There have been several high-profile shootings over the past several months, and the climate in America seems to be at a fever-pitch, when it comes to addressing this polarizing issue.
Cops don’t deserve to be targeted and killed, and neither do unarmed Black people, yet there has been a constant attempt by the mainstream media and other figures, to pit the two against one another.
There is no “us” against “them” when it comes to the sanctity of life. Yet, we are seeing a barrage of people seeking to blame select individuals and select groups for the issue of gun violence and deaths that have come as a result of the current climate in America.
What has troubled me in the midst of it all, however, have been the individuals who profess to be God-fearing evangelicals and pro-life, and organizations who have taken a pro-life stance, but have said absolutely NOTHING about the loss of life Black people have been experiencing at the hands of law enforcement officials in this country for decades.
An organization like the National Right to Life, which was founded in 1968 and is the nation’s oldest and largest pro-life organization, has a mission “to protect and defend the most fundamental right of humankind, the right to life of every innocent human being from the beginning of life to natural death.”
When it comes to the shootings of unarmed Black people in this country, I have yet to see a statement released from this organization, or any other major pro-life organization, condemning the actions of many of the rogue and irresponsible police officers who’ve killed unarmed Black people, with many of the killings caught on camera for the world to see, yet are never held accountable for their actions.
Where is the advocacy for Black people in this country, other than that which comes from Black people?
Back in 2015, when the shootings happened at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado, the group issued a statement from their President Carol Tobias condemning the actions, stating:
“National Right to Life…unequivocally condemns unlawful activities and acts of violence regardless of motivation. The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life. The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal.”
Wouldn’t it be great to get this type of advocacy for Black people in this country?
Honestly, I truly believe we need to hear from groups like this, along with those who profess to be pro-life, the most right now at this crucial time in America. I would rather see that level of advocacy for Black people, as opposed to seeing them bury their head in the sand like an ostrich and ignore the problems we face, as if God is going to open up the windows of Heaven and deal with it Himself.
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of this country, whereas on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this statement was made declaring to the world that the thirteen American colonies, that were at war with Great Britain, had made a unified decision to regard themselves as independent sovereign states and would no longer be under the rule of the British.
The second sentence of our beloved Declaration of Independence reads:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
When it comes to the rights the founding fathers deemed important for all men to, the first thing they deemed important for us to have was the right to “life” bestowed upon us by our Creator.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there are many definitions that are assigned to the word “life” but there are two that stand out to me.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “life” as both a “period from birth to death,” and as “the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.”
I often hear a lot of people who claim to be pro-life, do so, particularly when it comes to the issue of abortion. Here in the United States, many pro-life advocates have a strong conviction when it comes to the issue of abortion, and tend to make many of their life decisions based off of that singular issue, especially when it comes to politics and who they decide to vote for during elections.
Now I’m not naïve by any stretch of the imagination. I’m a student of history.
I know how polarizing the issue of abortion has been in this country, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling based off of the lawsuit filed by Norma McCorvey (“Jane Roe”), who claimed a Texas law criminalizing most abortions, violated her constitutional rights. In 1973, in what we all know as Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that a state law which banned abortions except to save the life of the mother was unconstitutional. The Roe v. Wade ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court has probably done more to divide this country politically than any other case in recent memory, and continues to do so today.
Many Americans who profess to be pro-life tend to view “life” according to the definition which refers to it as “a period from birth to death,” placing more emphasis on the birth part than the death part.
Many pro-life advocates want to advocate for a child to be born into this world, but don’t tend to have the same level of advocacy when it comes to the second definition I shared, ensuring that we have the opportunity given to us by our Creator to have “the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.” In other words – life.
Where has the pro-life advocacy been for Trayvon Martin? Tamir Rice? Sandra Bland? Eric Garner? Rekia Boyd? Alton Sterling? Philando Castile? And the countless other Black people killed by police?
Many pro-life advocates read the Bible, so here is something I hope we can all agree upon.
The Word of God says in John 10:10 of the King James Version, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Black people want “life” and we want “life” more abundantly. Black people are tired of having thieves come and steal from us, kill us and destroy our lives and families. If anybody should understand that, and advocate for that, it should be someone who professes to be a God-fearing individual that is pro-life.
If you can’t get down with that, stop calling yourself pro-life and start calling yourself what you really are – start calling yourself pro-birth. It’s truly my hope that we can count on you to be truly pro-life though.
Jeffrey L. Boney serves as Associate Editor and is an award-winning journalist for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey is a frequent contributor on the Nancy Grace Show and has a daily radio talk show called Real Talk with Jeffrey L. Boney. He is a Next Generation Project Fellow, dynamic, international speaker, experienced entrepreneur, business development strategist and Founder/CEO of the Texas Business Alliance. If you would like to request Jeffrey as a speaker, you can reach him at jboney1@forwardtimes.com.