanding

By Jenny Jackson Midlands USA Mission Center Kansas City, Kansas, USA

Today we remember the BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) community as we acknowledge pain and suffering around the world.

As we strive for understanding when faced with perspectives outside our own, we pray for open minds, empathetic hearts, and courageous actions.

When we feel the impact of the marginalized communities standing up, may we stand with them, and not against them.

May we remember the teachings of your Son, Jesus Christ, as he calls us to care for one another as members of the human race, equally valued and connected through your everlasting love.

As we witness time and time again the silencing of BIPOC voices longing to be heard, may we find the courage to speak on their behalf with truth and compassionate wisdom.

We reflect on our dark history, acknowledging the foundation of systematic oppression that has shaped our society.

May we, as your beloved children, educate ourselves on that truth, respond by tearing down that foundation, and rebuilding our families and communities on equality, appreciation, and respect for diversity.

Remind us to bear one another’s burdens, share suffering, and love as the Savior has shown.

We recognize that we are all in this together. May the beauty of culture, colors, and all of creation no longer be responded to with fear or hatred. May we be beacons of love wherever we go, for all of humankind.

May we be a constant reminder to the rest of society that this is Christ’s true calling for Christianity: to love and defend the marginalized with unwavering passion and care.

We ask all this with the desire to be better and to do better with hearts ready to serve your kingdom on Earth, as we create Zion for all.

We pray for all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

“DISMANTLING RACISM” CLASSES PLANNED

Beginning in spring, as part of an effort to build moreinclusive communities, the Community of Christ Diversity and Inclusion Team will offer “Working for Life: Dismantling Racism.” Watch CofChrist.org for more information.

ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In the USA the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and US Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

—Blackhistorymonth.gov