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To the Oppressed, Marginalized, Down-Trodden, Discriminated and Vilified,
19 October 2009
This is an open letter from an open soul. A soul clothed in the flesh of the majority. A soul that earnestly and honestly looks upon the history of the past. A past of ugliness and atrocities. Of racism, sexism, hate and fear. A past where those of his race, sex, religion, orientation, and socio-economic class consciously and subconsciously lived lives of exploitation, corruption, and bigotry. And it tares the very fabric of his being to recount and admit, but to ignore that their blood runs through his veins or to ignore this past is both untruthful and reckless.
I am sorry for all the centuries of male exploitation of women and the continual belief that women are both inferior and mere commodities that possess neither the intelligence nor the worth of individual thought or accomplishment.
I am ashamed for the centuries of centuries of violence and oppression done in the name of God and Jesus of Nazareth. Whether the Crusades, the Inquisition, or Slavery and even to today, my faith's past is littered with embarrassments and barbarisms that are inexcusable and unconscionable. Even worse, our example today often illicit responses of "Hypocrite" and "Hater of Gays" more than "Purveyor of Love" and "Champion of the Poor."
I ask for forgiveness for the slavery enacted on African-Americans in the 19th century, and for the continual discrimination and racism that has flowed throughout the decades that followed. I am sorry for the refusal of those who share my ancestry to admit that this past could have or has created a socio-economic system that keeps this past alive. I am sorry for my own conscious and unconscious discrimination with which I struggle today.
I apologize to all those of different faiths from Muslim to Hindu to Atheist. I seek forgiveness for the way we have treated you, the way we have stereotyped you, the way we have hated you.
I ask forgiveness from the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender community for the way those of my orientation and faith have portrayed you as harborers of sin and lacking of any moral judgment or soul. We have so quickly thrown away the idea of taking out the planks in our own eyes while at the same time being sidetracked by political power and legless social prestige.
To the poor and the exploited both here and abroad, I am embarrassed at my own refusal to question my comforts and blessings and if they are the products of a system that feeds my own inner greed or lack of self-worth. I am ashamed for how quick I am willing to grasp ahold of these comforts and become defensive when faced with conversations of poverty, justice, and the systemic implications of topics such as these.
And from the immigrant of any land, coming here in the hopes of a better future for both themselves and their families, today and in the generations to come, I seek mercy in my refusal to follow the directive of welcoming and caring for the orphaned, widowed, and alien in my midst. Once again failing to let go of comforts or comfort zones, and question every aspect of the life I lead.
Some may say this is a letter driven by white guilt or a ploy to garner favor and appear to be this saintly know-it-all, holier-than-thou and all the like. This is a pure, honest appeal. Am I saying everyone who looks like me, worships like me, thinks like me is some warmongering, oppressive opportunist who is looking to keep his/her knee on the throat of any of those different? Of course not. There are more of these fellow revolutionaries than the former, but it is both intellectually and ethically dishonest to enter the conversation without talking about "the elephant in the room."
So what does all this mean? What is this a plea for? It's a plea to enter into a journey that seeks a revolution...daily. It's a plea for this generation and all those that follow to stand up with and for the oppressed and downtrodden. It's a plea to be honest, even when it makes you look like an idiot or worse. It's a plea to objectively look at our hearts, souls, and minds and see if there is any way that we our consciously or subconsciously pressing against these truths of equality and freedom and justice. That is what this letter is for. It is an invitation from a 29 year old, white, protestant, middle class man, who sees that many chips have come my way without a single drop of doing on my part. And it's being thankful for that, but also understand that I have a responsibility to ask questions and seek answers. It won't always be pretty, but it will be truthful and real and incredible.
So this is just the prologue, the chapter 0 per se. The thread that runs through this and all pieces that follow will be a truthful pursuit of answers. It will be a search for the people and organizations who are on the front lines of all these issues and ask the proverbial question, "What can I do?" because that is THE question. Because the discussion is just the initial action of any change. And as someone "bathed in the majority", I seek to offer the perspective that desperately desires to enact change, yet whose background and history has enacted the circumstances that have lead to that change needing to occur. I do not promise you all the answers, all I can promise you is the honest pursuit. I will offer the viewpoint and perhaps explanation for the difficulties, for the push backs, and the walls that so often go up by the majority when dealing with issues of justice and progression. It is a journey, plain and simple, and it's in the journey that we find those things most precious and ground breaking.
Join me,
JP McDaniel
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