In Katrina I Didnt See Racism, I Saw Brotherhood
by Rabbi Aryeh Spero
Posted Sep 7, 2005
In New Orleans, beginning Tuesday morning, August 30,
I saw men in helicopters risking their lives to save
stranded flood victims from rooftops The rescuers were
White, the stranded Black. I saw Caucasians navigating
their small, private boats in violent, swirling, toxic
floodwaters to find fellow citizens trapped in their
houses. Those they saved were Black.
I saw Brotherhood. New York Congressman Charlie Rangel
saw Racism.
Yes, there are Two Americas. One is the real America,
where virtually every White person I know sends money,
food or clothes to those in need — now and in other
crises — regardless of color. This America is
colorblind.
The other is the America fantasized and manufactured
by Charlie Rangel, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who
constantly cry racism! even in situations where it
does not exist, even when undeniable images illustrate
love, compassion and concern. These three men,
together with todays NAACP, want to continue the
notion of Racist America. It is their Mantra, their
calling card. Their power, money, and continued media
appearances depend on it.
Often, people caught up in accusing others of sin
neglect to undergo their own personal introspection.
They begin to think they alone inhabit the moral high
ground. It is high time these men peered into their
own hearts at the dark chamber that causes this
unceasing labeling of their fellow Americans as
racist. They may find in that chamber their own
racism — against Whites.
There is only one real America. Beginning Friday
morning in Houston, thousands of regular citizens
poured into the Astrodome offering water, food, clean
clothes, personal items, baby diapers and toys, love
and even their homes to the evacuees who had been
bused in from New Orleans. Most of the givers were
White, most of those being helped were Black. But
there was Jesse Jackson, busy on TV, accusing the
country of not putting Blacks — i.e., him — on some
type of Commission he is demanding. Where was he early
in the week? Not sweating with others from around the
country who had scraped their last dollar to come
help. With Jesse, its always about Jesse.
After decades of hearing accusations from Jesse, Al,
Charlie, the NAACP and certain elitists about how
racist America is, it would have been refreshing to
hear them for once give thanks to those they for years
have been maligning. These self-anointed spokesmen for
the Black community lead only when it comes to
foisting guilt and condemnation, and not when it comes
to acknowledging the good in those they have made a
career in castigating.
As a Rabbi I have a message I wish to offer to my
fellow members of the cloth, Reverends Jackson and
Sharpton: It is time to do some soul searching. Your
continued efforts to tear this country apart, even in
light of the monumental goodness shown by your White
brothers, is a sin.
There are no churches in the world like the American
churches. And there are no better parishioners and
members of churches anywhere in the world. These
churches are saving the day. Their members — infused
by the special and singular teachings of our unique
American Judeo-Christian understanding of the Bible —
are, at this moment, writing an historic chapter in
giving, initiative, and selflessness. They are opening
their homes to strangers. They are doing what
government is incapable of doing.
America works because of its faith-based institutions.
It always has. That is what makes it America.
So next time the ACLU tries to diminish and
marginalize the churches, saying there is no role for
religion in American public life, that an impenetrable
wall must be erected separating the citizens from
their faith, cry out Katrina.
Next time the ACLU goes to court asking that U.S.
soldiers not be allowed to say Grace in the Mess Hall
and that communities be forbidden from setting up a
nativity scene, ask yourself: without the motivation
of Goodness sourced in Faith, would people offer such
sacrifice? Where else does this Brotherhood come from
but the Bible which teaches Thou Shall Love Thy
Neighbor as Yourself.
I saw brotherhood on Fox News, where 24/7 reporters
used their perch as a clearing-house for
search-and-rescue missions and communication between
the stranded and those in position to save. In
contrast, the Old-line networks continued with their
usual foolish, brain-numbing programming. Those who
always preach compassion chose profit over people.
The New York Times has utterly failed America. Its
columnists could have used their talents and word
skills to inspire and unite a nation. Columnists such
as Frank Rich and Paul Krugman, however, revealed
their true colors by evading their once-in-a-lifetime
chance to help and instead chose to divide, condemn,
and fuel the fires and poison the waters of Louisiana.
In them, I saw no Brotherhood. The newspaper always
preaching compassion verifies Shakespeares They
protest too much.
Similar elitists here in the northeast and on the west
coast have over the years expressed their view of the
South as unsophisticated and Texans as cowboys. Well,
the South has come through, especially Houston and
other parts of Texas, whereas, as I write this on
Labor Day, the limousine moralizers are lying on east
and west coast beaches thinking theyre doing their
part by reading Times editorials and calling George
Bush racist. How sanctimonious life becomes when
proving you are not a racist depends not on living in
a truly integrated neighborhood, but by simply calling
others racist.
Like so often in history, facts trump platitudes.
Reality reigns. Those who always preach brotherhood,
thus far have acted devoid of it. Those who for
decades have been accused by elitists of not having
compassion are the ones living it. They are: the
churches, the military, and the sons and daughters of
the South.
Rabbi Spero is a radio talk show host, a pulpit rabbi,
and president of Caucus for America.
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