Obama a Racist?

President Obama found it necessary to express condemnation of police officer James Crowley’s arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. Officer Crowley is a mere Sergeant with the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department. Mr. Gates is a Harvard history professor. Sergeant Crowley is Caucasian. Mr. Gates is Black. Admitting that he did not know all the facts, President Obama publicly stated that Sergeant Crowley acted “stupidly” in the line of duty. It was clearly a “black and white” issue to our president.

Sergeant Crowley responded to a report of two black men apparently trying to break into a home. According to news reports, upon returning from a trip, Mr. Gates discovered his front door jammed. With the help of his cab driver, he “broke into” his own home. This “break in” by two black men was observed by someone who called the police to report it. Minutes later, when Sergeant Crowley arrived, Mr. Gates was inside his home. The cabby had gone. The details are not all clear, but the officer ordered Mr. Gates to step outside and show ID that would verify that he was, in fact, the homeowner. Something then transpired between Gates and Crowley which led to Mr. Gates being arrested for “disorderly conduct” by Officer Crowley.

I heard Sergeant Crowley interviewed about the situation. He was adamant that he had precisely followed protocol in the incident, that he had done nothing wrong. This was supported by the fact that his actions were approved in a police department investigation of the incident.

In that interview, Sergeant Crowley explained that he was responding to a reported break in by two black men. He did not know the home owner, did not know if the black man who represented himself as the homeowner was, in fact, the homeowner or perhaps one of the men who had reportedly “broken into” this home. Furthermore, if the man who represented himself as the homeowner was, the homeowner, Sergeant Crowley did not know if the man was aware that thieves were perhaps inside his home. For his own safety, the officer asked Mr. Gates to step outside. Sergeant Crowley was careful in his interview not to reveal details of what went on between him and Mr. Gates. Apparently, Mr. Gates got mouthy with the officer and resisted his instructions.

I assume this because of an Internet article I read which was as against the police officer as President Obama was in his remarks. The author stated that “you have a right to talk back to a cop.” Apparently, that author knew more detail about what went on that led to Mr. Gates arrest than I do.

Personally, I am sick of the racist remarks that come from blacks like our president. For him to jump to the conclusion that the white guy was out of line, that this is somehow related to “racial profiling”, is the product of a racist mindset. For the past 40 years, I have heard innumerable references to racism and prejudice. About 99.9% of these references have suggested or implied that these were exclusively Caucasian sins. Well, they are not. They are human sins, sins as practiced by blacks as any race. I think our president’s statements serve as case in point.

I was raised to respect authority. I was raised not to talk back to authorities. In my mind, if Mr. Gates had respected the authority of the officer, done what the officer asked, this could have all been resolved without incident. I wonder if Mr. Gates carried a prejudice that affected how he responded to the orders of a WHITE officer. No one would dare suggest that an esteemed black professor from Harvard would be prejudiced. Well, no one but me, perhaps.

Our police officers put themselves in harms way for us everyday. We should expect them to behave rationally and legally. We should also expect citizens to cooperate with officers in their line of duty. If they show up at my front door for no known reason and ask me to step outside, I will step outside. If they tell me to get on the ground, I will get on the ground. This, I think, is the responsibility of the law-abiding, law-respecting citizen. I wonder if anything close to this is taught in our public schools. Or, are our kids taught, “You have a right to talk back to cops”?

Mr. President, you owe Sergeant Crowley an apology. I am waiting.

A Report Card From God

When I was in graduate school back in the 80’s, some of the most important lessons I learned were not a planned part of the curriculum. One of these lessons happened at the end of a semester after I had finished all of the course work and taken all the final exams.

I went through grad school at the rate of two courses per semester (six credit hours). I worked a full-time job and was married with four children at the time. This particular semester I had chosen to take three courses (nine credit hours) in order to be able to finish the degree program in one more year. I knew it would be a stretch, but felt confident that I could handle the additional load.

At this point I had managed to keep a 4.O grade point average. My GPA had not been a major issue to me, at least consciously. In one of my courses this semester I got a “low B” grade on a major assignment. Immediately, my GPA became a conscious concern. I knew that I would have to work hard to keep the grade on that assignment from costing me an “A” in the course. So, the rest of the semester I poured in extra effort in hopes of preserving my perfect GPA.

So, when all the work was done, I hoped that I had done enough. I knew it would be close. Waiting for the grades to be posted was difficult that semester. It surprised me to realize how much I thought about those grades. Finally, the grades were posted. I got a “B” in that class.

I felt moderate disappointment. I had prepared myself not to be greatly disappointed. Then, I encountered a totally unexpected experience. God spoke to me. Now, I am not one who boasts of hearing God speak to me personally very often. This was one occasion.

While I was contemplating the dinged GPA, I heard God ask me three questions. First, He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a husband this semester?” Then He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a father this semester?” Finally, He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a minister this semester?” The questions pricked my heart. I knew immediately what He was getting at. I had cut corners in each of these areas in order to devote more energy into preserving that GPA that I had previously thought didn’t really matter to me. He didn’t give me the grades. He didn’t need to. The questions were sufficient.

We both knew I wouldn’t be getting “A’s” there. Now, I wouldn’t be getting “D’s” or “F’s” either. I was being fairly responsible in these three areas. No one was complaining that I remember. Not my wife, not my children, not my parishioners. Still, I honestly knew I was slacking off in those areas in order to invest elsewhere.

God was not shaming me in this interchange. He was showing me my heart. I would work hard for the tangible affirmation of a professor’s grade. And that was much easier to pursue in the academic world than at home or at work. Sometimes in my marriage, in my role as a father, and even in my work I wonder about the grade people would give me. I think I’m passing, but not always sure I’m doing really well. Sometimes I think a syllabus with specific objectives and a concrete grading system for each of my roles would be advantageous. I might know where I stand. But then, I might not like where I stand. I am grateful for the grace of God. Though He sees things about my heart that no others see, He loves and accepts me still. And I had a powerful refresher course in that great truth as God spoke to me by His Spirit that day. It remains a precious memory to this day.