Rhetoric, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965

Volume 2

Davis W. Houck, David E. Dixon, Davis W. Houck, David E. Dixon

• Publisher: Baylor University Press
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781481301923
• Topic: Sprachen & Linguistik
• Subtopic: Rhetorik

Building upon their critically acclaimed first volume, Davis W. Houck and David E. Dixon's new Rhetoric, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965 is a recovery project of enormous proportions. Houck and Dixon have again combed church archives, government documents, university libraries, and private collections in pursuit of the civil rights movement's long-buried eloquence. Their new work presents fifty new speeches and sermons delivered by both famed leaders and little-known civil rights activists, on national stages and in quiet shacks. The speeches carry novel insights into the ways in which individuals and communities utilized religious rhetoric to upset the racial status quo in divided America during the civil rights era. Houck and Dixon's work illustrates again how a movement so prominent in historical scholarship still has much to teach us.

1954

 

1954

§1 Simcha Kling

Rabbi Simcha Kling was born in 1922 in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Cincinnati, a master’s degree from Columbia University, and a master’s and doctorate from Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. He was ordained in 1948. He and his wife, Edith (née Leeman), raised three daughters. He served as rabbi to congregations in Greensboro, North Carolina, and St. Louis, Missouri. Rabbi Kling was also an active scholar, authoring a book on conversion titled Embracing Judaism and also staying current on Zionist theorists such as Ahad Ha‘am and Nahum Sokolow. He was heavily involved in the Rabbinical Assembly from 1956 to 1984. Rabbi Kling died February 26, 1991, at the age of sixty-nine. His papers are housed at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

In this May 21, 1954, sermon to his congregation in Greensboro titled “Proclaim Liberty,” Rabbi Kling tells congregants of his recent meeting with conservative rabbis. The most notable occurrence at the meeting, he says, was the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision to abolish segregation in public schools. Lest the Greensboro faithful disagree in principle with mixing religious services and politics, he insists several times that the Brown decision is so monumental and far-reaching that it demands the attention of religious leaders and their communities. Judaism and Christianity insist that all humans are of the same origin and of equal value to the God who made them in His own image. The secular ideals of the U.S. founders side with the Judeo-Christian ethic in this regard, as can be seen in such artifacts as the Liberty Bell inscription. Racism, in these traditions, is irreligious, and little by little, even secular institutions are progressing toward a more complete version of these ideals. Though he suspects his congregation is less racist than most, he assumes there are still vestiges of prejudice such as stereotyping. He offers a positive vision that integration will allow us finally to see that all races can be equal in intellect, and casts aside the specter of racial intermarriage. Such an assumption, he argues, is the same as saying that Christians and Jews will intermarry if they attend schools together. His solution to that possibility is to assert the value of all traditions and guarantee their continuity by making their ways of life attractive to new generations.

Proclaim Liberty

May 21, 1954
Greensboro, North Carolina

This past week, I have told several interesting experiences which I hope to relate to you shortly. Not only did I meet with other Conservative rabbis and have the privilege of listening to our revered teachers, Professor Mordecai Kaplan and the chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Professor Louis Finkelstein, but saw the Conservative movement take several forward steps. However, one event this week so surpassed anything and everything else that I feel duty bound, precisely because we are a southern community, to address myself to it. The decision of the Supreme Court to abolish segregation in the public schools was of such historic and religious significance that I feel I must speak of it from the pulpit at a religious service. And I am glad that our children are present. Whether they understand me or not, they will come to realize, as they grow up, that the discussion of this historic decision on Shabbat is evidence of the religious teachings about man.

Indeed, the court’s decision was not a mere judicial decision; it was an overwhelming act of faith. Dr. Finkelstein told us that he was in Washington just last week and spoke with one of the Supreme Court justices who told him that the outcome of this case would be difficult to predict. Just last week, no one could foresee that the decision would be a unanimous one! The fact that it was is not only a tribute to our highest tribunal: it is a tribute to the strength and power of American democracy. And, in these days, it is wonderful and exhilarating to know that democracy is still strong and courageous, that it is not merely an abstract ideal but a concrete reality. Indeed, at a time when many of us are depressed at the turn of world affairs—at a time when most of us are sorely distressed at the Senate of our United States degenerating and disgracing us—at a time when we are seriously worried about liberty and freedom—precisely at such a time, the highest court of the United States reaffirmed the essential democracy of this land. It proclaimed officially and fearlessly that discrimination is evil and therefore can no longer be permitted. It acted in keeping with the religious teaching of our Torah and of our rabbis, the religious teaching accepted by our daughter-religion, Christianity, the faith that all men are brothers, that we are all children of one God. It has helped make a reality of the biblical injunction “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” of the teaching “Justice, justice shall ye pursue.” The first man and woman in the Garden of Eden were not depicted as white or black or red or yellow. The parents of all mankind were simply human beings, and the color of skin never had a place in asserting human values. The world, however, did not readily accept the teachings of our faith. Every group felt that it was superior, innately superior, born superior. There is a Chinese legend which tells that man came from clay. God first baked some clay, but it burned and came out black. He therefore rejected it. Then, he prepared the next brick of clay out of which he would create man. But he took it out of the fire too soon and it was a pale color. That was not good either. The third attempt was successful—the clay brick was neither burnt nor underdone, neither black nor white. It was yellow or tan, a medium color—just right. Similar legends can be found among other peoples, each trying to show that its particular group is the best, is chosen by God because of group superiority. Do we not know, in our own day, the pagan myth of the superiority of all blond hair and blue eyes, the “Aryan” race? The Torah is therefore all the more amazing in insisting that every race and every nation is created in the same image as the Jew and therefore must be treated with the dignity befitting God’s creatures. Rabbinic literature reflects the same lack of chauvinism, the same demand for respect and equal treatment for all. Whereas other religions may have condemned to perdition all who did not accept its teachings, the rabbis taught the righteous of every nation have a share in salvation and that we should encourage non-Jews to be faithful to their own traditions and highest beliefs.

The founding fathers of America were quite familiar with the Bible and were deeply influenced by our religious teachings. On the Liberty Bell, they inscribed a verse from last week’s sidra: “And ye shall proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.” No one could say that we have actually carried out democratic principles throughout all of American life, but we have continually spread those principles throughout more and more of life. At one time, we had slavery, but a great president and a determined people put an end to that. At one time, Jews were not permitted to enter certain areas of American life. These areas have now been narrowed down, limited, virtually eradicated. And soon we shall be able to say that at one time people happened to be born of a different color used to be subjected to inferior education, to the insult of segregation, to the disgrace of not being able to contribute the best of an individual’s abilities and capabilities; but, on May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States rendered a decision that advanced liberty and spelled triumph for our religious and democratic convictions.

I fully recognize that implementation and transition may be slow and difficult. It is very hard to eradicate prejudice, even though it be irrational and completely unfounded. Some of the rabbis at the convention asked me if I, occupying a pulpit in the South, would preach on the Supreme Court decision this Friday night, and I told them that I most assuredly would do so. It so happens, I said, that my congregation, fortunately, does not need such a talk as much as other, more prejudiced ones would. But even we must have brought before us the great spiritual accomplishments of this week. I am sure that even though no one has actually expressed their bias to me, personally, there no doubt must be some anti-Negro prejudice, even among our people. If there is such, I can only say unhesitatingly that such prejudice is absolutely unfounded and is unequivocally irreligious. One cannot be prejudiced and be true to God! One cannot be biased and believe in the Jewish or Christian religion! Negroes are not born more or less intelligent than whites, are not born slower or quicker than whites, are not born with any different brain capacity from other peoples. If we find some who are poor and apparently unintelligent, we find whites who are the same. If we find some who are slow, we find whites the same. If you believe the charge that Negroes exude a peculiar odor, you must know that every human being does. I can but repeat the statement of Marshall Wingfield: “Prejudice is not held against people because they have evil qualities. Evil qualities are imputed to people because prejudices are held against them.” We can rest assured that once Negroes are given the same opportunities as other people, given the same kind of education and the same social and economic opportunities, we will find that they think, act, react, produce, and create the same as other citizens. Perhaps the South has not had much chance to find this out until now; now, it will have the opportunity.

And it is a great opportunity. Now, many more boys and girls will grow up to contribute to the welfare of our communities and of our country. Until now, we have foolishly withheld from ourselves a great source of better citizenry. Once the insult of segregation is removed and our schools are opened up to the children of every member of our community, we shall produce a more educated and more tolerant population. Remember that all children attending the same school is democracy in action. It is more than removing a stigma from colored children, and it is more than giving all children equal educational opportunities. It also means a lessening of all prejudice. We are afraid of or dislike that which we do not know or are unfamiliar with. Once all children begin going to school together and playing together, they will grow up to be friendly with one another, to understand one another, to cooperate, and to live in harmony.

And let me point out that the charge that Negroes and whites will come to intermarry is as false as the statement that intergroup marriage of Jews and Christians will ensue because they attend the same school and play together. We do not wish any group to disappear! All groups are valuable and have something important to contribute to the welfare of society. But it is the duty of the home to teach particular values and to make the group way of life so attractive and so wonderful that its young people will seek to preserve it, marrying only within the group. The role of the public schools in a democracy, on the other hand, is to teach children how—while maintaining their own group identity—at the very same time, to live together harmoniously, to know one another and cooperate with each other, to live as friends and brothers.

This goal, thanks to the Supreme Court decision, is now in the realm of reality. We no longer pay lip service to the ideal of democracy; now, we can live it. God grant that the verse from Leviticus engraved on the Liberty Bell will be deeply engraved on the hearts and minds of each one of us: “And ye shall proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.”

1955

1955

§2 Thomas Buford Maston

Thomas Buford Maston, born on November 26, 1897, was the youngest of four sons born to Samuel and Sarah Maston. The Mastons lived in Jefferson County, Tennessee, during Thomas’ youth. He received his bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman Baptist College in 1920. He then moved to Fort Worth, Texas, to attend Southwestern Baptist Seminary. While at Southwestern, Maston married fellow seminary student Essie Mae McDonald, and both Thomas and Essie began teaching at the school. After Southwestern, Maston enrolled at Texas Christian University, graduating with a master’s in sociology. Over time he became concerned with ethics and the everyday application of Christian teachings. No program existed within the Southern Baptist seminaries specifically focused on ethics, so in hopes of forming such a program, Maston first went to Yale to earn a Ph.D. While there, Maston worked under H. Richard Niebuhr, one of the most prominent social ethicists of his generation. During his schooling, Maston’s first son, Tom, was born. An injury caused cerebral palsy, and so Essie quit teaching to take care of their incapacitated son. T. B. Maston returned to Texas after Yale and started a program in Christian ethics. Maston taught at Southwestern Seminary from 1922 to 1963. During his time as a professor, he also devoted considerable energy to the civil rights movement. Maston wrote twenty-seven books and numerous articles on Christian approaches to global issues such as racism. Maston passed away on May 1, 1988, at the age of ninety. His papers are housed at the Southern Baptist Historical Society.

This address before the Southern Baptist’s Christian Life Commission offers a near ideal example of Aristotelian organizational principles; it cleaves neatly into three general points: What is the origin of racism? What does the Bible say about racism? What should we do about racism? Each of these broader categories is further divided into subpoints. Concerning the origin of racism he notes: it is a universal problem—we are in the midst of a world crisis where the majority of humans are dark-complected and losing patience; it has economic and political aspects, but it is most importantly a spiritual and moral problem. Concerning the Bible’s treatment of racism, he offers a barrage of memorized scriptural passages while patiently telling his audience that there is no need to open the book and try to flip through all of them. Familiar themes here are unity of origin, the image of God, and universal salvation. Perhaps his most unusual inclusion is the antimaterialist vein. If we had a cotton scale, and put any single human on one side, and tried to balance it with all the material things in existence, the one human would outweigh the totality of material reality. Concerning our proper response to racism, his answers are blunt: recognize the problem; stay calm; do not let fear of intermarriage make you do the wrong thing; apply Christian ideals as best you can; side with those who wish for education to exist for all; obey the law; and face up to the realities of what the U.S. Supreme Court and Christianity require.

I Have Not a Demon

August 18, 1955
Christian Life Conference

This morning the discussion is on the teachings of the Bible concerning race and relations. I want to say three things introductory as we begin.

First of all is that race feelings or race prejudices are universal, or at least practically so seemingly universal—at least so far as I have been able to find out. I find folks every once in a while who claim that they have no racial prejudice. I do not make that kind of a claim. I think practically all of us have some racial prejudice. There are many factors that contributed to that racial prejudice—I do not believe that racial prejudice is innate. I do not believe that we are born with it. I think there is at least one psychological basis for it, but I do think we have naturally an aversion for those who are drastically different from the norm—from the generally accepted—and if the norm for our group is to be white then we may have an aversion for those who differ very noticeably from it—that norm. I think we see that a little bit in our attitude toward those who are deformed—toward those who are peculiar—who are eccentric—if extreme, we tend to have an aversion for them; we tend to withdraw from them—and if there is any psychological basis for racial prejudice, I think that’s about all there is to it. But I do not think that it is inborn, that it is innate—I do think that our racial prejudices in the main are caught like we catch the measles—we’re exposed. The environment in which we live is highly charged with racial prejudice. It would be a miracle if we did not become prejudiced. It is a part of our social heritage in being exposed to the prejudice that we ourselves become prejudiced to some degree. You see that in children. In the main at least you have noticed small children in communities where there are those of different racial groups they do not have any aversion for playing one with the other, from a free association with one another. But as they get older, and their associates, and sometimes their parents, and shame on us, sometimes even Sunday school teachers and church workers tend to build these prejudices in too.

You remember what the Quaker said—I’ve heard it quoted one time since I’ve been here—that all the world is peculiar except me and thee—and sometimes I think thee is a little peculiar. And we do have some tendency to withdraw from those that are a little peculiar. And incidentally, I do not know that there is anything that will come nearer testing how much we’ve caught of the Spirit of Christ than our attitude toward those who are different—and I mean different along [word missing] lines—I’m talking about the handicapped—I’m talking about the crippled—I’m talking about the infirmed—I’m talking about the one who is mentally handicapped even—and shame on us for the attitudes in the main that we have toward them.

The second thing introductory that I want to say is just a little bit about the scope of the race problem. It is worldwide—it is a major factor in the world crisis of our day. It is found in the Orient, in Africa, among the colored...