“STAY IN THAT LINE”

Letter to Editor

By James J. Hankins

      ” You are standing in a long voting line. Your legs are tired, your back is starting to hurt, and your left foot is killing you. You can quietly slip out of that line, go to your car and none of your friends will ever know,  but a few people looking down on you will say “STAY IN THAT LINE”. Your slave ancestors who were taken from their homeland, transported in the bottom of a ship, and treated less than dogs but never gave up are saying to you. “STAY IN THAT LINE”.

Harriet Tubman (our Black Moses) who escaped to freedom but made at least 13 trips back to free other slaves would say “STAY IN THAT LINE”. Thousands of people were demoted on their jobs, fired, beaten, run out of town, and some killed fighting for Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Both bills were signed by Democrat President Lyndon Johnson. They all would say to you “STAY IN THAT LINE”. The three M’s, martyrs Medgar Evers (field secretary NAACP), Malcolm X (a thief, pimp, drug user ,and  pusher who turned his life around by writing down every word in the dictionary and memorized them while he was in prison.

He later became a Muslim Minister and one of our greatest leaders.), and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Baptist Minister/SCLC and Nobel Peace Prize laureate) all assassinated (1963, 1965 and 1968) fighting for civil rights would say to you. “STAY IN THAT LINE”. Your family members who taught you how to register and vote will not physically be in line with you but will be there in spirit are whispering to you “STAY IN THAT LINE”.  The 9 unarmed Christians killed during a Wednesday night bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church, 11 unarmed Jewish worshipers at The Tree OF Life Synagogue and the 17 unarmed teenagers at Parkland High School are also whispering “STAY IN THAT LINE”.

The following unarmed Black men and ladies were killed by  police officers or vigilantes: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Botham Jean, Tamin Rice, Dominique White,  Trayvon Martin, Jordan Edwards, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Terence Crutcher, Alton Sterling, Bettie Jones, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Laquan McDonald, and Oscar Grant. Looking down from heaven saying. “STAY IN THAT LINE”. I call their names because I am all 60 of them. You and I could have been killed or still can be killed like our sisters and brothers, but for the grace of GOD.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote about harmony with the family, guidelines for slaves/ masters and fighting against evil. Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm”.