Ebony and Ivory

Good morning, friends and family.

As grateful as I was to get out of bed early this morning, I was also grieved at the social media conversations and the vitriol regarding the death of George Floyd that streamed across my timeline just like the heavy rainfall is tumbling down my window right now.

How well do you remember the song “Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder? Here are some of the lyrics.

We all know that people are the same wherever you go
There is good and bad in ev’ryone
We learn to live, when we learn to give
Each other what we need to survive, together alive

This song was written in 1982. I was 11 or 12 years old. Know what was happening in New York City during this time? The exact same thing that is happening now when it comes to racial inequality, violence against dark skinned persons by police in general (I was a victim of this approximately 3 years later), and other assorted human rights offenses. This song was intended to promote unity. Did it miss the mark?

The song was heavily criticized as being overly simplistic to the point that it insulted people. In layman’s terms, everyone already knows what is needed so they don’t need anyone to say it or sing it. (The song was banned in South Africa for obvious reasons that you can research yourself using key search terms as Apartheid, Academy Awards, 1984, and Nelson Mandela)

So if this song is oversimplified, why didn’t anything change since everyone already knew this was necessary? Now we get to the “it” of it all. Yesterday, if my timeline could talk, it would say “Please stop.” It would say “I can’t take anymore.” It may even try to use its imaginary hands and plug its imaginary fingers into its imaginary ears so it didn’t have to listen to one more word, one more fight, one more passive-aggressive jab, and one more demeaning, insensitive comment. But alas, that’s now how it works. What is at work are so-called believers (of which I am proudly a member) attacking each other from opposite sides of the racial divide, trying to assert points and counterpoints, and dig in on theological issues, spouting hermeneutics, and questioning the hearts of their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We got people whose spouses, children, or friends are African American and in their foolish pride, think they have a grassroots understanding of their plight in today’s culture. They post and comment from a perspective that they “get it” and they know what is best for them and can advise on how they should think and feel. I am telling you today, tomorrow, and any other day that your stance isn’t your speaking your truth. It’s wrong. It’s not about your theology. It’s not about your personal sense of comfort. It’s not about your self-righteouness in silence or in boasting of knowledge or your countless degrees. They all mean nothing in the light of this. It’s not about you.

One of the reasons the song was even inspired by McCartney was hearing these words of a fellow musician named Spike Milligan: “Black notes, White notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!”

As an avid lover of the piano, I get the musical nuance in that but I also get the overarching point too. Ever tried to play a song with only major notes or minor notes? Tell me how it sounded. Ever sung a song that as constructed that way? It just has something missing. There is a huge void that no amount of riffing or vocal theatrics can fill. It goes beyond 61 keys on a piano and the limitations of men. We cannot achieve perfect harmony without each other. I don’t know if the authors of this song thought about this at all but the kind of sound they were singing about is one that reaches even to the depth of our souls. It is also the sound of Heaven if you subscribe to that reality and desire inclusion to such a wonderful community!

Critics of this song, just like those that are bantering on your social media timeline as we speak, are carrying the baggage of the same retort: “We already know this. You don’t need to say it again.” In laymen’s terms, I am tired of hearing about this. It’s not my fault. Just let it go and get over it. I don’t have any responsibility for what happened to you years ago. Let the past stay in the past. Why don’t we (or you) just be quiet? Things will be so much better if you don’t talk about this.

Honestly, in all of the infighting and critiquing that’s going on, what gets lost is the reason why you even came together in this steel cage to duke it out for the Self Righteous World Championship: A man was literally killed on video by a police officer while all parties put their hands in their pockets. If this was a contest to see who could do the most damage without taking any responsibility or ownership, then there is more than one loser here. Look Ma, no hands!

A dark skinned person of color was killed in a manner reminiscent of 1982 and many years just like that back in New York City. In ways reminiscent to what South Africans had seen with alarming regularity. In times long before that where those still alive (or their grandchildren) that witnessed the atrocities of slavery or even benefited from them would rather we all just forget…or perhaps would like us to remember, whichever they prefer nowadays. It has happened and still is today. At this point, silence and consent have clearly been outed as lovers and have been for centuries. It’s one of the worst kept secrets ever.

I am reminded of a passage that I shared with a mentee this past week that strikes a chord today and one that I believe sheds some light on that earlier question of the “Ebony and Ivory” song had back in 82.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22-25)

It comes down to knowledge versus practice. The religious scholars of their times were content with the knowledge they were the seed of Abraham, thinking that was enough to avoid judgment and to curry the favor of God. Jesus came in like a bull in a china shop, bursting their self-righteous bubbles, labeling them hypocrites, not because of the knowledge they had but their blatant refusal to practice what they boasted in knowing. (James 4:17)

So for all the insult swapping and grand-standing, know it is all pointless because we are all guilty of having a sinful heart, falling short of the glory of God and deserving of destruction had Jesus not laid down his life for his friends. Where the issue that rises to the top in today’s times is that we don’t actively listen to our brothers and sisters. We only want to make our point and feel righteous and justified about how much knowledge we have and how smart people think we are. We have become devoid of compassion. If a student gets a failing grade in a subject they need to pass to graduate, they have the choice of not graduating and being forced to face the topic eventually coupled with the embarrassment of not walking with their peers at graduation or they can study harder and apply themselves to learn the concepts and go for that elusive “A” on the retest and pass the course. Some avoid graduation and live with not trying to understand the difficult concept.

Some say they don’t see color. Some might even choose to remain silent while you hurt and resurface when things are happier on social media again. Some might even slide into your DMs to let you know they are not like those other people and they are not bigots and tell you secretly they don’t agree with what is going on. At the end of the day, it’s about doing what we know is right by the perfect law of liberty and continuing to do so in actions that go beyond our words alone.

The piano, as simplistic an example as it may be (please forgive me, critics) is a great reminder of how much harmony is the primary requirement for a beautiful sound. If harmony is the primary goal, then you have to have an listening ear to hear, flexibility to adapt and adjust to change, and a rudimentary understanding of the importance of both keys and how they sound when pressed together. Isolating one key from another limits the potential of the instrument and runs counter to its full purpose. Alone, they the keys are nothing. Together, the potential for a glorious sound is unlimited.

Just so we don’t forget…..in case you’re having frank discussions with your children or your co-workers, his name was Gordon Floyd. He was killed by a police officer. He was a security guard. he was quiet and soft spoken. He worked at the Salvation Army. He was an African American man just like I am, and your children, your spouse, and your friends may be. He had a family. He had needs and fears. He had dreams and aspirations. He bled. He needed to breathe. Just like we do. He didn’t deserve to die like an animal. He is one of many.