Steve Simms's Blog, page 178

If you want to be closer to Jesus, this’ll help

Vulnerability is a magnet for the living Jesus. It helps move our pride out of His way and attract His presence and power.

Christianity isn’t about memorizing and verbalizing ideas about Jesus. It’s about internalizing Him and letting Him ignite your heart. If you’ll internalize Jesus in your heart, instead of analyzing Him in your mind, you’ll actualize His presence wherever you go.

When you allow the living Jesus to govern and control your thoughts, desires, and emotions, you begin to live in the kingdom of God. Until Christians unite with the risen Jesus, we won’t be united with each other.

Ekklesia, a Jesus-led meeting, can only be experienced when people open their hearts and are willing to be vulnerable. Some people prefer to see Jesus as a historical figure (or a myth), because seeing Him as alive and present makes us vulnerable.

Vulnerability allows God’s light to shine within. Church services tend to curtail vulnerability and openness. Ekklesia embraces it.

True Christianity requires extreme vulnerability–complete submission and surrender to the living Jesus. When I replaced “about me” with “about Jesus,” He caused me to think “about other people” with kindness and compassion.

You can’t internalize the living Jesus as long as your heart’s closed to His presence. The internalization of the living Jesus dissipates life’s mental fog and turns the tables upside down.

Direct connection with Jesus releases inner injections of His life that flow from within you. Here are 3 ways to hang out with Jesus:

1) A specific time and special place;
2) Any time and any place; or
3) All the time and every place.

There’s no fake light. If you don’t have light, you’re in darkness. There’s absolutely no substitute for light. Jesus is the Light

Some people try to shut out their pain. Some shout out their pain. But some let their pain drive them to the living Jesus.

Listening to Jesus is like trying to remember. You ponder expectantly until you become aware. The more people are encouraged to suppress their conscience, the more problems a society has.

Institutionalized religion tends to lead away from dependence on the living Jesus to reliance on human leadership and programs. If you’re not connecting with the living Jesus in church, look elsewhere. Try reading the Bible with an open heart.

When we freely flow with the living Jesus we grow. When we organize and institutionalize Him we go dry and the Holy Spirit is quenched.

When you let
Jesus live within,
You’ll feel akin
To people
Regardless of their skin.

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When skin color doesn’t matter (race theory will be meaningless)

Skin color shouldn’t matter but how we treat people always matters. Skin color is a mere, superficial physical characteristic, but humans have sure made it an emotional big deal and used it to intentionally divide people.

When we’re distracted by the color of skin, we miss really getting to know the person within. When you encounter the image of God in someone, the tone of their skin doesn’t matter. However, skin color matters to you:

If you evaluate people because of their complexion, If you won’t choose to emotionally detach from it and examine racism rationally instead of defensively.If you don’t see cruelty that was done to any color of people as equally evil.If you memorialize injustice done to people of your color, but ignore that done to people of another color.If you look at people suspiciously because of their skin color.If you’re self-conscious when you’re the only person of your color in a group.If you’re unwilling to compassionately listen to people of a certain skin tone.

All history matters. A zeal for truth reveals history that’s been concealed and helps people be healed.

When skin color matters in how we evaluate history, that’s racism. Trafficking and abuse are equally evil, no matter the color of its victims.

Being honest about the injustice in our history is scary, but not nearly as scary as giving up on kindness, compassion, and truth. Historiphobia blurs our view reality. Here are some ways overcome our fear of the full story of American history.

Let's eraseThe myth of raceAnd replace itWith the realityOf the equalityOf all human life.

There is no they.
There is no them.
There’s just us
And we’re all
Equally human.

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The best way to receive love

The best way to receive love is to cultivate and nurture love in your own heart. Kind and loving people are the easiest to love.

To avoid being fake, we have to be real. Authenticity requires the courage to be vulnerable.

To be creative is to courageously make yourself vulnerable. There will always be people who express disapproval of your ideas.

A person is a vulnerable and immaterial being. As much as the body can be hurt, the spirit can be wounded even more.

All human beings are fragile. We’ve just been trained to hide it and to pretend that we aren’t.

Most people have some tenderness (a soft place) in their heart, but sometimes it’s really hard to find it. To truly listen to people and hear what they are saying, from their perspective, takes much more courage than ignoring what they say

When people open their heart to people they’d rather not, they discover a surprise connection, they never knew was there. When honestly sharing your heart is more important to you than the responses you get from sharing it, you’ll be free.

Without trust, vulnerability, and faithfulness, relationships are shallow and easily shattered. It takes courage to abandon life’s masquerade and become a parade of humility, truth, and vulnerability.

I prefer truth over my own opinions, but often it’s hard to know the difference. That’s why I need to be vulnerable.

I write books that challenge people to be vulnerable. Here are a few.

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I don’t want to be critical of your race theory, but . . .

Guilt or pride for things done before you were born is illogical; being honest about them isn’t. America’s moved beyond a history of intentional racism promoting, to racism denying. That’s progress. Now we need racism healing.

Talking about race isn’t divisive. Ignoring or denying it’s negative impact is. It’s good to have compassion for people who are hurting from what they see as racism but we won’t know how other people think and feel, if we refuse to compassionately listen to them.

It takes courage and effort to go beyond the box of bias-based thinking. To get beyond bias, examine the history of your nation as if you are reading the history of a nation you’ve never heard of before.

If we spent as much time trying to understand racism as we do trying to deny it, we’d be able to move beyond so much focus on it. It’s difficult to be truthful if you’re not willing to be uncomfortable.

A colorless examination of how slaves were treated would be appalling to almost anyone. Regardless of the color of the slaves or slaveholders, slavery was cruel and unjust.

We can’t not see skin color, but we can reject the value hierarchy that history puts on skin shade. I like people whose skin color doesn’t match mine just as much as people whose does. When I meet a person, regardless of skin color, I see a fellow and equal human being.

If learning something doesn’t align your thoughts and feelings with truth, then you’ve memorized it, but not truly learned it. It’s important that we align with truth and not twist truth to try to make it align with us.

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How The Bill of Rights originally saw Black people in America

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It originally was a list of protections for White Americans to enjoy. However, since at the time most Black people in America were considered to be property and not citizens or full human beings, for most Black people in Americans The Bill of Rights was a bill of wrongs—a price most Black people were required to pay in full.

Here is my attempt to reveal the truth of how the Bill of Rights applied to Black people at the time of its writing and during the times of slavery. (Of course, many of these abuses continued after emancipation and were supported by Jim Crow laws that weren’t struck down until the 1960s.)

First Amendment for White Americans:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

First Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Blacks will be prohibited from the free exercise of religion, especially the religion of their homeland. They shall not be allowed to learn to read any religious material, especially the Bible. They shall not be allowed to gather for worship without a white person present to monitor and control the meeting. Blacks shall not be allowed any freedom to speak any of their own ideas, feelings, or opinions; but shall be required to say whatever those whites exercising authority over them shall demand. Blacks will not be allowed to learn to read or write and therefore should have no freedom of the press. If Blacks try to assemble on their own, they will be forcibly dispersed. Blacks will have no right to petition the Government or any other institution or individuals for a redress of grievances.”

Second Amendment for White Americans:
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Second Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Defenseless Blacks being necessary to the security of slavery, Blacks are not to be seen as people and therefore have no rights to any arms whatsoever. In fact, weapons of all kinds are to be kept away from them at all costs. They are to be in and to remain in a totally defenseless state.”

Third Amendment for White Americans:
“No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”

Third Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“If ever necessary, soldiers shall do whatever they are commanded to do in order to forcibly keep Blacks in perpetual bondage, servitude, and subservience.”

Fourth Amendment for White Americans:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Fourth Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Since Blacks aren’t officially people and their persons (in most cases) belong to a White owner, they have no right to be secure in anything. Their houses, and effects and even their bodies, are all solely the property of their master and can be violated at any time. They have no papers since they are not allowed to learn to read or write. Warrants are completely unnecessary and there is no need for probable cause. In fact, their blackness itself is probable cause they have already done something wrong, just by existing. They can be forcibly searched and seized at any time and in any place.”

Fifth Amendment for White Americans:
“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury and except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Fifth Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Blacks being personal property, not properly persons, shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime (whether real or imagined) without any knowledge of a Grand Jury, regardless of the case. Their master may abuse, torture, rape, and even kill them (whether they have committed a crime or not). They may be put in jeopardy of life or limb as many times as their master may desire. They will always be required (and forced if they refuse) to witness against themselves and against one another. They have no access to any due process of law. Since most Blacks are private property (and have already been deprived of life, liberty, and property), they cannot be taken from their master for public use (like building the U.S. Capitol) without just compensation paid to their master.”

Sixth Amendment for White Americans:
“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his
defense.”

Sixth Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Since most Blacks are property, they have no more right to a public trial than livestock. There is no need to waste the time of a jury. Besides, Blacks are not allowed to testify in a trial anyway. There is also no need for Counsel because there is no allowable defense for their insubordinate and rebellious behavior.”

Seventh Amendment for White Americans:
“In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to he rules of the common law.”

Seventh Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“As property, Blacks have no right to common law or trial by jury, no matter what is done to them. The courts of the United States are not available to them.”

Eighth Amendment for White Americans.
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Eighth Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Blacks can be held in lifelong bondage (and their generations after them) and their master can demand any excessive price he wants for them and turn down any price . He is allowed to inflict as many cruel and unusual punishments upon them as he desires . . . even to the point of death.”

Ninth Amendment for White Americans:
“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

Ninth Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Although Whites may claim other rights that are not listed in the Constitution, Blacks aren’t considered to be people and therefore aren’t allowed to claim any rights, whether listed in the Constitution or not.”

Tenth Amendment for White Americans:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Tenth Amendment as originally applied to most Black people:
“Since Blacks are not mentioned in the Constitution (except for the disguised mention in the 3/5 clause, where they are counted as 3/5 of a person, solely to increase the representation in Congress of the states where they are being held in slavery), the state Blacks live in and the people of that state, may do anything they desire to their Black population.”

–An excerpt from my book, Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

Here’s what Rev. Larry Britton, pastor in the Church of God in Christ, wrote about it: “Steve Simms’ book, Off the Race Track, is thoroughly informative and creative in its approach to sharing many of the details of the African American experience. The profound insights, regarding some of the salient facts of the African American experience, are awe-inspiring. (Especially since he is Caucasian.) As a 66 year old African American man I have lived through legal segregation; participated in the 1960’s protests; and been victimized by Jim Crow laws, and job and social discrimination all my life. It is powerful to attest to the truths detailed in this book. The Bill of Rights section is profound.”

How The Bill of Rights originally saw Blacks in America

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It originally was a list of protections for White Americans to enjoy. However, since at the time most Blacks in America were considered to be property and not citizens or full human beings, for most Black Americans The Bill of Rights was a bill of wrongs—a price most Blacks were required to pay in full.

Here is my attempt to reveal the truth of how the Bill of Rights applied to Blacks at the time of its writing and during the times of slavery. (Of course, many of these abuses continued after emancipation and were supported by Jim Crow laws that weren’t struck down until the 1960s.)

First Amendment for White Americans:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

First Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Blacks will be prohibited from the free exercise of religion, especially the religion of their homeland. They shall not be allowed to learn to read any religious material, especially the Bible. They shall not be allowed to gather for worship without a white person present to monitor and control the meeting. Blacks shall not be allowed any freedom to speak any of their own ideas, feelings, or opinions; but shall be required to say whatever those whites exercising authority over them shall demand. Blacks will not be allowed to learn to read or write and therefore should have no freedom of the press. If Blacks try to assemble on their own, they will be forcibly dispersed. Blacks will have no right to petition the Government or any other institution or individuals for a redress of grievances.”

Second Amendment for White Americans:
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Second Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Defenseless Blacks being necessary to the security of slavery, Blacks are not to be seen as people and therefore have no rights to any arms whatsoever. In fact, weapons of all kinds are to be kept away from them at all costs. They are to be in and to remain in a totally defenseless state.”

Third Amendment for White Americans:
“No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”

Third Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“If ever necessary, soldiers shall do whatever they are commanded to do in order to forcibly keep Blacks in perpetual bondage, servitude, and subservience.”

Fourth Amendment for White Americans:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Fourth Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Since Blacks aren’t officially people and their persons (in most cases) belong to a White owner, they have no right to be secure in anything. Their houses, and effects and even their bodies, are all solely the property of their master and can be violated at any time. They have no papers since they are not allowed to learn to read or write. Warrants are completely unnecessary and there is no need for probable cause. In fact, their blackness itself is probable cause they have already done something wrong, just by existing. They can be forcibly searched and seized at any time and in any place.”

Fifth Amendment for White Americans:
“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury and except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Fifth Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Blacks being personal property, not properly persons, shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime (whether real or imagined) without any knowledge of a Grand Jury, regardless of the case. Their master may abuse, torture, rape, and even kill them (whether they have committed a crime or not). They may be put in jeopardy of life or limb as many times as their master may desire. They will always be required (and forced if they refuse) to witness against themselves and against one another. They have no access to any due process of law. Since most Blacks are private property (and have already been deprived of life, liberty, and property), they cannot be taken from their master for public use (like building the U.S. Capitol) without just compensation paid to their master.”

Sixth Amendment for White Americans:
“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his
defense.”

Sixth Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Since most blacks are property, they have no more right to a public trial than livestock. There is no need to waste the time of a jury. Besides, blacks are not allowed to testify in a trial anyway. There is also no need for Counsel because there is no allowable defense for their insubordinate and rebellious behavior.”

Seventh Amendment for White Americans:
“In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to he rules of the common law.”

Seventh Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“As property, blacks have no right to common law or trial by jury, no matter what is done to them. The courts of the United States are not available to them.”

Eighth Amendment for White Americans.
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Eighth Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Blacks can be held in lifelong bondage (and their generations after them) and their master can demand any excessive price he wants for them and turn down any price . He is allowed to inflict as many cruel and unusual punishments upon them as he desires . . . even to the point of death.”

Ninth Amendment for White Americans:
“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

Ninth Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Although White people may claim other rights that are not listed in the Constitution, Blacks aren’t considered to be people and therefore aren’t allowed to claim any rights, whether listed in the Constitution or not.”

Tenth Amendment for White Americans:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Tenth Amendment as originally applied to most Blacks:
“Since blacks are not mentioned in the Constitution (except for the disguised mention in the 3/5 clause, where they are counted as 3/5 of a person, solely to increase the representation in Congress of the states where they are being held in slavery), the state blacks live in and the people of that state, may do anything they desire to their black population.”

–An excerpt from my book, Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

Here’s what Rev. Larry Britton, pastor in the Church of God in Christ, wrote about it: “Steve Simms’ book, Off the Race Track, is thoroughly informative and creative in its approach to sharing many of the details of the African American experience. The profound insights, regarding some of the salient facts of the African American experience, are awe-inspiring. (Especially since he is Caucasian.) As a 66 year old African American man I have lived through legal segregation; participated in the 1960’s protests; and been victimized by Jim Crow laws, and job and social discrimination all my life. It is powerful to attest to the truths detailed in this book. The Bill of Rights section is profound.”

Lotsa pruning means lotsa fruit

It hurts
To be pruned,
Cut back
And fine tuned,
But it makes room
For great fruit.

Pruned trees look bad,
But not for long.
They come back
With a life-flowing song.

If we won’t let God
Prune our pride,
We’ll decide
To refuse Him
As our guide.

To prepare the way
Of the Lord,
We must allow Him
To cut away
Anything in us
That's in His way.When God is pruning
Your life,
It goes better
If you stop assuming
You can tell Him
How to do it.When you let God prune,
You might not sing
A happy tune,
But you'll soon
Experience new life.

When pruned
Of pride,
You’re free
To let God
Be your inside
Guide.

Lotsa pruning
Means lotsa fruit
Is on its way.

Pruning shifts our confidence away from self so we can trust more in God and experience more of His fruit and less of our own effort. When you’re resisting God’s pruning in your life, you’re quenching the Holy Spirit.

All growth isn’t good. Pruning cuts back harmful growth to make room for fruitful growth to prosper. It’s easier to be the pruner than the prunee–to try to prune other people instead of letting God prune you.

God wants to prune and cut back your human nature to make room for His presence inside you so He can grow His fruit in your life. Without God’s pruning, you won’t be spiritually blooming. When you feel like God has pruned you to your limit and you’re a shrub of nubs, you’re primed for some vibrant spiritual growth.

Surrendering to God’s pruning is a necessary process for spiritual growth. Without it, Bible knowledge is unfruitful. When you yield to God’s pruning, you’ll experience much fruit of the Spirit. When you don’t, you won’t.

God’s pruning in your life is purposeful. He’s the Master Gardner. Trust Him while He’s working on you. By faith you can watch God prune your life with hope and not despair.

The reason for God’s pruning in your life is to improve the quality of spiritual fruit, not to cause you strife. It’s hard to find the fruit of the Spirit in an unpruned Christian. When the body of Christ is unpruned, there’s a fruit of the Spirit famine.

“Winsome” means “cheerful.”
Even when you lose,
You can still choose
To be winsome.

You win some
And you lose some,
But either way
Keep a winsome smile
All the while.

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Wholesome silliness is a joyful taste of time (not a waste)

Find inspiration.
Give inspiration.
Live inspiration.

Wholesome silliness is a joyful taste of time. It’s not a waste of time. Wholesome silliness is meaningful because it opens the heart to spontaneity, creativity, and unseen truth.

Wholesome silliness lubricates life so that we’re not overwhelmed by the seriousness of it all. When silliness, spontaneity, and kindness are brought together, joy happens.

When the freedom to be spontaneously silly is underused people are seldom overjoyed. Don’t miss out on the silly side of life. Wholesome laughter is a is a joy enhancer.

To feel better about life, playfully enjoy some good, clean silliness every day. If you sprinkle your life with kind, playful silliness, you’ll be happier.

Joyful silliness isn’t an abnormal reaction to life. I believe it’s a gift from God. The meaning that you ascribe to something will determine how it makes you feel. Some thoughts you originate. Some thoughts you encounter in your mind. It’s important to know which is which.

Sober silliness
Isn’t an oxymoron.
It’s good, clean fun
That too many people miss.

Making a silly face
Until it makes you smile
Can make any place
Feel better awhile.

Here’s some bonus thoughts that are serious, but perhaps better understood with a little bit of silliness:

Profanity stifles creativity by keeping a person stuck on overusing a few worn out words.

Life is full of design, therefore full of purpose. (Design by definition is purposeful.)

If words have meaning and purpose, surely the people who express those words do too.

Harmful obsessions matter. If you don’t resist them and overcome them, they’ll eventually fully possess and distress you.

The accumulation of money is a deceptive net that has nothing to do with a person’s worth.

Who wrote the code for your DNA? If it was random, why can’t computers randomly code themselves?

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I grew up being taught BRT (Benevolent Race Theory) not Critical Race Theory

I grew up in Arkansas. There an elementary school taught me what I now call BRT (Benevolent Race Theory): that slavery was kind, paternal, and civilizing for slaves. It was a distorted view of race that took me years to free myself from. (Benevolent Race Theory proponents usually say that they like Blacks mean them no harm.)

Here are some of the misguided ideas that I was taught by school and society when I was growing up in the South. Those ideas tried to justify slavery and racial abuse and have been taught in America since the beginning. BRT teaches that:

Slaveholders rarely used intimidation, force, or brutality to control their slaves.Forced, Jim Crow segregation was good for both Whites and Blacks.Legally segregated schools were “separate but equal.”Blacks didn’t mind the back of the bus because they got to sit together.The fact that there were a few Black slaveholders means slavery wasn’t wrong.We shouldn’t criticize slaveholders because they were living by the values of their time.Slaves were too financially valuable for their traffickers to mistreat them.Most slaveowners were good to their slaves and had good intentions towards them.Blacks would be better off to forget their history and the evil done to their forefathers.Blacks should be quiet and appreciate that they’re living in America.Slaves and hired Black domestic workers were usually treated with kindness.If a White person has a Black friend, he’s definitely not a racist. There’s a “Curse of Ham,” that means Blacks need to serve Whites if they want to be in God’s order.Slavery elevated and civilized Blacks instead of degrading and abusing them.Runaway slaves were wrong for making it harder on the slaves left behind.White supremacy was overall good for America and didn’t really cause much harm.

As an adult I began to read about race in America and I discovered that these ideas are falsehoods. They are myths that need to be renounced and replaced with the fuller story of American history. I wrote a book to help do that, called: Off the RACE Track From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

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Patriotic fables shout “Don’t turn the tables!”

Here’s a mystery of history: To the American revolutionary, a tax on tea was “tyranny,” but the cruelty of slavery wasn’t.

Patriotic fables
Don’t want anyone
To turn the tables
So facts can be found.

A slave
Who said,
“Don’t tread
On me,”
Could be
Tortured till dead.

If you would like a read that will move the tables to make room for more people check out my book, Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

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