Editor’s note:
As part of our commitment to foster civil conversations in Viewpoints, we’re inviting faith leaders to submit edited versions of their homilies that transcend religion, with messages that can appeal to people of all faith traditions.
This commentary is given as a tribute in honor of Black history and all it represents. It is dedicated to all who are not actively engaged in the battle for the oneness of humanity.
This brief statement is firstly to those who are perplexed, or even disturbed, by the term Black excellence.
Additionally, it contains vital understanding for all who wish to continue in the fight for justice and equity.
The mere fact that some are struggling to accept the concept of Black excellence is abundant evidence that no meaningful measure of excellence can be attained without embracing the pattern held by the people who embody Black excellence.
First, we must establish what defines Black excellence. Black excellence cannot be interpreted by dictionary definitions. It is an experience. It is the courageous struggle of a people! It is the eloquent expression of resilience! It is the story of our Black brothers and sisters in America who have risen above the injustice, exploitation and brutality afflicted upon them for the past 400 years and more.In the face of unimaginable adversity the world has been gifted with an incredible contribution of excellence made available to us through a wealth of African American culture, art, music, literature, science, inventions, technological advancements, etc. Without these, we are all desperately deficient and incomplete.
It is this “struggle” and the determination to triumph that calls and challenges each one of us to engage in the same conflict against division and oppression.
Why is Black excellence necessary to our success as a community? Is excellence alone not sufficient? It is not. True excellence is nonexistent without Black excellence.
For any person to excel, one must first personally engage in their brothers’ and sisters’ struggle. Excellence can never be attained alone!
How can any person dare to claim excellence while members of surrounding communities suffer.It is precisely through the “Black struggle” that this nation must be awakened and come to realize its inexcusable condition of complacency, disregard and neglect.
It is undoubtedly by virtue of this “struggle” that we are conscious of the influence of “White supremacy” working in us personally.
Therefore the only course by which we can ultimately achieve unity and the oneness of man is by recklessly committing ourselves to the “Black struggle.”
Because the “Black struggle” must become everyone’s struggle!
We either pursue excellence together, or we cease to pursue it at all. We either choose to find in others the excellence we lack, or we invariably choose to exist in a severely flawed and incapacitated state. We must remember that we don’t need one another despite our differences. We need one another because of our differences.
We are either excellent together or not at all.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “There can ultimately be no separate white path to power and fulfillment short of social disaster without recognizing the necessity of sharing that power with black aspirations for freedom and human dignity. We must come to see … yes we do need each other, the black man needs the white man to save him from his fear and the white man needs the black man to free him from his guilt.”
King’s statements undergird the true meaning of Black excellence. As children of God we must align ourselves with these principles if we wish to continue the legacy of our radical anti-racist tradition.
Elder Markus Tovstiga is pastor of The Church of God in Oklahoma City.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman:
The ‘Black struggle’ must become a part of everyone’s struggle | Opinion
