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In his 1962 letter to his nephew, James Baldwin wrote: “You were born where you were born and faced the future you faced because you were black and for no other reason. “For Baldwin, the social, economic and political realities that blacks endured led him to conclude that his white ‘compatriots’ were trapped in a false story that made blacks inferior beings who deserved to be exploited. after this false story, any inequality black people experienced was either a result of their own choices or an unfortunate feature of the neighborhoods they “chose†to live in. But Baldwin makes it clear that American society is based on condemnation and the ruin of the blacks lives financially and spiritually.
Today the narrative has evolved into something like this: Black people have been manipulated, robbed, and murdered throughout U.S. history, and through their suffering, justice has become the foundation of society. American. It is the myth of “redemptive justice†through anti-black violence – a narrative that demands suffering from those who are marginalized. In Womanist ethics and the cultural production of evilChristian ethicist Emilie M. Townes argues that these truncated narratives support structural inequalities and other forms of social oppression that reinforce evil. This myth continues to cast a shadow over conversations about race and justice in the United States.
After Derek Chauvin’s verdict, Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Said, “So thank you again, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice. To be there to call your mom … [Y]our name will always be synonymous with justice. These words should make anyone with a conscience cringe. Floyd’s murder was a holy injustice, not a gift to the world. It is a perfect example of how oppressed people are supposed to offer themselves as a sacrifice for righteousness. The suffering of blacks serves as the justification for the redemptive accounts of how the United States is a nation of “progress.” But when we justify the suffering of black people in the name of “justice” or “progress”, we are justifying an evil lie that should not be called justice. To repeat constantly that “the system works†is a grave mistake because it mocks the suffering of black people and God’s desire for God’s children to live abundant lives.
But to understand more deeply what justice is, we must first value black humanity without expecting blacks to be martyrs for a better society. Justice is not based on those who suffer at the hand of oppression. On the contrary, justice is based on the shalom of God, which emphasizes the peace and development of each. It’s a world where black people thrive and don’t just face the consequences of false stories and myths. Believing that the suffering of the oppressed can lead to justice renders humanity unresponsive to global atrocities, which can also frighten us by those who fight against their oppressors.
Those of us who constantly deal with inequality are expected to suffer or die to make the world a fairer place. It hurts the heart of God and the blood of humanity is crying out from all corners of the earth. When pain and suffering become the primary means of achieving human rights, many begin to believe that black people who suffer and die for these rights are either ordained by God or a natural part of history. This is a lie. This is what James Baldwin might call an “acceptable†lie because it is “more acceptable than the truth†– the truth that would enable us to fight injustice.
The truth tells us that we must clearly denounce the evil narratives that insist that black people suffer for the “redemption†or “progress†of this nation.
This truth was not the one my seminar was interested in exploring. I was among the predominantly black student body in my seminar, but often our programs were completely devoid of black authors. Some professors regularly mentioned Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (someone has often been described as having suffered “redemptively” for justice) but never people like Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker or Emilie M. Townes, who confront the myth that the marginalized suffer in redemptive ways. Settling for acceptable lies rather than truth can lead to ideas, theologies, and laws that support the myth that the oppressed must suffer for the sake of justice.
Governor Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) Embraces acceptable lies. Breonna Taylor died in her sleep after being shot five times by plainclothes police executing a “no-knock warrant” at her home. The story was that his death could lead to a ban on no-coup warrants in Kentucky. Still, no-go warrants are still permitted. The bill signed by Beshear in April 2021 explained that no-hit warrants are allowed when executed by a specially trained response team equipped with cameras and “clearly identifiable badges.” It’s tempting to see the tiny changes to smooth procedures as a way to redeem Taylor’s death. But we know that God does not want anyone to suffer and die, even though a minimum of “righteousness†might come out of it (2 Peter 3: 9).
The myth of “redemptive justice” through anti-Black violence continues to be a major discourse in the United States. Politicians may insist that George Floyd’s name will always stand for justice, but he has not made a commitment to have his name taken to lawmakers in vain.
Commenting on the recent 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, historian Robin DG Kelley reminds us that the “vast majority” of black Tulsans who were beaten, killed and displaced had no intention of being remembered. like martyrs in the struggle for freedom. It seems that this narrative changes and mutates over time, all the time reinforcing the myth of redemptive justice via anti-black violence. This is not what God wants.
That god Is the will is that blacks profit from the fruits of the earth and live according to their power. God’s will is embodied in peace for those in a hurry on all sides (2 Corinthians 4: 8). God’s will prompts us to see and hear all human beings. God’s will helps us experience joy in liberation. God’s will prompts us to reject anti-black violence and embrace the value of every black life every day. Black people who must suffer or die for “righteousness” is in fact evil, and not what God intended. Let us resist this lie while rightly destroying all the myths that ignore our humanity.
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