It takes discipline to resist the temptation of identity politics and lean into character. But it’s worth it

Character. I person thought astir that connection overmuch lately, particularly since Monday was the time we observed Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. It was besides the time of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Hardly a time goes by erstwhile idiosyncratic doesn’t punctuation to maine King’s possibly astir celebrated words astir not judging a antheral by the colour of his tegument but by the contented of his character. However, bash we genuinely signifier seeing quality these days?

I accidental signifier due to the fact that it is simply a skill. It takes nary accomplishment to assertion an individuality of immutable characteristics. All 1 has to bash is measurement into the authorities of that peculiar individuality and talk successful its pre-approved clichés. It besides takes nary accomplishment to marque drawback judgments based disconnected someone’s immutable characteristics. This requires thing little than ignoring the individuality of the idiosyncratic earlier you and sticking them with each stereotype that comes with that peculiar identity.

Too often we spot this benignant of behaviour successful the cesspool of societal media and from our alleged thought leaders who beryllium down podcast microphones stirring up outrage to enactment their pockets with click-bait money. The irony is that galore of them archer america to spot quality and yet they signifier the opposite.

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Seeing one’s quality doesn’t marque money.

Even I person been asked by others to spot colour archetypal and foremost. When I was connected the rooftop raising funds for my assemblage center, we heard astir however a achromatic vicinity successful North Chicago had to prosecute information guards aft the George Floyd protests due to the fact that unit was going on. 

As we prepared to grounds that communicative for Fox, respective radical came up to maine and stressed that we should marque it astir achromatic radical yet getting a sensation of the unit that plagued our neighborhood. I resisted outright. This was not radical for me. This was astir the downward spiral that the values of our metropolis were going down into. I near contention retired of it and produced what I believed to beryllium a acold amended and insightful story.

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It takes subject to defy the temptation of individuality authorities and to excavation deeper down into the quality of the idiosyncratic oregon adjacent the quality of nine astatine a fixed moment. When 1 does, 1 often arrives astatine a deeper and much profound meaning that is person to the truth. This shouldn’t beryllium astonishing because, aft all, quality is quality truth.

We unrecorded successful the United States of America and that should mean something. If determination is thing I learned from King and his agelong conflict for civilian rights it was the acquisition of striving to beryllium a man, an individual. Those ft soldiers of his often carried signs proclaiming, "I americium a Man." That was the precise essence of our conflict and what was denied to america nether centuries of brutal oppression.

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So past wherefore would I betray King for the low-class instant gratification of playing individuality politics? I person disciplined myself to locomotion the way of quality and that prime has brought maine overmuch fruit. 

Today I americium successful the mediate of gathering a $45 cardinal assemblage halfway wherever our absorption and the instauration of everything we bash volition beryllium character. My vicinity whitethorn beryllium mostly Black but we are raising men and women of quality and it is my anticipation that they volition go truthful palmy that their names mean thing to you 1 day.

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Pastor Corey Brooks, known arsenic the "Rooftop Pastor," is the laminitis and Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the CEO of Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), the church's section mission. He gained nationalist attraction for his 94-day and 343-day rooftop vigils to alteration the notorious "O-Block," erstwhile known arsenic Chicago's astir unsafe block, into #OpportunityBlock. Learn much astatine ProjectHOOD.org.