<p class="s21"><span class="s20"><span class="bumpedFont15">WHO I AM – WHY I AM – WHAT I DO -- </span></span><span class="s20"><span class="bumpedFont15">PART 8</span></span></p>
<p class="s22">​<span class="s12"><span class="bumpedFont20">Again</span></span><span class="s12"><span class="bumpedFont20">, JESUS WAS BLACK – Not a blond hair, blue eyed, peace and love promoting prophet…</span></span></p>
<p class="s22">​<span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Last week, </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">I shared my certainty that </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">there are some who may be asking, “Why does it matter if Jesus </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">was</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> Black or not?”</span></span> <span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">First, I shared that it matters that Jesus was Black </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">because it is true.</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> We all should have a desire to support what is true and reject all lies – no matter how comfortable those lies make us feel. </span></span></p>
<p class="s22">​<span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Second, I shared that it matters</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> that Jesus was Black </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">because </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">it </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">challenges us to rethink what we think about Black people. Throughout our history in this country, we have been, and continue to be taught that everything about us is bad. </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Every distinct feature and characteristic that make us uniquely who we are as Black people has been determined to be bad. </span></span></p>
<p class="s22">​<span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Third, on today I share that it matters that Jesus was Black because it forces us, and some of us need to be forced, to acknowledge that we </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">have been intentionally and systematically </span></span><span class="s24"><span class="bumpedFont20">Mis</span></span><span class="s24"><span class="bumpedFont20">-educated </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">(in the words of Carter G. Woodson) and therefore, cannot trust what was taught, and continues to be taught, to us and about us regarding our overall contribution to culture and </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">civilization in this world. I am speaking much more deeply than gaining credit for inventing the straightening comb, </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">the process for se</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">parating plasma from whole blood, </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">the electric light bulb filament or 300 uses for a peanut. I am speaking of our overall contribution to the creating and sustaining of human culture and civilization that has been either denied and/or diminished.</span></span> <span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Think about this:</span></span></p>

<div class="s26"><span class="s25">✓ </span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">If they </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">would</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> lie about the ethnicity of Jesus</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> [which Matthew 1:1-17 easily proves that Jesus African and Jewish blood, and not one drop of European blood…]</span></span></div>
<div class="s26"><span class="s25">✓ </span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">If they </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">would</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> lie about the curse on all Black people because of the </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">supposed </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">curse of Ham</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> [which Genesis 9:25 easily proves that the curse was placed upon Ham’s son, Canaan, and was fulfilled when the Children of Israel went into Jericho and conquered the Canaanites…]</span></span></div>
<div class="s26"><span class="s25">✓ </span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">If they </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">would</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> lie about </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">the Bible supporting the kidnapping and enslavement of African people</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> [which </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Exodus 21:16</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> easily</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20"> shows how God feels, </span></span><span class="s27"><span class="bumpedFont20">16 </span></span><span class="s24"><span class="bumpedFont20">“He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death</span></span><span class="s24"><span class="bumpedFont20">.”</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">]</span></span></div>
<div class="s26"><span class="s25">✓ </span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">If they would lie by publishing a Bible in 1807 titled, </span></span><span class="s24"><span class="bumpedFont20">Parts of the Holy Bible, selected for the use of the Negro Slaves, in the British West-India Islands</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">, which omits the Exodus story and every other Bible passage that would encourage rebellion or liberation </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">[</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">Note: the Bible has 1,189 chapters. This Bible for slaves has 232 </span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">chapters]</span></span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">.</span></span></div>
<div class="s26"><span class="s25">✓ </span><span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">They would, and will continue to, lie about anything and everything that would assist us in knowing who we are, knowing why we are and knowing what we are purposed by God to do. </span></span>​<span class="s12"><span class="bumpedFont20">-- To be continued next week </span></span><span class="s12"><span class="bumpedFont20">–</span></span></div>