“Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, but in particular, and very expressly, to those of the United States of America” (1829) by David Walker, a free Black American, was a forceful condemnation of slavery and racism. In America it was a guiding light for Blacks. It radicalized Whites. It was banned in the South.
Walker urges Whites to repent before it was too late. Sooner or later God’s judgement would come down on America for what it was doing to Blacks. Either the country would sink into civil war, brother against brother, or a slave uprising would lead to the mass killing of Whites. One way or another, God would see to it that the slaves were freed. Because God is a God of justice.
Scripture: Whites loved to quote verses where slaves were told to obey their masters. And then add stuff about whips and chains.
They did not quote Luke 6:31:
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
or Acts 10:34-35:
God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Race is a distinction made by Whites, not by God.
White American Christianity is fake. Preachers go on and on about Free Masonry, Intemperance, Sabbath breaking, Sabbath mails and Infideility – and say almost nothing about slavery!
White American slavery is much worse than that practised by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans or Turks. Mainly because Whites do not see slaves as humans but as being like horses or worse. They kill them, beat them, whip them, cut them. They prevent them from becoming Christians. They prevent them from getting an education. Unlike Whites:
- The Egyptians saw slaves as human.
- The Romans prized slaves with good educations.
- The Turks would never think of throwing slaves into the sea.
- The Greeks would not think of breaking up families.
Whites have hearts of stone. They kill Blacks by inches. But Blacks bear some of the blame – for not rising up, for sometimes siding with Whites.
Scientific racism: Walker takes apart Thomas Jefferson’s scientific racism piece by piece. He says that, “unless we refute Mr. Jefferson’s arguments respecting us, we will only establish them.”
Back to Africa: Slaveholders saw free Blacks as troublemakers and wanted to get rid of them by sending them to Liberia. Walker says that Blacks have as much right to be in America as Whites do. It is their mother country too, a land watered with their tears and their blood.
Revolution: He calls the American Revolution the first revolution! He quotes the Declaration of Independence at length and says that White oppression against Blacks is far worse than British oppression against Whites ever was.
Multiracial society: Walker pictures an America where slaves are freed, where Blacks and Whites have equal rights. But even in a free society, Blacks would still have trouble because they lack education, religion and unity.
See also:
- American abolitionists
- American slavery
- Thomas Jefferson’s scientific racism
- Back to Africa
- The birth of White American racism against Blacks
- The black counter-frame against white racism – Walker’s “Appeal” is an early example. Most of the elements are already there in 1829.
This seems to me as a white person, to be something from the past, which white people did and was wrong.
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David Walker was a colored agitator.
I think he was eventually murdered for using hot-button issues to stir people up,
stepping up the bait when he was ignored and complaining about free speech rights for negroes.
He should have seen it coming.
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This seems to me as a BLACK person, to be something from the present, which many WHITE people are still doing – practicing white racism (supremacy/superiority). And OTHER WHITE people, by their silence, are complicit in maintaining the status quo!
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I think David Walker is an archetype for Mr. Neely Fuller. Do you plan on doing a post on him, Abagond??
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Well put, Matari! I will second your request. I’m sure a lot of people, especially whites, have never heard of Walker or Fuller and need to be educated about them.
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They still haven’t repented. Instead they glossed it over and swept it under the rug pretending that it never existed. I am wary of white people today and their beliefs of a “post racial society”. They still don’t think of blacks as humans and that thought freaks me out.
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@AJ: we definitely haven’t achieved a “post racial” society. One only has to listen to pretty much any discussion about race, or read any news article or opinion piece where race is mentioned (especially when written by white commentators) to know we aren’t there yet. Same goes for gender. We aren’t post-feminist, either. Sadly it may not happen anytime soon enough for those of us here today to witness a post-racial society in our lifetimes. Too many backward idiots out there don’t get why equality is necessary, nor do they understand how much more needs to be done to achieve it.
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I agree with Matari. White Americans have not changed that much since Walker’s time. Then as now:
– superiority complex
– profound moral blindness
– dehumanized view of blacks
– America is for white people
– playing down how bad slavery was
– fear of free blacks
– blacks as lazy, unintelligent, ugly
Whites whose families arrived after 1829 have apparently assimilated into this culture.
@ Matari & Melanie:
I plan to do a post on him, not sure when.
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Excellent post, Abagond. Another person of whom I’d not heard.
Walker was a prescient man.
I see Walker’s “Appeal” is available to download or read at Project Gutenberg. I will read it.
Link for anyone who wants it: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16516
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From reading this and remembering the Isis papers about the Subconcious behaviors of white people I honestly believe that for the most part American White people need to hate black people or dislike them
In general to feel GOOD about themselves. I think it’s a sense of them knowing they are a minority on this planet and from generation after generation they have developed subconscious behaviors that result in a sense of knowing they are genetically deficient to a degree and their sense of self worth is small so they distort history, religion, etc to make themselves look better. At the end if the day deep down they don’t except themselves.
So they flipped it around. They turn something in which they want but cannot get into something despised. So they try to demonized dark skin etc. So they to dislike black people, believe in racist stereotypes ( even if they make no logical sense ) in order to feel good about themselves. Their self worth relies of believing that they are better than non whites especially Black and think that they’re stupid.
I saw Mos Def on Bill Mahr and see the comments of the White viewers they were thinking he was dumb compared to Christopher Hitchens.
I doubt most white people would admit it but subconsciously they think they’re better than black people.
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The Bible isn’t clear on the subject of slavery. Although one could certainly understand how it could be used to support the practice, for instance:
Luke 12:47
King James Version (KJV)
47 And that servant (slave), which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
or:
Ephesians 6:5-8
King James Version (KJV)
5 Servants (slaves), be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond (slave) or free.
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From the first comment,
I think MOST white Americans are oblivious to their own privilege.
It’s easy for them to say that the sh* t happened in the past and I’ve even heard some say “Get over it” but there two different experiences even though
we live in the same cage… Excuse me country.
For the most part they have no clue and have absolutely not even the SAME degree of worries that black people have to face and deal with everyday. So the past is relevant because it affects the future. Everything is connected and thus it manifests into something else.
A lot of the sane things are still being done today but just in a different form. If I’m you’re enemy and you already know how I loom the first time, imam going to deceive you and change my appearance and my approach the next time to throw you off.
So it may be in the last but it’s affects still linger to this day.
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[…] "“Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, but in particular, and very expressly, to those of the United States of America”(1829) by David Walker, a free Black American, was a forceful condemnation of slavery and racism. In America it was a guiding light for Blacks. It radicalized Whites. It was banned in the South." […]
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[…] See on abagond.wordpress.com […]
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I grew up going to majority White churches.
I never heard a mumbling word about racism or oppression
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Abagond, you do realize that racism and slavery (and genocide of course, if you somehow thought Biblical slavery wasn’t “bad” enough) are major parts of the Bible? Something inherent, not something white people made up as a crutch for racism. See:
http://robertnielsen21.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/terrible-parts-of-the-bible-part-5-racism/
http://www.evilbible.com/Slavery.htm
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@ Vajackster.
“you do realize that racism and slavery (and genocide of course, if you somehow thought Biblical slavery wasn’t “bad” enough) are major parts of the Bible?”
Their are two ways Christians get around that. The first is that it was “part of Gods” plan back then but it is not part of “God’s plan now”.
The other is through theology where God is seen operating through different dispensations. The dispensation of the Old testament was “the dispensation of law” verses “the dispensation of grace” in the New Testament.
It takes away personal responsibility from the individual to act ethically and deflects it to religion and “Gods ways”.
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abagond
@ Matari & Melanie:
I plan to do a post on him, not sure when.
—————————————————————————————————-
I stand ready to provide any assistance with the UICCSC you may require.
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@vajackster
The bible is so vague, you can pretty much twist it around however you’d like.
People refuse use god as a sense of taking responsibility off of themselves but in reality it was people who gave those qualities to god.
God as you can see in images fall victim to their own notions and thus make things up along the way only to convince themselves that it was gods will but in reality it was their own.
That’s like if I’m a fat obese guy. One day i have a taste for a Big Mac. Although, I’m going on a diet I make up some vague excuse to go buy a Big Mac. The excuse is the line at the Veggie Market was too long. When in reality I could have waited an extra 5 minutes. So now in my mind, I have my excuse to go buy a Big Mac because secretly all along I wanted to eat it to begin with.
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Excuse me, not * refuse god
I meant *Use
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Whites will not repent. They will not apologize. They lack that part of humanity. You know it’s true, Abagond. Everyone reading this knows it as well.
They will claim to never have owned slaves or whatever, quote MLK and all this, but a the end, they know that they benefit from being white. No matter how many of them claim to be “part native” or “Irish” or have “black friends/grandchildren/nieces/nephews” (which always turn out to be stock photos from the internet somewhere). They will never speak against institutionalized racism. They ALL benefit from it. I don’t care how much they lie and say otherwise. That’s how they are. YOU KNOW IT, Abagond. Everyone here does. Otherwise, why the broken record dept?
Not every troll is a troll. They feel that way when they spam these threads.
They will keep killing our children and blaming us for it, yet call themselves Christian. Yeshua himself would vomit at the notion of them being his followers.
Abagond, you can go ahead and delete this post if you want, as it is your blog. I will repost it again though.
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EthiopiBabylon
@vajackster
The bible is so vague, you can pretty much twist it around however you’d like.
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But at the end of the day, you must still account for HOW and WHY people are so broken and sorry.
Ive been trying to figure it out and so far, scripture has the best explanation.
*sigh*
I suspect some of you are not yet old enough to have witnessed just how broken, sorry and pitiful people really are,
But you will;
and when you do, it will finally all make sense.
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Back to Africa is a good idea. Here’s why:
It is recognizing that a great injustice was done by removing blacks from there home.
It is sending their descendants back to their home, therefore making up for the slave trade by returning these people to where they would have been without slavery.
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David Walker kind of reminds me of Malcolm X and his by any means necessary quote. Walker praised slaves who defended themselves against their masters.
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It’s true that theologians especially during the time of slavery twisted the scriptures to justify the evils of slavery.
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David Walker fostered pride in Blackness, Black unity, and Black consciousness. This concept may have planted the seed of the Pan African movement.
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Bobby M
Back to Africa is a good idea. Here’s why:
It is recognizing that a great injustice was done by removing blacks from there home.
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Won’t work Bobby, and heres why.
ALL the black people are were/are mistreated and abused because the system of racism white supremacy is a GLOBAL system. Regardless of whether you got put on the slave ship, or left behind, you were still mistreated and abused on the basis of color.
In some cases, you were better off on the slave ship.
Racism is NOT a place, its a person. And until you deal with that person, no place is safe.
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@AverageBee
I agree with you.
They won’t repent. I think it’s a self worth thing. Why repent over something that has created a systematic structure that they benefit from?
Their communities are better, food is better. They’re not eating the greasy ass chicken wings at the corner store etc…
When I see them drive through the inner city slums and I’m on the sidewalk just looking…in my mind I’m thinking that they’ve got to sense something isn’t right here.
_________________________
Back to Africa?
Back to Africa:
“Slaveholders saw free Blacks as troublemakers and wanted to get rid of them by sending them to Liberia.”
Now I imagine of this were to happen again today:
That quote makes me think of how the media etc. Always presents the idea the black people are the problem…then why don’t those same racist white people send us back to Africa and problem solved?
If they want us gone so bad how about they raise enough money and ship as many as possible back?
You want us gone soo bad but you’re not paying for the ticket. Since we’re so poor and on welfare. Like I hear many say.
But they WON’T ever send black people back to Africa because a ton if money is made off of keeping them incarcerated.
If the drugs, and general crime rate stopped for a day…the countries economy might plummet significantly overnight.
I also don’t think many black people would go for a number of reasons.
Some want nothing to do with Africa.
We’re so quick to brag about being MIXED with something we don’t want nothing to do with being black.
We hate ourselves so much. Self esteem is incredibly low.
We disrespect ourselves but then we wanna get upset when someone disrespects us. I think that’s why in my opinion that nobody really likes black people because we don’t have pride in who we are.
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Walker’s Appeal is something I would like to read. Thanks for that link. He was surely before his time.
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“Back to Africa is a good idea.”
***************
How much money of yours are you willing to put up to make your (and other like minded whites) Back to Africa dream a reality???
Money talks!!! ….
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It’s not a good idea anymore. It was when all the slaves were freed. It would have saved many lives, like Dr. King. If after the civil war, blacks had been sent back to Africa, there would have been no Jim Crow, no segregation, no lynching, no MLK assassination.
Now, however, Blacks have made enough gains that staying in America is worthwhile and good for everyone.
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I doubt sending Blacks back to Africa would’ve made a difference in the sentiments Whites have about them or their homeland. I believe that even if Blacks were sent back, White Americans and Europeans could likely find ways to use Africa i.e. it’s natural resources and their people by any means, even if it causes destruction. Plus, there was already a heavy European presence in Africa, especially in late 1800’s in the form of aggressive imperialism.
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If Whites then recognized Africans as human beings the same way they saw themselves, the world would likely have been different. They could’ve saw Africans with respect and love, but no. Instead, they saw them as lower than tools to build their wealth.
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“If after the civil war, blacks had been sent back to Africa, there would have been no Jim Crow, no segregation, no lynching, no MLK assassination.”
**********
AND no scapegoats to blame for America’s issues!!!!!
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@ George Ryder: May I suggest “Before The Mayflower, A History of Black America, By Lerone Bennett, Jr. It is very informative.
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AND no scapegoats to blame for America’s issues!!!!!
I think it’s blacks who scapegoat others for their own issues
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@ George Ryder; I am skimming through it and I think it’s just the triangle trade. Sorry I thought it had what you were looking for.
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Da Jokah,
Of course it is, in Bizarro world LOL.
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Walker’s message was so incendiary that a bounty of $3,000 was placed on his head, and some Southern states offered $10,000 to anyone who brought him in alive. In some places in the South, those caught with Walker’s Appel risked fines and imprisonment.
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When slave Nat Turner and others rebelled, white southerners didn’t blame slavery for the rebellion they blamed Walkers’s Appeal.
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I am glad that there were some who were not afraid to fight oppression. David Walker’s Appeal reminds me of the Bob Marley song, “Get Up, Stand Up.”
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Alright, lets not go crazy.
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“If after the civil war, blacks had been sent back to Africa, there would have been no Jim Crow, no segregation, no lynching, no MLK assassination.”
_ _ _
^^This actually says more about your thoughts on the nature of whites than it does anything else.
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The Stone Center’s Black History Library shared a link.
Posted by Thomas Six Actual Conlon · a few seconds ago
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@ biggiefriez
One of Frederick Douglass’s masters quoted that very verse when he whipped a slave till she bled.
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This post is awesome! It is really great to be able to learn about another freedom fighter and trailblazer such as Mr. Walker-will definitely share this information with others, too! It’s extremely uncanny how those themes in which he talks about concerning injustice, bigotry, etc. are very much Still woven into the fabric of what we call the “United” States, even today!
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Abagond,
People will find an excuse for anything. And as the Bible provided the moral basis for western society, especially protestant society, a clause in the Bible supporting slave practices had to be found.
I suspect that slaveholders knew deep down what they were doing was immoral and finding Bible verses that could be skewed to show support for their activity helped to assuage their guilt or justify their wrath.
If they had read the whole Bible they would have happened upon the New Testament where it says this:
Matthew 7:12
King James Version (KJV)
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
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Slavers and whites believed in biological superiority as well as biological rights.
Both Christians and Jews had laws that were based on their religion which gave them legal privileges over others who weren’t of their religion and in the case of Jews their race. Whites extended that racial aspect to POC.
“12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
A versed like this gets interpreted to mean do unto others as you would have them do unto you (within your own race or religion) because “the law and the prophets” says so.
It’s not referring to humanity because “the law and prophets” were race and religion exclusive.
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Michael,
This is from the Sermon in the Mount and taken in context with Jesus other teachings it is clear that it is meant to be universal.
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@biggiefriez
It is taken universally today but I doubt the historical Jesus meant it as universal. He was speaking to a specific group that was being marginalized and exploited by both Rome and the temple system.
Just my opinion and I get that most Christians will disagree.
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“Just my opinion and I get that most Christians will disagree”.
Actually, you should assume that all Christians will disagree with you. Jesus message was universal and not tied to creed. if it wasn’t there wouldn’t be any non-Jewish Christians.
Luke 10:29-37
King James Version (KJV)
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
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@biggiefriez
The story of the good Samaritan was aimed directly at the temple system. The intent of the parable isn’t to show the goodness of the Samaritan but rather highlight the baseness and privilege of the priestly class.
It was the Samaritan who goes out of his way to ‘love thy neighbor as thy self’ not the priests who derive their wealth and connection to God from the temple. The priests would have nothing to do with the injured man because they did not want to defile themselves and corrupt their ritual purity. It was this hypocrisy that Jesus challenged. It wasn’t meant to be a lesson in mercy but rather point the finger at those whose privilege violated humanity.
The Jews considered the Samaritans unpure because they rejected the primacy of the temple in Jerusalem as the only place to worship. The Samaritans worshiped at their own temple on Mount Gerizim by the Jordan river. They were originally part of the twelve tribes and became separated after King Solomon and later mixed with non Israelite immigrants. If they were to go to Jerusalem, the one drop rule applied and they were to be segregated in the temple.
It is not the religious tenants of religion that make it good but rather the Humanistic values written into its texts.
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Points taken, but my point is that Jesus message is universal and he said so himself through the parable of the good Samaritan (who is not strictly Jewish). Jesus is telling us to follow his example in how we conduct ourselves. Our neighbor is anyone we encounter. And we show ourselves to be followers of Jesus when we address the needs of others without expectation of reward regardless of their race or religion.
Obviously, many Christians fail to follow this advice. They think going to church on Sunday and giving a few dollars makes you a Jesus follower. They think that its okay to be flawed and sinful because Jesus was sent to die for our sins. Jesus clearly says through the parable that believing in Him is not enough, to be a Christ follower you must also try to treat everyone as your neighbor. You will fail, but you must try.
This is my interpretation, sorry if its poorly described. I’m not a theologian or even a Christan.
I think we’ve totally derailed the discussion of Walker’s Appeal. In that vein I will say that it would have been nice if Jesus had explicitly forbidden the practice. Perhaps though, the Golden Rule and parable of the Good Samaritan are clear enough to those true follower’s?
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Three words. He was right.
I haven’t read the appeal myself but if Abagond’s summary is close to accurate, those three words suffice.
He was right.
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apologies to those who like to wage wide ranging debates here, I tend to stay on topic, sue me.
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Reading Nell Irvin Painter’s The History of White People and ran across a quote from Walker’s Appeal. The complete text is available online for any interested in reading: http://www.davidwalkermemorial.org/appeal
It’s not a short read, but it’s something that should be taught, deciphered and appreciated in history classes… If I had a phonebooth time machine, I would totally bring him into the present to lecture us.
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