White Christian supremacy since 1619
Harry Belafonte joins Harlem School of Arts Advisory Council
Caribbean Life, July 31-August 6, 2020 21
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Sundays just don’t seem to
last.
You get up, attend church,
attend fellowship, rush home
for dinner, maybe more church
in the evening. And before you
know it, Sunday’s over and
you’re left trying to remember
what you learned, to get you
through the week. But maybe,
says Robert P. Jones in “White
Too Long,” it’s time to examine
what you learned that you don’t
remember.
Nearly 180 years ago, at a
convention of members of the
Baptist church, the issue was
raised about whether there was
room in Christianity for slaveholding.
In the days following
the gathering, Reverend Basil
Manly, former pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Charleston,
sent out a letter demanding
confirmation that indeed,
a Godly man could have slaves.
When his group received a swift
denial, Manley and other church
leaders split and formed their
own organization, a move that
ultimately led to the formation
of the Southern Baptist Convention
(SBC), the country’s largest
Christian denomination.
And until about forty years
ago, says Jones, this pro-slavery
stance and the white supremacist
roots went largely unexamined
by white Baptists. Politics
were not always mentioned with
these issues then – at least, not
like they are now.
Lest we point fingers unfairly,
however, Jones says that racism
is not just a Southern Baptist
Convention notion: the same
issues crop up in Catholicism
and other denominations, as
well as other areas of the U.S.
Overall, he states that white
Christianity has been the biggest,
’til-now-unchallenged reason
for the propagation of white
power and dominance.
So what can be done?
Rather than merely removing
or destroying statues honoring
white supremacists, many
cities are also placing markers
honoring integration and Black
leaders. We can pay attention to
our histories, and recognize our
own most complex truths. And,
he says, time will also help —
it has to, because our nation’s
souls are at risk.
The first — perhaps only
— thing you’ll need to know
about “White Too Long” is that
it’s deep. Bottom-of-the-ocean
deep. Like, all-thirteen-verses
of-“Amazing-Grace” deep.
It’s not even close to what you
might consider to be a casual
read.
As the founder of Public Religion
Research Institute and a
man who grew up in the Southern
Baptist church, author Robert
P. Jones bases his material
here on his own solid studies,
as well as theology and personal
background. That’s all good,
but the depth of the content
and meaning of this information
also results in ideas that
circle back and back again, and
that can make the mind reel in
befuddlement. You may have to
read a sentence (or a paragraph)
two or three times to get the
full impact of it, or to understand
what’s before or after it.
This can feel like a very long
sermon on a very sleepy Sunday
morning.
Beware that there’s controversy
all over this book but in
today’s world, it’s an absolute
must-read — as long as you give
yourself time for thought. If
you are a theologian especially,
or are fighting racism, “White
Too Long” might not be long
enough.
“White Too Long: The
Legacy of White Supremacy
in American Christianity”
by Robert P. Jones
c.2020, Simon & Schuster
$28.00 / $37.00 Canada
320 pages
Book cover of “White Too Long” by Robert P. Jones.
By Caribbean Life
The Harlem School of the Arts,
on July 23 announced, the addition
of esteemed cultural icon
and civil rights activist, Harry
Belafonte, to its Advisory Council.
Belafonte joins an eclectic list of
influential names, with diverse
experience, expertise and insight,
who provide guidance, and serve
as stewards of this historic cultural
institution.
It seems fitting that the
56-year-old organization, founded
by an artist (Dorothy Maynor), in
answer to a significant need in her
community, has now attracted
the interest of Mr. Belafonte, an
ardent proponent of the arts as
a tool for transformative change.
Mr. Belafonte has said that his
life has been guided by his mentor,
Paul Robeson’s words, “artists
are the gatekeepers of truth,
they are civilization’s radical
voice.” Throughout his storied
career, Belafonte has been known
for using his artistic platform to
champion a wide variety of civil
and human rights causes, and
to call attention to social justice
issues.
Responding to the news,
Charles J. Hamilton, Jr., chair of
the HSA Board of Directors had
this to say, “Harry Belafonte is one
of our country’s treasures, a hero
of the Civil Rights movement,
a celebrated, award-winning performer
who has deeply influenced
American culture and the world.
We are extremely honored to welcome
him to the Advisory Council
and to the HSA family.”
Eric Pryor, president of the
organization added, “We at HSA,
could not be prouder to have Harlem’s
own, Mr. Harry Belafonte,
add his name in support of the
institution, and its mission to provide
children in the Harlem community,
and all across the tristate
area, with access to quality, worldclass
training and a rich multidisciplinary
artistic experience.”