The theological work of antiracism needs to include lament
The Bible shows us what to do with our frustration, outrage, and complicity.
The bus stopped outside the Watts Labor Community Action Committee in Los Angeles. We piled out—a group of clergy and congregants from various locations in the LA area with a desire to understand and engage the ways racism has played out in our own geography. Our tour of the WLCAC was an attempt to remember racism’s toll on us as individuals, as a region, and as a nation.
During the tour, we arrived at an exhibit of a noose hanging from a tree. At that moment, our guide, Tina Watkins, began to sing an a cappella rendition of “Strange Fruit” in a clear and powerful voice.
Southern trees bearing strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the roots
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
