Racism

On a recent trip to Florida, we stopped in Brentwood, Tennesse at a fast food restaurant for lunch. I could not help but notice that every patron in the store, which was very busy at the time, was all, without exception, white. That would not be worthy of notice in and of itself, but what captured my attention was this: all of the workers at the restuarant were people of color. In my brief stay in that town, I noticed several other, meanial servant jobs were also exclusively the task of people of color. I had noticed this same phenomenon while preaching in a town south of Jackson, Mississippi. What is one to make of this observation? Why were there no whites working in the store and why were there no people of color there as patrons? Could it be that racism, in certain areas of our country, has become institutional? Could there be ingrained economics that hold certain people in certain occupations in certain areas of the country?

I hope that all Semper Fi men will make it part of their mission to destroy the walls of racism that continue to seperate us in so many ways. Do your part wherever and whenever you can. The way to peace and prosperity is an understanding and agreement that “all men are created equal and are given by God the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The mission of Jesus, and this great country we live in, is that we live in peace, side by side, with all different kinds of people. Oh, if only Israel and Palestine would get this message!