A Shared History

It’s hard to put into words the importance of visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in West Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. It is a memorial that is stunning in its beauty and power with quotes from Dr. King’s speeches engraved along stone walls and a huge 30 foot tall statute of Dr. King in the center looking out towards all of humanity. The memorial honors his life and is a call to action for a better, more just, more equitable world where people of all races live in peace and systematic racism is overcome. It’s a message that we continue to need to hear and respond to.

February is Black History Month in the United States. I am sickened by the direction that some politicians have taken, stoking up white fear and racial hatred, denying the extreme cruelty and breath-taking abuse of human life through slavery; the ongoing reality of systematic racism and its impact on people of color; police violence and killings. Book banning. Black history classes canceled. Hatred towards immigrants. It is frightening to see these waves of lies, oppression, and evil sweeping this country. I find myself feeling shocked, helpless, unsure what part I play in it all and what I can do to make a difference. I find myself wanting to just withdraw and focus on something else, something nicer, but that is because I can. As a white woman, I have the privilege of being able to step back and pretend all is well in the world. That all have equal opportunities. But, I know that’s a lie. I know my sisters and brothers of color don’t have that same privilege. Act, we all must, because otherwise, evil wins.

The African American story quilt depicted below was designed and made by members of Hively Avenue Mennonite Church, a primarily white congregation, and Community Mennonite Church, a primarily black congregation, in a joint project supported by a grant from Central District Conference of Mennonite Church USA. The quilt was made in 2013, prior to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Though it is somewhat outdated given more recent tragedies, it still has a lot to say. The quilt unfolds its story in a clockwise pattern, starting in Africa (top left section) to the Middle Passage (top middle), slavery (top right), civil rights (bottom right), current day (bottom middle) and a future dream of healing and reconciliation (bottom left). Jesus is prominent in several blocks as are key scriptures and song phrases and an emphasis on education. Congo cloth ties it all together including forming the leaves (Revelation 22:2, “The leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations”). There is a sense of intensity, of movement and truth in the evil that’s depicted as well as hope for the future.

The project was a powerful experience. We learned from each other, had fun, but also experienced pain in our shared history as we sewed. The hardest blocks for me, personally, were creating the woman who was lynched and the vicious dog. It was hard to bring to life some of the cruelties that my black sisters and brothers experienced at white hands. Sadly, these cruelities continue albeit in different forms.

If I was to help design a quilt now, it would depict some of the more recent tragedies, lies, and power grabs. “I can’t breathe.” Black Lives Matter. Police violence and mob chaos at the Capitol. School shootings and communities destroyed. And it would show the Tolson Center. Rod Roberson. Anti-racism curriculum. Multi-cultural neighborhoods.

Ignorance, violence and hatred will always exist. The question is what will we do about it. But let’s not think too long.

~ Terri

Photos by Charles Geiser, enhanced by Howard Friesen