Dr. G. Gregg Murray, senior pastor of Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church
Dear Editor:
I am unapologetically a black man and I will not be silent as black people are being hatefully targeted as prey. I will not stand idly by as racists declare open season on black people. I fear no man.
I will train my youth to be educated and productive members of society. I will be my brother’s keeper. I will respect and cover my sisters. I will fight for and defend the right for all people to have the freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I’m truly blessed because I have white, black, brown, yellow, red, and rainbow friends who genuinely love and respect me and they know I love and respect them. I can sit in places where I am the only black person there and feel peace, comfort and love.
I can sit in a room full of black folks and feel just like family, accepted, respected and loved. I talk to everyone, and everyone seems to gravitate towards my essence regardless of my skin color.
I try to be like Jesus, and it works. But there is a deeply rooted problem in America, and it’s time we all honestly deal with it.
I challenge white supremacy and systemic racism. I do not subscribe to a theology, where God favors one people over another to the detriment, oppression and annihilation of any people.
As a nation, we have some painful days and experiences ahead, but it will be a time for beneficial painful realizations and painful truths as we mend the fabric of our present existence and allow God to heal and guide us.
All people are created equal. Sometimes the truth hurts, but pain can be beneficial if we heed the warnings. My brothers and my sisters are in pain — white as well as black, red as well as brown, yellow as well as gray, male as well as female, gay as well as straight.
And only the truth can set us all free.
We thank God for peaceful protest, but we are sure that there are looters and rioters who are not peaceful protestors. We know that white supremacists and white nationalists have infiltrated the protests and are instigating the looting and burning of businesses.
We know people are joining the protests to loot and care less about the underlying causes. In a lot of places, the peaceful protestors are confronting the looters.
We must not fall into the repeated trap to make any protest all about George Floyd. Sadly, he was merely another trigger in a sea of millions of triggers in every state, city, and town in America with ripple effects daily.
We cannot take our eyes off the bigger problem: systemic racism, white supremacy, hate, and racism perpetrated at the highest form of government to the lowest ignorant racist agitators. America has a “president” who threatens to shoot the black thugs for looting but praises the good white people for armed takeovers of government land, buildings, and college campuses.
Therein lies the real problem. Killing black people is just a symptom of something much more sinister. This is what we are sick and tired of. If you’re not with us, then you are against us.
Therefore, we must make sure our prayers and our protests include all people of all races, and we must be strategic with positive goals, objectives and outcomes. If not now, then when? If not us, then who?
Those are the open and public conversations that must now occur as we all look at our actions and words no matter how overt or covert they may be. Many good people are unknowingly and very subtly contributing to our hurt, pain, and even anger by ignoring us when we tell them how their actions and words are being received.
This is how we will grow together towards a nation where all people are treated equally and given the same rights and privileges that every person enjoys. It’s time for people to humble themselves in the sight of God and listen to one another. God is trying to tell us all something.
So-called Christians who support Trump’s racist ideology must really take an honest introspection within their souls before it is too late. Trump’s anti-Christian evil and despicable ways and means are producing more division and hate in this nation each passing day.
But those religious folk haven’t been silent! They have openly supported this man and have gone as far as to put God-like attributes to him and his purpose.
The Republican politicians have been silent, and hopefully, they will pay the price at the polls. The devil has a hold on both of their minds and souls right now, and God has exposed them.
We will need all righteous hands on deck to combat this present darkness. The true people of God will be victorious and will be stronger for it. But we cannot remain silent on the sidelines.
As a man of God, I will continue the good fight. I will continue to fight systemic racism. I will continue to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will continue to give the devil a concussion. I’m tired, but I will continue.
Dr. G. Gregg Murray
Senior Pastor
Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church
