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While on vacation this week I took the opportunity to catch up on the mounting pile of “to read” books that rest on the corner of my desk. At the recommendation of my good friend Tim Russell, one of the books in that pile was memoir by John Perkins detailing his childhood and early years in ministry in South Central Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement of the late sixties and early seventies. I am thrilled that this is the book that I picked up first this week in that it brought new perspective to me about African American culture and the long standing and remaining injustices that remain today. John’s perspective on the Civil Rights Movement was unique to me in that he then and today continues a Gospel centered view of justice for African Americans and serves that community through the love of Christ and education.

The Aha! moment came in the book for me when I read this quote:

The Civil Rights Movement succeeded in the snese that it removed those laws that were barriers. It broke down the walls of education opportunity, economic opportunity and political opportunity. By electing black officials, the fear that went with segregation is pretty well gone.

But if we look at justice as an economic issue - especially the injustice of slavery that resulted in a lack of ownership, job opportuity and education - we haven’t had much headway. We’ve got a few more rich blacks, but they system is still a problem for most.

If black folks were getting 10 percent justice in the ’60s, they’re getting 30 percent of 40 percent now. So there has been almost triple the amount of freedom. There has been massive progress. But if we talk in terms of justice as equality, we’re still talking about an imbalance.

I would greatly encourage any believer to read this book. The insights that it gave me to are invaluable.