Weekly Reflection: How Long Does It Hurt?

Sep 27, 2023

The old black and white pictures from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s seem like ancient history especially to those who were not alive at the time. The picture posted above is representative of widespread resistance to public school desegregation following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court. Instead of complying with the federal law to integrate schools, the majority of Southern authorities at the local, state, and national levels coordinated ways to resist and/or delay for as long as possible. The result was that it took years and even decades for many communities to even begin desegregating public schools. Even when they did, it was often at the expense of the few Black students who initially desegregated the previously all white schools. Instead of being welcomed as equal members of their schools, many were harassed and threatened by white students and adults.

Yet that was long ago, and it is easy to assume that the pain of those days is behind us. But a story from a recent edition of CBS Sunday Morning raised the question for me, “How long does it hurt?” The video posted below tells the story of Marvin Jones, Sr. who desegregated Brunswick High School in 1966 along with 14 other Black students. The school is located in Lawrenceville, VA about 80 miles south of where I live in Richmond. It took twelve years after the Brown decision for Brunswick High School to begin desegregating. The 15 Black students who were the first to desegregate that school received the kind of harassment and threats encountered by Black students across the South who were the courageous pioneers of desegregating public schools. What made the story of Mr. Jones so poignant for me was the obvious pain he still carried 57 years later. There are still tens of thousands of people living today who carry that kind of pain from decades ago. In Mr. Jones’ case, the community finally recognized and honored the pain and sacrifice of those first fifteen. Please take a few minutes to watch the video to catch a glimpse of the life long cost paid by those who challenged this kind of systemic racism.

The pain caused by systemic racism did not stop in the 1960’s. The past decade features too many stories of the painful cost of ongoing forms of racism including cases of police brutality as well as racial disparities in education, the criminal justice system, health care, generational wealth, and housing. How long does it hurt? The story of Mr. Jones reminds us that the pain can last for decades. Stopping the pain for future generations will only come with recognizing and dismantling the systemic racism that is the root of that pain. That work is urgent and ongoing for all of us, especially if we are committed to a faith that proclaims the image of God in all people.