Dear Pastor,
On May 25, 2007, 30
The letter that came to them claims to speak for white people. Obviously it does not. But white pastors in Hampton Roads now have a God-given opportunity to publicly respond to such sinful rhetoric by someone claiming to speak for whites on racial issues. Together, we white Christian leaders can send a letter to that white-supremacist group clearly declaring our opposition to their position. If we do send this letter, the Virginia-Pilot may do a story on our letter, according to the Pilot reporter I spoke with.
This is an opportunity to show our community where white pastors stand on racism and the so-called white supremacist agenda. To not say something in response can imply that the white pastors of Hampton Roads do not disagree with what has been publicly said against Blacks. Please lend your name and that of your church to this prophetic statement of truth. The white supremacists need to hear us and so does our region--especially the minorities in Tidewater who may wonder where the white pastors and their churches stand on such issues.
There were many decades when white pastors did not speak up against racial injustice and oppression in Tidewater against Jews and Blacks. Now is our chance to make amends and to not allow this group or any group to think that the Church will tolerate racial oppression of any kind in Hampton Roads.
The letter was designed to frighten and intimidate innocent people for daring to oppose racial abuse against Blacks. According to Susan White of the Virginian-Pilot, parts of the letter were so abusive that the Pilot could not print all of it in the newspaper. The letter used the N-word six times in three paragraphs. The cover story of an magazine included with the letter was called "The Negro Beast". The magazine carried derogatory articles about Jews and blacks.
This letter ended with this veiled threat:
"You may get one over on your landlord this time, and you may not. But know that the white community has noticed you and we know that you are and will never be anything more than a dirty parasite - and that our patience with you and the government that coddles you runs thin."
Jesus said His people were to be like a city on a hill--doing good works so that others would see them and glorify Him. This is such a time when the Christian leaders of Tidewater can glorify the Father by standing for His truth and His love for all people. Loving our neighbor requires no less than this. To not speak out now allows people to believe that we agree with such a letter--as many of our forebears have in this region just decades ago. Silencio dabit consentio: Silence gives consent.
I strongly encourage you to add your name and that of your church to this letter that will be sent to the group that has tried to intimidate our region's residents. To add your name, simply reply to this email with your name and the name of your church. Doing so means that you agree to have the letter below sent to the accusing group with your name and church name printed as signatories to the letter. By giving me your name and church name, you also agree that this letter and its signatories may also be printed in the Virginian-Pilot. Give us your name even if you cannot give us your church name to use due to church approval protocols that would substantially delay the sending of the letter. See the letter below.
If you need more information, this web link tells the story, complete with a short video:
http://www.wvec.com/news/local/stories/wvec_local_052507_hate_mail.db19fb9.html
This web link tells more of the story: http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=125448&ran=6137
Confession of a former Christian white-supremacist who used the Bible to recruit: http://www.geocities.com/onemansmind/hg/Cochran.html
The Letter
Mr. Bill White
Commander
The American National Socialist Workers' Party
PO Box 8601
Roanoke, VA 24014
Dear Mr. White:
The below-named pastors of Hampton Roads feel compelled to respond to your letter of last May to the residents of an apartment complex in Virginia Beach who filed a Fair Housing Discrimination lawsuit against their landlord on racial issues.
As you know, some of our Christian forefathers have not spoken out as clearly or as often as they should have against statements such as yours. We also deeply regret that. As white spiritual leaders in our cities and in this region, we ought to have clearly declared that God is totally opposed to racial discrimination of any kind against Blacks or Jews or any other group. Your previous anti-semitic statements are particularly hard for us to understand. All Christians follow Jesus, a Jew whom we believe to be the Jewish Messiah, who declared that "salvation is from the Jews" ( John 4:22).
In your letter to the apartment residents, Mr. White, you claim to speak for white people when you wrote:
"You may get one over on your landlord this time, and you may not. But know that the white community has noticed you and we know that you are and will never be anything more than a dirty parasite - and that our patience with you and the government that coddles you runs thin." ( Emphasis added)
The below-named white pastors of Hampton Roads cannot and do not agree with you. We, too, notice those residents you wrote to. They are valuable members of our community who have a destiny from God just as you do. America is a great nation partly because it is a blend of many ethnic groups and nationalities. Native Americans voluntarily kept starving white Englishmen alive with donations of corn in the 1607 Virginia Colony. Blacks later made America prosperous by their hard labor in our tobacco and cotton fields. Chinese helped build our railroads. Now Latins pick our crops that feed our nation. America is built upon the talents and hard work and mutual respect of many ethnic groups. This is what has made America great: her citizens have learned to respect and honor each other despite many differences.
Because these things are true, we cannot agree with your beliefs that the color of a person's skin or their ethnic derivation determines his or her value as a human being. If you had received a letter condemning you because you are white, we would be equally strong to defend your dignity and value. This is the American way. This is why God has blessed America for so many years. American values and laws are often rooted in the Bible of the Jews and the Christians. Respect and love for people of every ethnic group is one of those values. As a nation, we have not often followed that belief as well as we should, but today, in the 400th Anniversary of the white Virginia Colony that founded America, we affirm that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Your letter, Mr. White, makes mockery of those rights. As white Christians and as Americans, we appeal to you to uphold the Bible and the Constitution of the United States which both affirm that all Americans should be treated with respect and dignity.
Sincerely,
The below-named Pastors
