“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” – Ephesians 4:14-15
I was in Texas when I learned about a significant part of Oklahoma history. I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I am a proud Okie. I have lived in many parts of our great state, and I have come to truly appreciate my home. Sadly, I remember the day I was attending a class in seminary when I learned about the Tulsa race massacre. I was in a small room on the campus of SMU, listening to a guest speaker. The speaker taught about the events that happened in Tulsa and I was shocked.
The reason for my shocked response to the discussion of the Tulsa race massacre was that I was 30 years old, the only student from Oklahoma in the room, and I had never heard of what took place in Tulsa on May 31-June 1, 1921. I listened to the rest of the lecture, and I quickly headed to the library to look up details about the event. How did I not know about the Tulsa race massacre? How did I take Oklahoma History, U.S. History, and so many other history classes in high school and college and never hear about this event? Why was I in another state when I learned that one day a city rose up against its neighbors, burned homes and businesses, and killed an unknown amount of people? How did I not know that in one night, one of the largest and most influential African-American communities was decimated?
Racism, segregation and violence have no place in the kingdom of God. We know that, but we still wrestle with these terrible sins. I believe that, by God’s grace, we can overcome this terrible human condition and truly learn to love our neighbors, no exceptions. However, I also believe that to overcome these conditions that are a part of our community, we must face them in truth and love.
The truth is that my beloved state has a stain on its history. We made the deplorable events of May 31-June 1worse by intentionally hiding them from the eyes of history. We cannot learn, we cannot be better, we cannot reconcile and help to bringing healing without first confronting the facts. When we look at the facts of history, we are often forced to look at the realities of our own hearts. It is when we look at history and ourselves in truth, that we can truly work to love one another as Christ loves us.
I am thankful that much of the truth is now public about the events that happened in Tulsa 100 years ago. I hope you will take time to learn about the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre. If we are to grow in our faith, we must proceed in truth. If we are to live up to the Great Commandment (to love God and to love our neighbors) we must allow a truthful look at history to help us confront what is in our own hearts that keeps us from loving our neighbor, no exceptions.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
