Day 19 - First Steps: Hold

"The Negroes are influenced by the lecturers, the compelling speakers, the men like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. And Baldwin can’t be effective as a lecturer. When you see him as a lecturer, you see an effeminate, and that ruins him even with those who have read him. He’s a f*****, a fairy. And we as Negroes have much greater animosity toward lesbians and homosexuals than does the white man, because this is weakness, and there is already too much weakness among Negroes without that. So Baldwin doesn’t impress most Negroes, even among the few that really know about him, and if he doesn’t impress, he can’t influence." 
-Loye Mille, Washington correspondent, reporting the words of “a top Harlem Negro leader," 1963.

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Hold someone close to you. Wrap them in loving arms. When you see someone who is subject to attack, slander, or criticism, ask God to show you the way that leads to love. 
To read about the role of love in the Black Lives Matter movement, visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alta-starr/to-love-black-lives_b_6744778.html

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Lord, the attacks on your beloved are so cruel, so personal – “you see an effeminate, and that ruins him.” Be with those who are told that they cannot possibly have dignity and worth – draw them into your loving embrace.

Be with all those whose bodies are an affront to the status quo – hold them in your love.

Be with all those who change the world, as Baldwin did, while others go blue in the face declaring their ruin. Let them know just how much we need them.

We pray also, Lord, for those who do not know what they do. Be with those who want to be leaders, but hide behind anonymous quotations – shine your light on them. Be with those who think weakness is a character flaw – show them the way of your Son. Amen.