|
 On January 22, 2000, I was with a small group of my friends at the
National March for Life at the National Mall, when a man cornered us
only to admonish "more Black people should be here and if Doctor King
were alive, he would be here…" Without missing a beat, I responded
plainly, but politely, that "Even if Doctor King were alive and didn't
come to the National March for Life, I would be here!!!"
As the Chairperson of the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life's
(NBCAL) Archdiocese of Washington Affiliate, I face such questions all
the time. Are we against abortion? If so, why are we not doing more to
stop it?
We know that we bear the brunt of many social evils that destroy human
life. As a result, we are perhaps even more sensitive to the value of
human life, yet ironically, we are not always fully engaged in the
struggle to promote and defend human life from conception to natural
death. So why are we not fully engaged in this real life and death
struggle?
First, many of us mistakenly believe that abortion
is not our issue. The truth is that today's pro-abortion movement in
America abortion has its origins in twentieth century racism and
eugenics.
Abortion has a negative and disproportionate impact---some would say
genocidal impact--- on Black people. More than 13 million of us are now
gone since the legalization of abortion in 1973. Abortion is shrinking
our churches, schools, communities, and congressional districts as well
as our future
Many of us are hesitant to work with people who
are bigoted towards us or espouse policies that are outright opposed or
even insensitive to our concerns and interests. Of course, racism is a
sin and a significant problem in all spheres of society. I receive more
than my fair share as a Black woman.
However, our love for our and all children must be greater than their
lack of love for us. When we allow abortion, we actually aid and abet
what hate groups could not accomplish in this country.
Some of us mistakenly believe that bigoted white people "own" the
pro-life movement. The essence of the movement calls for respecting life
from the moment of conception to natural death and that truth springs
from God. This truth is of God and therefore this truth and the movement
that supports this truth belongs to all of God's children.
|
