DC Race Relations Examiner: The veil: peering into the shadows of Mr. Jefferson's university

DC Race Relations Examiner: The veil: peering into the shadows of Mr. Jefferson's university

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Fear.

By mastering that which we fear, we tend to organize domination of those who are in fear.

COKE = SIMPLICITY

In an economy where one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the idea of living simply is enticing. This blog post finds its inspiration from some friends who were looking for treasure one day… nevertheless, I placed my own spin on this topic.

Living simply is one of those those words like: reconciliation, community, and contextualization…. which have become a part of our christianese. They are buzz words in the Christian community that make our eyes perk up when you say them, but no one actually knows what it means. Well, when I saw Lynn and Kathy going through Divinity school recycling one afternoon, I couldn’t stop but to ask, “what are you doing?” And they politely answered, looking for cokes. In my mind, I thought, “if you were thirsty, why didn’t you say so.” But as we stood there, they made it clear that they were looking for cash. I will say that I don't know what they were spending their coke dollars on.

Coke Rewards = Simplicity. For those of you who aren't familiar, the tops of coke products are worth a certain number of points. The more points you accumulate, the more stuff you are able to purchase. Who thought that drinking more soda would be living simply. And even digging through the lost trash of the divinity school could be treasures that pay for weddings, furniture, gift cards, and more coke! Crazy.

Yet, can we claim this new era of coke to be living simply? I’ve always associated living simply with the Monastic Movement, and when I look back at the Desert Father’s and monastic’s of old and present, I find that their experience of simple living had to do with relinquishing their own desires in order to be more focused on God. And where living simply is a way to live with only that which is necessary to survive. I wonder if Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or St. Francis could get away with finding their purchasing power in coke tops?

I’m of the opinion that by buying into coke money we still participate in the oppression of others and satisfy our own desires. Just because you don’t spend your money on it… doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re living simply. By using coke rewards to purchase polo shirts… you’re still contributing to the poor working conditions and employees earning less than minimum wage. By buying tickets to Disney World, we’re kind of stamping the world with your very special God-given carbon finger print. But coke has something, thankfully, you can always donate your coke cash to charity and save the world.

Forgive me, I’m also skeptical of simplicity because in many ways simplicity is relative. For you, it might mean white picket fence and two car garage, and for others it might mean selling all your possessions and living with only necessities. And it may just mean dumpster diving or collecting coke tops to pay for amenities and perks that we can’t afford or don’t want to spend money on. As we move forward in this era of simple living, may we begin to think long and hard of what simplicity means to us and how we want to live that out in the world. For if calling our lives simple stops with coke tops, then Living Simply just means meeting our own selfish desires in ways that are less “normal” and more “natural.”

Making A Comeback.

I realize that blogging is one of the only things that calm me. A step back from reality and a step forward into possibility.

I'm committing to blog more often. Lord, willing, once a week. More if possible.

Charlene

Racial Reconciliation

Sometimes I get really sick of hearing white folks be the "end all, be all" when it comes to reconciliation. There's alot that is hidden in that statement, power dynamics, race, discourses around sexism, and America. The list goes on. BUT when will white folks begin to listen. Obviously, I'm a bit frustrated. You spend 30 minutes talking to a white person, and all of a sudden they are a "specialist" on the black experience. I don't think it is possible... and I don't think it will ever be possible for the white person to know what a black person actually experiences in his/her day to day activities. I believe that God is reconciling all things, but it won't happen till there is some confession-- on both sides in different ways.

Has Racial Reconciliation just become a buzzword. Has Social Justice become a fad?

Stop and Listen. Stop and See. Stop and Feel. Let me tell my story.

Very frustrated one night... I wrote ferociously, trying to capture the feeling in the pit of my stomach. This is what I came up with... a verse around a conversation I had.

discourse around race / systems of oppression / systems of depression / conceives death / without resurrection / fully thought / Phil 2 / have you had you humble pie / he's not mexican, he's cuban / he's not your project / he's a black man / her ear is the Lord's / his mind is too / her eyes are to see / that your conception is wack / one day He'll tear down a wall / but today, just stop throwing rocks at my people. (c)

Moving On...

After alot of thinking and conversations, I actually will no longer be feeding my blog through facebook.

If you would like to check it out from here on out...

visit: cbrown08.blogspot.com.

Keep Up...

Sooo... since school started this semester, I haven't been able to keep up. But I will... I'm making a commitment to my audience to publish a post once a week. Y'all want it, so I'll give it to you.

Look out for the post... Tuesdays Nights.

Much Love.
Charlene

AND... my blog gets imported to facebook, (that might change), but if you want to see the photos or clips i put up, it would behoove you to check out my original site:

www.cbrown08.blogspot.com

Maya Angelou, "Still I Rise, that's what American's do"

What the Future May Hold...

Wow, what a night, and what a historic day in history for everyone, not just black people or minorities, I think for EVERYONE.

This has been one of the hardest elections to watch. Not the campaigning, but rather the body of Christ. The division that exists within the body rests so deep in the hearts of men/people of God (like that inclusive langauge?). I have never seen this much confusion, slander, and hypocrisy in my life. The right against the left, the back biting and defamation... wow.

I believe in the soverignty of God, and all of my hope is in Him, that God will do whatever He wants to do. Who am I to think that I have the power to swing a vote or state.... anyways, enough about that.

I've seen and heard so many people and conversations that have made me sick. It seems that the body of Christ has been split down the middle in regards to race, gender, politics, etc, and these deep hurts are only more apparent in this time. Race continues to pull at who we are, this competition of who is chosen and who is not, is causing us. Some folks, are still at unrest... and I don't know what to say. I hope that this election helps to bring people closer together than to split our nation down the center.

I don't claim to know anything or to have it all right, but I know what I see and it worries me. Is anything too hard for God? No. Is God's arm too short to intervene? No.

I pray peace and blessings over our President Elect and VP, and I pray that God would give him wisdom as he leads us. What else can I say.

We're on the brink of a deep deep reconciliation here, and I believe that we can. I believe that God can.

"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned."

Obama '08.