Daniel Hill's Blog

Longing to see a movement of God that brings fullness of life to every dimension of society.

Tag Archives: justice

Belovedness, Racism, and Reconciliation

America’s 5th Child [series recap]

February 18, 2014 children faith justice leadership poverty reconciliation Leave a comment

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White mobs in Chicago, and how that helps us understand gangs, history, and “send them back” instagram.com/p/B0Q7Ds6pu-9/… 57 minutes ago
@RevDocBrenda @dslaybaugh ❤️❤️ 2 days ago
So happy that the little league team from our neighborhood won it all. Way to go!!!! via.wgntv.com/DQigu 2 days ago
"White Christians have a long and lamentable history of silence (or worse) when people of color are under attack."… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 3 days ago
RT @kat_armas: Whenever I hear the word “divisive” used to keep others silent from speaking up against injustice, I‘m reminded of God’s wor… 3 days ago

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Grateful that the Chicago Tribune was brave enough to write a story on Chicago’s racist past in Sunday’s paper. The lead article recounts the “Red Summer” of 1919. Hundreds of thousands of black folks were fleeing the Jim Crow south as refugees, and many relocated to Chicago. Much of the white community disliked their presence and “felt African Americans had been getting out of their place.” At 29th street beach, where there was still a strictly enforced color line, the raft of a black teen crossed that line, and a white man started throwing rocks at all the white swimmers. Tensions rose quickly, and it led to one of the most deadly encounters between white and back folks in Chicago’s history. Over a 7-day period “athletic clubs” and “white gangs” formed, and they unleashed mob attacks that went from Little Italy all the way to Englewood. By the time the Illinois militia arrived - a week after the mob attacks had started - 500 people had been injured and 23 black folks killed. Three things stand out to me from this article: 1./History of gangs: some historians believe this was the catalyst for the formation of gangs - protection against future mob attacks (obviously a very different story than most of us hear) 2./The need for telling history truthfully: as George’s Erasmus, Aboriginal leader says, “Where common memory is lacking there can be no real community.” - 3./The need to see present day problems in light of the past: as I read this article I couldn’t stop thinking of the clips of white people in an auditorium shouting “send them back!” The spirit of white superiority, and the entitlement we feel to say who belongs, is anything but new

So happy that the little league team from our neighborhood won it all in Illinois. Way to go!!!!

I was asked this week if I could state in one sentence why I believe Jesus is the answer to the question of faith. I said I could answer, at least for myself, in one word: love. I believe that above all, Jesus came to show us the way to a full experience of the love of God It's one of the reasons I love this quote below. I think spiritual disciplines represent a really important practice in the life of anyone who takes faith seriously. But ultimately, the disciplines are not the goal - experiencing the love of God more fully and deeply is: "The aim and substance of spiritual life is not fasting, prayer, hymn singing, frugal living, and so forth. Rather, it is the effective and full enjoyment of active love of God and humankind in all the daily rounds of normal existence where we are placed." ~Dallas Willard

We have seen again this week how the narrative of the system of race continues to remain powerful, yet also continues to become more elaborate and sinister. The core narrative that sustains race is the story that humanity has a built-in hierarchy of worth/value - that white people (those of European descent) are inherently superior, and that people of color are inherently inferior (with human value skewing based on proximity to whiteness and blackness). In the most exposed forms of racist systems, these narratives have been used to rationalize everything from colonialism, to slavery, to Jim Crow, to lynchings, to internment camps, etc. Though there will always be some who deny the narrative even in the face of such obvious systems, most rational people will comfortably identify these as being erected upon racist narratives. Yet, notice how the exact same narrative has hidden itself to the point where we can now make political statements that assume America is the rightful home of white people, and insinuates that white people have no home to go back to.. And that assumes if a person of color says something about America, it is not their place to say so, because this is not their rightful home.. And then not see those statements as being erected upon the same racist narratives? I'm genuinely shocked when I interact with people who claim that these statements are not based in race, because the word 'race' was never technically used. When female, American citizens (of color) are told to go back to their own country, that is appealing to, and erecting upon, a racial narrative that is as old as our country. This is not ultimately a Republican/Democrat issue. Both parties are clearly guilty of advancing the narratives of race in their own ways. The larger truth that must be addressed, at least in my opinion, is the ongoing presence of the narrative of racial hierarchy. In Genesis 4:7 God says to Cain: "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." The narrative of racial hierarchy is a sin that crouches at our door, and it desires to have our country. I pray that someday we will take rule over it, instead of it ruling us.

So the Humboldt Park alligator has quickly become a national celebrity 🐊. He now has a nickname (best ever btw): Chance the Snapper I was at the park all day with the kids and their are literally hoards of people at every part of the lagoon trying to get a glimpse of him. It’s like the Chicago version of the Loch Ness monster Fun times 🤣

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