The UCC is a theologically diverse denomination. This article is posted for consideration and reflection. Articles may not reflect the opinion of the full Disabilities Ministries Board. We invite lively discussion.
This reflection comes from Rev. Anthony Sullivan, member of the UCCDM Board of Directors.
In recent weeks, the world has seen firsthand how the American justice system treats Black people as if they don’t matter. Grand juries in Hamilton County, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri and Staten Island, New York each decided that the deaths of Black men were not worth further investigation by declining to call for a trial of the police officers that killed them. Worldwide media has exploded with the shocking, horrifying images and videos of local law enforcement’s response or lack thereof over these deaths, and the African American community’s peaceful and sometimes violent protests since those fatal confrontations. Conversations equating these events with Black of Black crime while negating the realities of institutional racism, white supremacy, white privilege and posttraumatic slave syndrome have run rampant.
While others have been able to express themselves in ways that are both vocal and visible, I’ve been contemplative and have not given voice to my feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration about the losses of Antonio Martin, Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, John Crawford, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Jordan Davis, Oscar Grant, Erica Collins, Shelly Frey and others. They have joined the countless men, women, boys and girls of color in Black communities throughout our country who have been lynched physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
Major denominations, including the Church of God in Christ, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Assemblies of God, officially stated their support for Black Lives Matter Sunday held on December 14, 2014. The AME Zion Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Black Presbyterians, Full Gospel Baptists, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World also directed their congregations to participate by requesting that:
· Community and church members wear black· Churches hold special altar calls for young men and boys where leaders would pray for God’s covering over “their souls, their lives, their families and their destinies”· People be encouraged to buy from black-owned businesses during the holiday season
I applaud these religious leaders and their organizations on their commitment to reminding our nation of the value and importance of the lives of Black males, and their call to action to protest the criminalization, disproportionate incarceration, and killing of Black men by law enforcement. However, I find it particularly distressing that these same leaders and organizations have allowed misogyny, patriarchy, heterosexism, and homophobia to co-opt this kairos moment by failing to recognize that all Black lives have value irrespective of gender, age, class, religion, physical/mental ability, and sexual or affectional orientation.
I am an African American, same gender loving clergy person. Initially diagnosed with HIV over ten years ago, I set aside both personal and professional plans since I did not expect to live a long and healthy life. However with the advent of better medications and a greater understanding of the disease, I work toward the mobilization of the Black Church around issues of HIV/AIDS, stigma, homophobia and sexuality. I serve as a member of the United Church of Christ HIV/AIDS Network (UCAN) Board of Directors. The mission of UCAN is to build a network of people, congregations and organizations within and beyond the United Church of Christ for care giving, education and prevention in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic by:
· Providing technical assistance to help congregations and other settings of the church start and build their capacity and programs;· Offering training in the use of the United Church of Christ’s comprehensive HIV/AIDS curriculum, Affirming Persons, Saving Lives, as well as other HIV/AIDS educational resources;· Giving leadership for education and information on public policy concerns; and· Prioritizing its work to bring critical presence to those most affected by HIV/AIDS in the United States and throughout the world
At all stages of HIV/AIDS from infection with HIV to death with AIDS, Blacks are disproportionately affected compared with members of other races and ethnicities. Nevertheless, Black faith communities have been largely silent on the subject of HIV/AIDS, when, in fact they should be the primary voice in the fight to direct Black congregations to become more aware of HIV/AIDS testing and prevention paradigms largely because the epidemic is growing most rapidly in our community. This disease was once thought of as a disease that impacted white gay men only, but the reality is that HIV/AIDS has become the plague of communities of color in general, and Blacks in particular. Statistics compiled by the Center for Disease Control indicate the following:
· In 2010, men accounted for 70% of the estimated new HIV infections among all Blacks. The estimated rate of new HIV infection for Black men was seven times as high as that of white men, twice that of Latino men and nearly 3 times that of Black women· In 2010, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) represented an estimated 72% of new infections among all Black men, and 36% among all MSM. More new HIV infections occurred among young Black MSM (aged 13–29) than any other age and racial group of MSM· In 2010, Black women accounted for 29% of the estimated new HIV infections among all Blacks. Most (87%) Black women with HIV acquired HIV through heterosexual sex. The estimated rate of new HIV infections for black women was 20 times that of white women, and almost 5 times as high as that of Latina women· At some point in their lifetimes, 1 in 16 Black men will be diagnosed with HIV infection, as will 1 in 32 Black women.
These statistics, while alarming also indicate a humbling reality. HIV disproportionately affects Blacks. Thus, there is an urgent need to expand access to proven HIV prevention interventions as well as develop new approaches to fight HIV.
Black faith communities are charged with serving economically disadvantaged communities, underserved and underrepresented populations, and people whose human dignity is under assault by social arrangements and structures. As such, they are called to provide a theological framework that facilitates discussion, both on the nature of God and on people living with HIV/AIDS. Both clergy and laity should be able to ask fundamental theological questions in a new context, and expect to find answers. For example, what does it mean to talk of the goodness of God in the context of HIV/AIDS? We need to find answers that are relevant to people affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as to people for whom HIV/AIDS is far removed from their own experience and consciousness.
Moreover, I believe that Black faith communities should play a vital role in providing comprehensive education that informs congregants on ways to avoid risk of exposure to HIV infection, delivering physical and spiritual care and support to those infected and affected and by combating stigma and discrimination. Success requires partnering with community–based organizations and others to collectively educate the community and respond compassionately to better serve the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of persons living with HIV infection and AIDS. It is my hope that the day will come when the church, in general, and the Black Church in particular, takes the lead in addressing the problem of HIV/AIDS disease and in developing supportive ministries for the people affected by the disease. The truth of the matter is, all Black lives matter, even those who live with HIV/AIDS.