President Obama to deliver eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney and Rev. Al Sharpton speaks on forgiving the unforgiveable

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

I just received Rev. Al Sharpton's Blog and thought you might be interested in his thoughts and guidance vis a vis the massacre in South Carolina.  

Rev. Al Sharpton

I realize that I haven't posted anything on my blog about this - but I've definitely spewed enough vitriol on Facebook to fill an entire column.  So perhaps it's just as well that my first posting on this heinous, horrific crime is one of forgiveness and calm; and even better that it come from Rev. Al Sharpton, who is known for his coolness, clarity and calm demeanor in the face of insanity and injustice.  I do so admire him for those wonderful qualities.

Even though I pride myself in being more spiritual than religious; more metaphysically based, where I do understand that forgiveness is more for my own good and blessing, than that of the perpetrator - I also admit that in circumstances like this, where innocent, decent, faithful Black people are gunned down mercilessly, I'm more of the Malcolm X line of thinking: "if somebody (white) puts their hands on you, do your best to send them to the cemetery.  

So I confess that I was hoping there were some South Carolina brothers packing Oklahoms-style heat, or at least able to perform a serious behind whipping before the perpetrator, Roof, was turned over to the cops.  I truly wanted him to know that Black folks don't play that.  I knew it was a negative line of thinking - so I stopped it; and stopped watching for a while the unfolding scenario on TV because all it was doing was making me angrier by the second.  So, while forgiving is important in terms of the perpetrator, I found that it is also important to forgive one's self when you step out of line.  So I've done so.

President Obama will deliver Eulogy for Rev. Pinckney on Friday, June 26

 

Vice President Joe Biden

With President Barack Obama delivering the eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney,  it serves notice to all that we are all solidly one people; hate crimes will not prevail, nor will they deter us from taking our rightful place in this nation. This is an unprecedented move on the part of President Obama,  who will be accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at Friday's services.  

Rev. Clementa Pinckney Emanual AME Church - PBUH

 A man of action and vision, Rev. Pinckney was both a state senator and pastor of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church - one of the oldest and most influential African-American churches in the U.S.  He was a pillar in the community and in the nation.

As we now know, Pinckney and eight other people were shot to death last week at a Wednesday night Bible study session by a deranged individual who actually sat through the entire service before opening fire.  

Nine Murder Victims gunned down while  worshipping at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC

According to sources, increased calls to remove the  Confederate rag from the grounds of the state Capitol because of its inherent racist symbology - recently republicans Gov. Nikki Haley and Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott are now calling for the flag's complete removal (called for the flag's complete removal).

 Rev. Sharpton, along with the Charleston branch of the National Action Network have been working with the victims' families as well as community throughout this tragic period, and has been successful in bringing together both sides of the community in solidarity and sympathy in the wake of innocence being preyed upon while they prayed in what should have been a place of sanctity and peace.

What follows is Rev. Al's Blog.  It is so full of insight and wisdom, you might want to read it twice like I did.  Enjoy!  Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK - Gloria

STAY BLESSED

On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 7:08 PM, National Action Network <Membership@nationalactionnetwork.net> wrote:

The Power of Forgiveness Should Not Be Confused

Link here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/the-power-of-forgiveness_b_7638004.html (By Rev. Al Sharpton)

Many Americans, including myself, sat transfixed on Friday watching the bond hearing of Dylann Roof, the accused shooter of last week's massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. As family members of the victims stood up and said they forgave Roof, who appeared via video-conference from jail, they emphasized that hate would not win. The immediate reaction from the public to this act of mercy has been one of universal acclaim for the strength that these family members displayed. But while many have stated that they did the right thing and averted potential divisiveness, some are saying that they are tired of us having to forgive and take the higher moral position when such evil occurs. I received both reactions from my listeners on my syndicated radio talk show, Keepin' It Real, as well as in emails and tweets from folks around the country. Well, let me set the record straight today: forgiveness and a high moral tone does not avert the need of a movement; rather, it raises it to the level where it out to be.
The movement against racism, and the movement against easy access to guns must be fought by those that take a high moral ground and therefore a high moral tone. A movement should never be based on being threatening physically, or violently. The strength and courage that these brave family members showed at that bond hearing and every other day since this horrific tragedy should not be used to somehow dismiss their determination and will to seek justice and fight on behalf of their loved ones and for the betterment of society. It takes more power to be forgiving in the face of direct wickedness and evil than it does to easily react and match who could be more destructive.
As I visited Charleston last week and assisted members of National Action Network's Charleston chapter who have worked with the now late Rev. (and Senator) Clementa Pinckney and others killed, I sensed not only a high moral tone but a determination among both Blacks and Whites to bring down the confederate flag and continue to fight for stronger gun control measures and increased attention to mental health issues. No one is more vested in seeking justice than the courageous family members of those nine innocent victims who were slaughtered in a place that was their sanctuary. Anyone who thinks that forgiving Dylann Roof is an act of weakness has no clue what forgiveness is all about, nor what kind of inner strength it takes to do such a thing.
In 1989, a 16-year-old teenager named Yusuf Hawkins was shot dead in the neighborhood of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn after being surrounded by a mob of bat-wielding White youth. That ethnically White community in Bensonhurst protected the killers and hid information. We began marches to protest the killing and to put pressure on the neighborhood to give information (which they ultimately did that led to convictions and long sentences). On the 23rd week of protest in 1991, a young White male stuck his arm out and stabbed a knife right into my chest. As I lay in the hospital not knowing how serious my wound was, I remembered my growth as a student of Dr. King, mentored by those that were senior staff members of his, and I knew that this would be a defining moment in my own self-image, not withstanding what the public image of me was, should or could be. And I decided to forgive my assailant.
When Michael Riccardi was being sentenced for stabbing me, I asked the judge to give him leniency. He was given five to 15 years, and did nine. I visited him in jail -- and that was no easy task. The hardest thing I've done in my life is walk into jail and look into the eyes of the man who not only wanted to kill me, but actually tried to do so. He told me he could not understand how I could visit him and forgive him; I said I did it for myself. If I wanted to be the man, that advocate, that leader that I aspired to be, I couldn't take hatred or revenge with me on my journey.
Yes, racism is real and vile, and many of us are castigated for reminding Americans of this reality, but to forgive proponents of racism while you fight their behavior is not only praiseworthy -- it is necessary. What those family members did in Charleston not only showed their bravery, but it showed an understanding that we must be as Gandhi said: the change we seek.
Forgiveness and a higher moral tone should not suspend a movement, but instead energize it. And these family members should not be considered weak, old school, holy rollers or anything else except what they are: strong, steadfast and heroic. They should be extolled as visionary people that understand that we must rise above storms so you can help those who have been rattled and devastated by the storms.
That is the true power of forgiveness.

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