{"id":33505,"date":"2023-10-19T18:33:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T01:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=33505"},"modified":"2023-10-19T18:33:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T01:33:28","slug":"colin-powell-and-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/colin-powell-and-kindness\/","title":{"rendered":"Colin Powell and Kindness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Black Dignity: The Struggle Against Domination<\/em> by Vincent Lloyd was an interesting read for me this week. It was one of those books that I read cover to cover because I wanted to capture all that it was saying. As I reflect now on the writing, there are some aspects of the book that I can agree with, and some I find harsh or troubling. In this post I will look at a few trouble spots I had in my heart as I read the book. Then I will follow that with an example of a successful black American in recent history. Finally I will look at kindness, because that is really how we need to deal with one another. That’s the bottom line.<\/p>\n

Some Trouble Spots<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think that the most troubling part of the book, for me, dealt with the family unit and the author’s views on this. [1] He also talked in dismal terms of Christianity as we know it, and this bothered me as well. [2] The author also painted a picture in the book of hopelessness for black Americans today. [3] On page 104, Martin Luther King Jr.’s character and work is considered “suspect”. [4] This is the first time I have ever read anything like this about King. Maybe I am living in a shell. I don’t know. Here in southern Mississippi, Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero, and a saint. He is respected and honored by all races. To consider him anything less today seems outrageous.<\/p>\n

A Successful Black American Example in a Harsh Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I think of black American leaders in our recent history, that are certainly modern examples for young and old alike, my mind goes immediately to Colin Powell. He was born in 1937 in Harlem, New York. [5] He passed away just recently, in 2021, due to complications from Covid and cancer. [6] His parents were Luther and Maud Powell, both immigrants from Jamaica. [7] They were very poor. [8] He grew up in South Bronx and attended the New York City public school system. [9] He married Alma Johnson and had two daughters and one son. [10]<\/p>\n

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He enlisted in the United States Army and actually served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War. [11] First President John F. Kennedy sent him there. One year later he was wounded, and was awarded his first Purple Heart. [12] He returned to Vietnam in 1968 for a second tour of duty as a commander. This time he was recognized for his bravery when he escaped a helicopter crash, but kept returning to the scene of the accident to rescue his fellow soldiers. [13]<\/p>\n

He served thirty-five years in the United States Army, and rose to the rank of four star general. [14] In 1987, he served as National Security Advisor under President Ronald Reagan. [15] In 1989, under President George H.W. Bush, he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [16] And from the years 1989 to 1993 when he retired from military service, he oversaw twenty-eight military crises – including Desert Storm, and the Persian War against Iraq. [17]<\/p>\n

Colin Powell became the most decorated black man in United States military history in 1993. [18] His medals included:<\/p>\n