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COMMENTARY 'The arc of the moral universe is long…' Comment By Chris Honoré for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for the Tidings Posted Jul. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for the Tidings Posted Jul. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Both Martin Luther King and President Obama have often turned to the words of 19th century abolitionist and minister, Theordore Parker, who said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” And when President Obama stood before the pulpit on a late June afternoon he delivered what would be an indelible and moving eulogy, not just for Reverend Clementa Pinkney but also for the other eight who were killed as they sat together in the sanctuary of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church. As the president stood before that mournful audience, to include those whose hearts were cleaved because of their loss, his resonant eulogy was the culmination of a week that did indeed feel as if the arc of history was tangibly bending toward justice. The Supreme Court had upheld and affirmed the Affordable Care Act. As well, the same court guaranteed that all Americans, no matter their sexual orientation, could marry the ones they loved. The choice was now fully and completely theirs and was not to be determined by scripture or a particular state legislature and certainly not by ballot. It had been a stunning, momentous and tragic week. While Obama spoke, it soon became clear that no other president in our lifetime could have delivered that eulogy. His was a cadence that came from the heart and he turned what was a college gymnasium into a hallowed place of worship and his words touched all those who were present, as well as those who watched and listened from afar. He reminded us that America is still a nation wounded by the dark history of slavery and we continue to struggle to fulfill the promise that “all men are created equal,” a dictum that while etched in stone and ink has eluded us for some 200 years. This covenant still haunts us as we bear witness to the fact that there are those among us who would subvert this declarative sentence because they carry the belief, passed from generation to generation, that equality is a promise to be parsed depending on the color of one’s skin or one’s gender or sexual orientation or religious beliefs. And it was one of their own who showed up during that evening prayer group at “Mother Emanuel” and his act was beyond comprehension. It became self-evident, to all who watched, that those nine people were among our nation’s most gentle souls, our best and finest and most decent.    President Obama, moved by the response of the families of those who were killed, who, in the face of their grief, expressed their willingness to forgive, as well as the embracing reaction of the citizens of Charleston, decided to make grace the central theme of his eulogy. He insisted that what had been an unspeakable tragedy was transformed by grace — “amazing grace, how sweet the sound” — and its presence turned what was an evil act committed by a gnarled soul into a transcendent and unifying moment.     But we know, painfully, that despite the words of our president and of Martin Luther King, Jr. the arc of history can also bend toward injustice and there are moments when it reflects a systemic malignancy that we have yet to excise completely from the geography of our nation’s soul. Generations have been lost to Jim Crow. Our justice system is inequitable. And de facto segregation, born in the crucible of poverty and discrimination, is ever with us. According to the New York Times, the shooting in the A.M.E. church was only the most recent in a series of lethal attacks by an increasing number of hate groups that espouse racial hatred, anti-government beliefs or are aligned with what is called the “sovereign citizen” movement (a group that believes the government is illegitimate and has no statutory authority over them). These groups have increased in number since the election of President Obama, a phenomenon compounded by more than a decade of economic hardship — a chronic recession akin to the Depression of the '30s. As the president pointed out, America still strives to fulfill its promise: “All men are created equal.” And it is there — in those eloquent words — that the arc of history will bend not just toward justice but toward grace. Chris Honoré lives in Ashland. By Chris Honoré for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for the Tidings Posted Jul. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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