A Missed Opportunity by Rev. Wayne Perryman

A Missed Opportunity In Obama’s Speech on Race By Rev. Wayne Perryman -March 22, 2008

I was asked to review and analyze Obama’s inspirational and fascinating speech on Race. Many believe it is one of the best speeches we have heard on the subject since the I have A Dream speech. I agree. But I have one problem - he missed the opportunity to set the record straight on two issues that he brought up.

1. His first missed opportunity came one minute and thirty-four seconds into his speech, when he refers to the Declaration of Independence and how it was “stained by “this nation’s original sin of slavery…”
Although he follows up and talks about how slavery “divided the Colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate,” he failed to point out that as a nation we were always divided over the issue of slavery from the time the first slave ship arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, to the end of the Civil War 246 years later.
He should have told the audience, that there has never been a universal endorsement of slavery by the white citizens of this country and that white America has always been split over the issue of slavery. He could have mentioned that 175 years before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, the Mennonite Quakers (white folks) of Germantown, Pennsylvania passed an anti-slavery resolution in 1688. It was the first formal protest against slavery in the Western Hemisphere.Under this resolution, Quakers who participated in the slave trade were threatened with expulsion.
He should have mentioned that in 1711, 65 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, that our white founding fathers passed colonial legislation to outlaw slavery, but their law was overturned by the British Crown.
He should have said the issue of slavery was so divisive that white churches split, white families splits (some fighting for the Union and other for the Confederacy) and eventually our nation split, which resulted in the Civil War.
He should have told his audience that the greatest obstacle in finalizing our Constitution was the issue of slavery. Pro-slavery members (who eventually became the Democratic Party) wanted to count slaves as full citizens (of their state) for the sole purpose of gaining more seats in the House, but they had no interest in giving their slaves the same rights afforded their white citizens of their(southern) states. The anti-slavery members (who eventually became the Republican Party) strongly opposed this racist proposal. To finalize the Constitution and not give in totally to the pro-slavery members, they reached a compromise with the three-fifths clause. Stating that since the pro-slavery members did not offer their slaves citizenship (under “State’s Rights”) they could only count the slaves as 3/5 of a person when determining how many seats they could have in Congress.
In proving that our “nation” (meaning all of white America) never really endorsed slavery, he should have told his listening audience that in 1835 the anti-slavery movement had over 435,000 members and these white abolitionists fought and gave their lives to express their opposition to slavery and the mistreatment of African Americans.
He should have said that Harriet Beecher Stowe and John Brown weren’t the only whites that opposed slavery, there were countless of other individuals such as Republican Senator, Charles Sumner, who was nearly beaten to death on the Senate floor by Democrats for his speechopposing slavery. There was Levi Coffin, the originator or the conductor of the Underground Railroad and several thousand other whites who eventually left the Democratic Party and formed the Republican Party to put an end to slavery.
By failing to point out the massive number of whites who not only opposed slavery but literally gave their lives to end it and racism, he merely perpetuated the myth and lie that our nation (implying thatevery white in America) endorsed or approved of slavery and Jim Crow. He should have made it clear, that is wasn’t every white - it was primarily the white members of the Democratic Party - the party that became known as the Party of White Supremacy.

2. His second missed opportunity came 21 minutes and 14 seconds into his speech when he made the following reference to slavery, Jim Crow and the anger of his pastor:
• ‘We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow….’
• ‘…The anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exist between the races….”
In order to foster a better understanding of the roots of racism Obama should have told his audience that the roots of racism rested in the soil of the Democratic Party, not in our nation as a whole. As a Harvard law scholar, Obama should have cited Case No. 06-1107, a case that was before the United States Supreme Court in 2007 where the Plaintiffs argued that:
“It was the Supreme Court’s decisions in key Civil Rights Cases that gave the Democratic Party the legal authority to inflict the alleged injuries on those whom the Federal District Court referred to as “the entire African American community. Those cases include, but are not limited to: The Dred Scott Decision, the Slaughterhouse Cases, Plessy v. Ferguson and the Civil Rights Cases of 1881, which convinced the Court that the 1875 Civil Rights Act was unconstitutional (Civil RightsCases 109 U.S. 3 (1881)….’
[All of the landmark Civil Rights cases cited above were designed to deny blacks their rights as citizens and all were the legal actions of Democrats]
[The Plaintiff went on to argue] ‘In the Slaughterhouse cases and other subsequent cases including Plessy v. Ferguson, it was the court’s narrow interpretation of the 14th Amendment that allowed many racist practices to go unchallenged and unpunished under what the Democrats claimed as “States Rights,” including their right to own slaves and treat them as property and not as people….”
[The Plaintiffs cited Professor Bernard Schwartz of New York University School of Law who said] “Upon Plessy was built the whole structure of segregation that has been at the heart of the Democrat’s southern system of racial discrimination…”
[In their final arguments the Plaintiffs said]
“The court must understand that racism in America was politically driven. Without the political backing of those who made up and formed the powerful Democratic Party, a Party that gave their lives and spent billions to preserve the institution of slavery and the system of Jim Crow, slavery would have ended 100 years earlier, and Jim Crow would have died in the womb of those who conceived it. Contrary to public opinion, racism was not something that the entire white race engaged in. Racism was the political agenda of a powerful political party – made up of individuals who chose to use the deadly disease of racism to cover their own insecurities, in their relentless quest for wealth and power.’ [The entire brief of this case can be found in Rev. Perryman’slatest book entitled: Unveiling the Whole Truth]
Had Obama seized the opportunity to emphasize that our nation as a whole never endorsed slavery and that the roots of racism rested in the soil of his party, he would have narrowed what he called: the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.
It is most unfortunate that Obama took the time to publicly denounce Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s “wrong” statements, but he has never taken the time to publicly denounce his party’s racist past which was far more devastating and divisive than his pastor’s sermons or his grandmother’sfears.

Rev. Wayne PerrymanP.O. Box 256Mercer Island, WA 98040(206) 860-6880
Rev. Wayne Perryman is a scholar, author, historian and minister who is African American and leads an inner city ministry in Washington state

House of Destiny

Below is an excerpt from a ministry that we support and have such a heart for. A few years ago, 20/20 (I think) did a story on the sex slave industry in Thailand that literally made my stomach churn. Recently, I became aware of James Robison's Ministry efforts called "House of Destiny" which is a "compound" being built to rescue and house these children. Unicef estimates that 1 million children annually have been or will be sold as sex slaves in Thailand. Mostly girls, but some boys, as young as 4 or 5 bought or kidnapped from their impoverished families to live in a brothel! On 20/20, the news team that went to Thailand had hidden cameras and posed as "customers" to capture what went on in these brothels. These precious little sisters (around 8 and 6) were standing, looking up at these adult men with their angelic faces, asking them if they wanted "yum-yum". The brothel owner explained that they had been recently taught and have practiced oral sex ("yum-yum") but that they were still virgins. The brothel owner was excited and pleased to sale their virginity or even let the men have them for a few days to take back to their hotel rooms! My heart breaks for these precious children. Please read the excert below and consider saving a child from this evil and cruel practice.

http://www.lifetoday.org/site/PageServer?pagename=out_Thailand"Children and teens are the targets of human traffickers in Thailand. The UN estimates only the sale of illegal drugs and weapons generate more money than the underground market for human slaves. In a cruel twist of deception, children raised in poverty are lured to the city with offers of good jobs. Instead, they become enslaved by their “owners” who used them for forced labor, or worse, use them in the sex slave industry. (Watch the video: "Village Kids")
We cannot look away from this evil. We must lift our voices to make a difference and we will with your help. Together we can establish The House of Destiny a place of refuge and safety where children can learn of God’s love for them and develop vocational skills so vital for their future.
We must rescue them “for a new destiny” and give them hope. Their lives can be redeemed, renewed and restored at the House of Destiny. Our total project goal is $1,280,000 a huge goal beyond our normal ministry and mission outreaches. It includes the support needed to construct and equip the House of Destiny as well as the support for the needs of the children.
With our plan to help rescue 10,000 children over the next 10 years and our project cost of $1,280,000, that’s just $128 per child! Every $128 we invest in this outreach means we can help another child escape a hellish existence and find new life in Christ."
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Love and Logic...???

I just completed a 6 week parenting seminar called "Love and Logic". I even got a certificate with my name on it that proudly states I am now ready to raise my children with confidence! Out with the old ineffective way of parenting and in with the new! I am on the road to successful, respectful, kind, loving and pleasurable kids! The only problem is...ME! I'd like to trade myself in for a better model...

Even though I haven't been at this parenting-thing for very long, I'm already set in my ways. You see, I was raised an only child. I didn't have siblings to fight with or toys that I constantly I had to share. When I wanted the last ice cream sandwich, I didn't have to manipulate my younger brother into eating a Popsicle instead. No negotiations were needed when my favorite t.v. show came on and my siblings wanted to watch something else; I just watched it. There was no need to secretly wonder if I was Mom's favorite or if my brother was smarter than me. Being an only child does have its advantages. However, what I've learned through watching my children interact with each other and me trying to guide them in their decision making is: I wasn't prepared for the REAL world of parenting!

Love and Logic says: "Empathy, not anger." We spent a whole session practicing our "empathy" phrase. Like: "How sad" or "Oh, bummer" or "Awwww...". The second rule is "give choices". I went home that day armed with my empathy phrase at the ready...if anybody could be empathic, it was a mom like me! I was prepared to give my children a plethora of choices..."Would you like to wear your blue shirt or your green one?" I was ready for my first test of real parenting!

Finally, just a mere two minutes after I picked up my 5 and 3 year olds from school, I had my first opportunity to use my new skills. Aidan was not in a good mood and he wanted me to carry him, along with his backpack, nap mat and lunch bag, to the other end of the church to get his brother. I immediately knelt down beside him and said sweetly, "Aidan, would you like to carry your backpack or your lunch bag?" A scowl appeared on his face. "You carry me," he demanded. "No. Mommy has too much to carry and we have a long way to walk. Could you help me and choose to carry your backpack or your lunch?" again, I asked sweetly and with a fake smile on my face. The tears started coming, his voice grew louder, his arms held high above his head, "No. You carry me!" Hmmmm? Okay, no problem, I thought, I'll try empathy. "Oh, bummer. Mommy can't carry you. I know that makes you sad, I feel your pain, I really do!" I again said, my words dripping with honey. I felt very confident in my empathy phrase, after all, I had practiced it all morning! The loud wailing and stomping of tiny feet filled the church halls. Aidan refused to budge and a full-blown temper tantrum was his apparent choice. My memory quickly scanned the "Love and Logic" manual. He didn't like empathy nor my choices....I started to panic, which is yet another rule...to stay calm! As the wailing grew louder and the "I'm-glad-that's-your-kid-and-not-mine" looks from the other mothers caught my eye, my mind drew a complete blank. I did what any mother would do in a situation such as this: I left him. I could hear him screaming after me like I had abandoned him on the side of a busy freeway. I nonchalantly called back to him..."Come on, Aidan. Mommy has to get brother, follow me if you want too." I was proud of myself. I conquered at least one rule...I was calm...well, I appeared to be anyway. I held my head high and walked with a false stride of confidence. This was just a minor set-back, I convinced myself. Finally, half way to my destination, a weary, red-faced, drippy-nosed three year old started running after me. I knelt down, and he ran into my arms. I hugged him, wiped his nose and said, "Would you like to carry your backpack or your lunch bag?" He chose his lunch bag, and with defeat written all over his face, we walked to Andrew's classroom. Wow! It had worked! I passed my first test! I was a Love and Logic Parent!

Since winning this battle, I have lost far too many. I find myself growing irritated with my empathy words and instead hear myself barking commands like a drill Sergeant...."Because I said so!" or "Now! We're late! Do you need a spanking?" My instructor would probably rip up my new certificate with profound empathy and sadness for failing so miserably. Thankfully, I'm not alone. My friend, Jennifer, and I ask each other weekly how "Love and Logic" is going like it's a new diet we're trying to conquer. I'm so glad she is as set in her ways as I am.

Why Kids Should Not Be Left Alone!

This was sent to me by a friend a couple of years ago and I saved it to remind me how funny kids can be. I don't know this little boy or his parents but I feel a kinship with them...it's like we've met before! I especially like the perfect detail and placement of the pantyliner on the private area, and the top of the feet, no less. Bravo, for a job well done, kiddo!

Aidan (my 3 year old) looked at this picture and then asked, "Is this me, Mama?" Ah, it takes one to know one, right?

Captivating

My mom gave me a wonderful, beautiful and touching book called "Captivating...Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul". Ahhh....isn't the title nice? It's the kind of book you want to get cozy and eat chocolate truffles with. The whole book is about women's miraculous beauty. Not just the beauty that is seen (although, we are quite stunning to look at) but the inner beauty that radiates from our spirit. After reading it, I felt so loved, so admired and so content. I was so grateful that God created me (chubby thighs and all) just the way I am! I wanted to dance and sing and celebrate my womanhood with all the joy I could muster. Just think how much God loved us to have shared His own amazing beauty with His beloved daughters...to have breathed into our very soul the essence of a captivating, indescribable beauty....WOW!

My sisters, if you are needing a little spiritual stroking, I recommend this book. It's a delightful little read written by John and Stasi Eldredge.