"It Is A Privilege To Be Back Home"
In the 10 years I’ve been on Facebook, I
haven’t received much wisdom from it. I say this fully aware FB may the way you
got to this blog and that I am unlikely to be adding any wisdom to your feed. However, one post a couple of years ago that struck me and continues to linger in my
thoughts was “When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like
oppression.” I have searched, but cannot find to whom that line should be
attributed originally. I think that it raises up a very difficult dynamic with
which I need to wrestle. I recognize my privilege. I recognize that any
privilege I have earned on my own came relatively easily from privilege into
which I was born. A couple of times a month, I drive down the street of my
Eastover childhood to remind myself that I have not had to struggle with many
challenges others have faced. A couple of times a month, I drive to other parts
of the city, some of which are new to me, to learn more about the home to which
I have returned. The question I have to keep asking myself is, “How much am I
willing to sacrifice for others?” My answer, born out of my Christian faith, is
always more impressive than my limited actions.
My favorite piece of American literature is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Among the many quotable passages (pretty much every sentence), two in particular connect to the notion “When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” They are “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” and “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
As I have mentioned previously, one of my greatest privileges was to live in a city that bused me from that street in Eastover to West Charlotte for high school and to have friends who were bused over from their neighborhoods to the other schools I attended. It made understanding oneself as an individual thread in a single community garment more evident.
The question remains, though. How much of who I am and what I have am I willing to give for others in order to build up a whole and diverse community that also directly and indirectly benefits me by inescapably networked mutuality?
Since my May blog, several people have taken the time to introduce me to the work that they or someone they know are doing to bring the freedom of opportunity to others in Charlotte. I have been very impressed by the work of Families Forward and their holistic and personal approach to alleviating poverty for families in particular schools; Freedom Communities’ work in doing the same for a targeted community; the big picture thinking of Champions, the men’s affiliate of the Women’s Inter-cultural Exchange; and the early stages of Rally Charlotte’s efforts to build a new kind of community center in West Charlotte. They don’t have a website just yet, but if you want to be on the invite list for their August 25th Launch Party (“BBQ, Beer, and Basketball”) featuring Jay Bilas, Bobby Lutz, and the Charlotte Hornets, contact David Lindsay.
If you are looking for a place to connect or give, those are all good ones. If you know of some others, I hope you will share them with me.
My favorite piece of American literature is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Among the many quotable passages (pretty much every sentence), two in particular connect to the notion “When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” They are “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” and “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
As I have mentioned previously, one of my greatest privileges was to live in a city that bused me from that street in Eastover to West Charlotte for high school and to have friends who were bused over from their neighborhoods to the other schools I attended. It made understanding oneself as an individual thread in a single community garment more evident.
The question remains, though. How much of who I am and what I have am I willing to give for others in order to build up a whole and diverse community that also directly and indirectly benefits me by inescapably networked mutuality?
Since my May blog, several people have taken the time to introduce me to the work that they or someone they know are doing to bring the freedom of opportunity to others in Charlotte. I have been very impressed by the work of Families Forward and their holistic and personal approach to alleviating poverty for families in particular schools; Freedom Communities’ work in doing the same for a targeted community; the big picture thinking of Champions, the men’s affiliate of the Women’s Inter-cultural Exchange; and the early stages of Rally Charlotte’s efforts to build a new kind of community center in West Charlotte. They don’t have a website just yet, but if you want to be on the invite list for their August 25th Launch Party (“BBQ, Beer, and Basketball”) featuring Jay Bilas, Bobby Lutz, and the Charlotte Hornets, contact David Lindsay.
If you are looking for a place to connect or give, those are all good ones. If you know of some others, I hope you will share them with me.
It
is a privilege to be back home and God is good.
Joe
B.
Amen, Joe B. In addition to your places to connect, don't forget the outreach Sardis is doing. A good place to start for anyone is our relationship with Rama Elementary. Volunteers always welcome.
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