2023 marks the 60th anniversary of “The Year of Birmingham,” when the Civil Rights Movement reached new heights of intensity and accomplishment. Sent there that summer to represent my seminary, I was privileged to work alongside remarkable saints and prophets of racial justice. That was indeed a new era of Black Reconstruction.

Most important was a shift from accommodating Jim Crow segregation to resisting the  degrading white supremacist system. This was done with much fear and trembling. Jobs could  be lost. Reputations could be lost. Lives could be lost. And were. But amazingly, there was also an enormous burst of joy. And a new sense of freedom, even within a tightly segregated system. “Perfect love (which includes justice) casts out fear.” The faith, courage, joy, and music I encountered that summer have afforded me energy, vision, and hope to this day. 

Certainly, the goals back then appear limited to us today: removal of white-only signs, token school desegregation, a few Black department store clerks, or just coffee at a lunch counter. But these were cutting edge back then, and the Birmingham campaign galvanized the nation and led to major legislation.

Today’s era of Black Reconstruction, as before, encounters fierce resistance. The Ku Klux Klan of today is the Proud Boys and their ilk. The White Citizens Councils of today are those practicing voter suppression. But note: the fierceness of their resistance is a measure of the progress being made.

Our era of Reconstruction (and it’s multi-colored and multi-gendered this time) is reaching to a deeper level than ever. Today we look at how institutions function to produce great disparities in wealth, how microaggressions demean people of color, how well-meaning organizations perpetuate white domination.

The Methodist Federation for Social Action has been looking deeply into its own life to examine how we have accommodated racist outcomes, not only in church and society, but in our own life. The results of an in-depth racial audit, due very shortly, will guide our decisions and priorities as we work for a more just United Methodist Church and more inclusive priorities for the Federation.

As we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., let us also honor the vast panoply of prophets and martyrs of racial justice. Let us celebrate the likes of NAACP activist Rosa Parks, skilled organizer Ella Baker, Birmingham Movement leader Fred Shuttlesworth, and consummate non-violent strategist James Lawson. Let us honor and mourn the four girls martyred in the Birmingham church bombing, as well as the infinite suffering borne by victims of white supremacy, past and present. And let us also celebrate the courageous work for justice that you are doing.

With the ongoing restructuring of the United Methodist Church, our work for justice—racial, gender, economic, and environmental--has never been more important. I invite you to join me in marking the birthday of Dr. King with a generous investment in the Methodist Federation work. Let is heed the ancient prophet Micah: “Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” Help move our church from unthinking accommodation to the evils surrounding us to powerful, Christ-inspired resistance and reconstruction. Thank you!

Rev. Dr. George McClain
MFSA executive director emeritus (1973-1998)

You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership donations and your generosity in giving.