Saul, Paul, and Black History Month

At the end of Acts' chapter 7 an fearless profit by the name of stephen fell dead to the rocks of Jews that stoned him after he claimed to see Jesus at the side of the only true God. While the Jews stoned Stephen they laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, who from that moment went on about the business of being God's enemy. At that time the evil the Jews had committed in front of this malleable young man shaped his intentions for years until a later time when Jesus intervened. This story reminds me of a situation in which I was talking to a teacher about black history month before i spoke to her class about the monthly occasion. She said that the kids thought the month was all about black people and how they over powered the white man to become free. To finish the story of Paul/Saul being molded, Stephen cried out before the last stone freed him of his earthly bounds, "Father don't hold this sin against them." Why didn't Paul or Saul at the time take that moment of godliness radiating from Stephen and changed the world for the better instead of manufacturing evil for years after? Majority Rules, the most influence on a child's life is shaped by the people that spend the majority of the time with that child. The majority always has the loudest voice and the hate that flowed from their ruckus quieted Stephen words. That often happens with teachers, their hopeful voices often gets faded out by the noise that comes from home.

Black history month is about a common purpose and a principle that a person can have the freedom to truly do whatever they want with the God given life that they have. The majority of the people that prove this to be true was African Americans but it was a minority of whites that paid the price to see the freedom of blacks also, they were slurred at, sprayed with over powering waters, they marched while dogs bit at them, and some did give their life for my and others freedom. Its not about one but about the freedom of all for when one is not free, all are not free. Rosa fought to sit in the front for all, Dr. King said he had a dream of equality for all where his child could hold hands with a white child, African Americans fought to become even not to be exalted above any race. Black history month is not about the majority or the minority it's about process of where the minority and the majority meet. It's about obstacles taken by African American leaders and White leaders to defy the majority of what they had been taught and the majority of what others believe to hold truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. The actions of African Americans to be such examples of how a people should fight for freedom should be celebrated but not abused. We should all celebrate this month to continue efforts to push the kids of our future to the right majority, which is the story of progress of a nation of people that is different but alike at the same time. For today there are Sauls being molded when there could be Pauls molded and that divide between the two is our Slavery and our modern day segregation. I truly hope that the kids at loachapoka elementary understood my message through their present day majority.
May God bless you and May he bless this nation of immigrants, and may he give us the wisdom to create the right majorities