The Power of Lincoln

I took my 7-year-old daughter Josie to the movies recently. We saw two movies, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2 and “Lincoln.” She cried during Twilight and I cried during “Lincoln.”

Now before I lose cool points, let me explain. For those of us who are watching the ugly specter of America’s deep-rooted racism raise its ugly head so blatantly again, watching Lincoln is sobering. To those of us who are discerning enough to recognize America’s new prejudice and know it is virtually endorsed, encouraged, facilitated and rationalized by the Christian Leadership establishment in America, is both hurtful and shameful. For people of conscience and good will, to personally witness how so-called Right Wing Christians so blatantly demonstrate their racial prejudice and racial paranoia in 2012 is chilling, to say the least.

The absence of strong white voices like Lincoln, converging with the deafening silence of courageous African-American voices like Martin, Malcolm and Medgar, is disgusting and unfortunate. The lack of elected leaders with the moral fiber and courage of a Lincoln, to even address this -America’s racial monster is genuinely disheartening.

Watching the bloody visual of America’s war over race on the wide-screen, is a stark reminder of the racially inspired disenfranchisement happening in current events of our time. If one were paying close attention to the Presidential race, you observed in real-time how we narrowly escaped the prospect of electing a Presidential regime that would have turned the clock back as close to institutionalized racism, as legally possible. For African-Americans of conscience that is a horrific thought which should have inspired righteous indignation.

Finally, what was worse for me personally as I watched Lincoln, I was thinking of the genocidal choices that so many of our own young men and women of color make that enslave us again, but this time with harder-to-break, invisible chains. Furthermore, now more than ever, our community is endangered by those who so readily pimp us out to the highest bidder for their own enrichment, at the cost of our own community livelihood. Lincoln, the movie, is a reminder of what greatness looks like. It resurrects antiquated ideologies that were once our only hope – dignity, righteousness and nobility in public service.

Yes, I admit that Lincoln moved me to tears because, it is as if our generation has elevated the most selfish, greedy hucksters to represent us in the community and in the public square. This movie should be required viewing for all Americans, if for no other reason than to remind us from whence we came. Seeing the movie Lincoln made my heart cry out, “God help us, wake us, shake us at the core of our national soul, that we may consider our ways, raise the standard of courageous voices once again and repent from our national backsliding into hatred, prejudice and bigotry, before it is too late.”

Pastor Joe Flores has deep roots in Orlando.  He is the Founding and Senior Pastor at Perfecting Saints Worship Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Pastor Flores can be reached at: [email protected]