Race, Poverty and the call for Justice - Rev. Roger McClellan

 

There has been a growing furor over the plight of 6 black teenagers in Jena, LA.  After a series of (at best) racially insensitive episodes, a string of violent events occurred between black and white residents.  It is the perception of many that the punishments meted out to the black students involved were far more severe than those imposed upon the white students involved.  Case in point:  A black student was attacked by white students who beat him with beer bottles at a party:  One of the attackers was charged with misdemeanor assault.  After what would appear to be a reciprocal attack by a group of black students, six (black) students were charged with attempted murder!  One of the six remains in jail to this day, 9 months after the arrest, and was found guilty by a white jury of 2d degree assault (assault with a deadly weapon) as it was alleged that he kicked the white student while he lay on the ground.   Apparently, the sneakers warn by African-Americans in LA. are far more dangerous than beer bottles wielded by white kids. 
Distressing as this situation is, the media has only now begun to show any significant coverage to the events, and the racism that is apparently the root of the above actions. 
Upon reflection, however, I believe that the problems go further than race.  The poor in this country definitely suffer injustice as well.   Unfortunately, in the minds of many, the only thing worse than being poor is being poor and Black.   In fact, being raised in the South, the only people higher on the social scale than black people were “poor white trash”.
Furthermore, we (middle-class white people) as a whole have become so engrossed in dealing with our own inability to live up to the standard of living that we feel entitled to; we grow less and less concerned with those who are not as fortunate as we.  This point was proven once again on Friday when the overwhelming majority (45%) of respondents to the query on MSNBC:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19876326/ voted that they wished to have the growing plight of the “middle class in dealing with the financial squeeze” covered by the news agency, rather than the plight of poor blacks and racism as viewed in light of the Jena 6 affair (7%).
We have truly become a nation of Sodomites, in the truest application of the term:  Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. –Ezekiel 16:49.
It would seem that this verse of scripture clearly identifies the American middle and upper class:  arrogant, fat, lazy and selfish.
What is even more distressing is that many of the organizations (particularly churches) that claim as their intention to help the poor and needy, seem more concerned with filling their own coffers and expanding their buildings than they are with truly reaching out to the needy.  (as I heard a local pastor state recently “I take care of the ones that pay the bills”)  In the interest of being charitable, I could somewhat understand a lack of direct action, but I find the overwhelming silence from many of my fellow clergy unconscionable!   It would appear that we have lost not only our boldness, but our moral compass as well.