By Rev. Robert Waterman, Antioch Baptist Church

 I believe in Why Black Lives Matter, but the truth about it is: “It’s not what others think about us, it’s what we think about ourselves.”

I really believe that the love of Black Lives begins with us. We have depended upon people to define us on all levels of our lives so much that we begin to believe what society says about us.

If we don’t begin to redefine ourselves we will always be living on society’s view of us. From Slavery to the New Jim Crow, we live in the shadow of society’s opinion. We have embraced the labels of “thugs, uneducated, welfare recipients, baby momma, baby daddy and so on”. Need I go on? From our music 🎶 to our institutions, we are now staring at monuments and have forgotten about our movements that have broken down barriers that have freed us. So do Black Lives Matter?

If so, why do we gravitate to the jailhouse before the schoolhouse. We wait until others build our communities, schools get better, crime goes down.

The leaders from religious to political must care about the people that they represent and stop Uncle Tomming.

Our leaders must rise and live out their purpose and be willing to die for purpose and the call to serve others.

We must value ourselves and respect ourselves: “Live in God’s Blessing and Favor.”

“Ultimately, we must cease waiting and depending on others to define us.”
(Rev. Waterman is the pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, 828 Greene Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11221)

Tel. (908) 925-7089, Website: www.antiochbaptistbrooklyn.com/