Newspaper Page Text
December 7, 1978
The Maroon Tiger
Page 5
Christmas From A Black Perspective
Dr. Thomas Kilgore, Jr.
President, Morehouse Board of Trustees
by Rev. Thomas Kilgore, Jr.
Reprinted from the December
Issue of Sepia Magazine. Dr. Kil
gore is Chairmn of the Board of
Trustees of Morehouse College
and an alumnus. In addition, he is
the pastor of the Second Baptist
Church of Los Angeles, California.
The interval between one Christ
mas and the next seemed like an
eternity when I was a boy. 1 spent
my boyhood along with 11 broth
ers and sisters on a cotton farm in
South Carolina. We didn’t under
stand why Papa always saved two
un-ginned bales of cotton until
after Christmas until, one mid-
December, three brothers and I
were playing in the cotton house
(against Papa’s rule) and disco
vered treasures of toys, new books,
etc., under the cotton. This was the
first time also that the myth of
Santa claus was exploded for us.
Our older brothers had told us that
Papa and Mama were Santa Claus,
but we were reluctant to believe
them. Needless to say that the joy
and surprise of that Christmas was
somewhat watered down by the
exploding myth, and by the appli
cation by Papa of the leather strap
to our posterior anatomies for
“playing in the cotton.”
Sixty years ago, most black
Americans lived in the rural South.
Most celebrated Christmas sim
ilarly, and most children under 12
believed in Santa Claus. There was
something magic about the age of
12 in those days among black peo
ple. Santa was a reality until 12 and
religious conversation was
expected and encouraged at 12.
There seemed to be a cultural and
spiritual syndrome that said,
“When the Santa Claus myth dies
in the youth’s life, the hope for sal
vation in the Lord should come
alive.” Maybe these early rural and
semi-rural black families had an
insight into life’s reality should not
be dismissed as fogey and supersti
tious by our more learned and
affluent black society of today.
What is Christmas? Ecclesiasti
cally, it is the Mass of Christ in the
Christian Church. For the congre
gational types of churches, it is the
festival of the Nativity of Jesus
Christ. It was not celebrated along
with other festivals of the church in
the first three or four centuries of
Christianity. The first certain date
of December 25 is in the calendar
of Philocalus in 354 A.D. Earlier,
however, Clement of- Alexandria
(C.200) mentions several specula
tions on the date of Christ’s birth.
In early 400 A.D., Imperial Rome
included Christmas and Epiphany
as religious feast days when thea
tres should be closed. The date
December 25 was firmly fixed in
the Julian Calendar by 389 A.D.
Christmas customs and celebra
tions through the centuries have
been a mixture of season, pagan,
religious, and national practices.
And attached to these have been
many different legends and tradi
tions. The yule log, the Christmas
tree, the bells, the candles, wassail
ing, singing, dancing, roast goose,
plum pudding, fruit cake, gift
exchanges, and many other practi
ces, some pagan and some modern,
make up the historical accretions
that have attached themselves to
Christmas.
In a materialistic society that is
overcome by commercialism,
secularism and manipulative
strategies, it may be well that we
begin to take a good look at our
celebration of Christmas. Some
serious thought should be given to
the negative effects on a race or
society when a basic idea, concept,
or event is prostituted and used for
selfish ends. There is hard evidence
available that we could well profit
as a racial minority by examining
very closely the relationship of the
fade-out of Santa Claus and the
experience of new birth by 12-year-
olds some 60 or more years ago in
our country. This transition sug
Ryan’s Resignation Rumored
by Timothy Boddie
I was appalled when I first
heard it. Since the Morehouse
grapevine is about as reliable as
pre-registration, I went straight
to Mr. Stanley Ryan, an English
instructor here at Morehouse,
and asked him myself. Unfortu
nately, Ryan had no comment on
the recent rumor I heard about
his resignation. If he does decide
to leave (and I am writing from
that premise) his knowledge, ded
ication and commitment, and
even his humor will be sorely
missed.
Why is it, when a professor like
Mr. Ryan shares his life toward
the future insurance of Black
education, some senseless, avoid
able obstacles deter his efforts
and dampen his enthusiasm to
the point of resignation. He has
refused far more lucrative job
offers, on white campuses, simply
because he is committed to the
cause of Black education,
namely, the Morehouse tradition
of producing leaders. If he is so
committed, one may ask, why
then might he leave? Even com
mitment, O skeptic, is relative to
reciprocity. I don’t know where
the man’s dissatisfactions lie, but
we can be sure it is not because of
us, the students. He puts in extra
hours and sometimes holds class
on Saturdays. When Ryan taught
me during my first semester here,
I could not believe his energy and
his absolute strength of charac
ter. When Morehouse boasts of
her good teacher/student rap
port, Ryan is indeed at the top of
the list. He was always available
for grade misunderstandings,
consultations, even counsel. His
ear is finely tuned to his students,
and we all know that is a rare
luxury, . . , . .
Sure, he is a work-aholic, a
rigorous instructor, and a driving
educator, but is that so bad? My
future is at stake, and if there’s one
thing I do not need, it is a lazy, non
chalant teacher, whose methods
Mr. Stanley Ryan
gests a new awakening, a growing
maturity, and a move from super
stition and folly to reality.
If Christmas is truly the Mass of
Christ, and if the Christian religion
has any real meaning for our lives,
how then shall we celebrate it? I
venture three suggestions:
1. Black people in America
should lead the way to de-
commercialize Christmas. This
movement should start in the black
churches. Black preachers should
stop encouraging and accepting
special gifts from church members
at Christmas time. They should
interpret to their flocks the fact
that Christmas is the Lord’s birth
day, and gifts should be given to
Him. And He says in the Bible,
“In as much as you have done it
unto the least of these, you have
done in unto Me.” There are too
many poor, hungry, ill-housed,
and unemployed people in our
communities; and too many col
leges, hospitals, and other institu
tions that are suffering for support,
for black religious leaders to over
look the opportunity at Christmas
time to lead parishioners to give
generously to help those in need.
Black middle-class persons, many
of whom are, and many of whom
are not church-affiliated, should
not spend millions of dollars at
Christmas time excnanging gilts
with family and friends — gifts that
are seldom needed, and many
never used; and giving bottles or
cases of whiskey that are always
used. There are so many more
appropriate times to give gifts to
family and friends —» birthday
anniversaries, wedding anniversar
ies, going-away gifts, etc. Blacks
earn between 90-95 billion dollars,
annually in the U.S.A. If we really
celebrated Christmas properly —
i.e., giving where it is needed and
not expecting monetary returns —
about a billion dollars could be
channeled into establishing work
opportunities, helping colleges and
schools, and reducing the crime
rate of young blacks.
2. With all of its commercial
ism, secularism, and paganism,
Christmas is still a powerful and
spiritual force in America. In some
strange way, the humanism of our
land surfaces, and our latent spirit
ual proclivities are sharpened, and
we treat people more kindly. The
“Scrooges” seem to be converted
for a period.
Black Americans, and black
organizations - churches,
N.A.A.C.P., S.C.L.C., Urban
League, P.U.S.H., Black Congres
sional Caucus, National Council of
Negro Women, Association for
Life and Study of Afro-American
History, fraternal orders of all
kinds, and all other black groups
with any kind of power — should
plan conferences, workshops and
other kinds of interfaces with the
American power structures and
seats in religion, politics, econom
ics, and education.
3. Black Americans must lead
America in keeping Christmas
Christian. By Christian I do not
mean a partisan, bigoted, and
separate celebration of Christmas.
I do mean that we must take
advantage of this religious holiday
to stress the need for regular reli
gious worship, and to emphasize
that any society that expects to
have a permanent place in history,
must “do justice, love mercy and
walk humbly with God.”
We call ourselves a free society
— “a land of the free and the home
of the brave.” In the Bill of Rights,
we say that “All men are created
equal...” These high-toned profes
sions become but empty and good-
sounding shibboleths as long as we
prostitute and adulterate sacred
days and occasions.
The so-called inert gases were discovered by Scottish
chemist Sir William Ramsay.
Volunteer,
are so mechanical that one need s to
be wound up before class each day.
Gentlemen, this is a bitter truth
we must all confront. Perhaps per
suasion would be futile, but we
cannot continue to allow our
futures personified to walk out on
us without a valid excuse. We are
the victims, not the administration,
nor the faculty. We are the direct
inheritants of this destitute
bequest. We cannot and will not
settle for anything less than a qual
ity education!
Mr Ryan, on behalf of the
Maroon Tiger staff, many of
whom had the pleasure of studying
under your very qualified author
ity, think again. On behalf of the
Morehouse student body, who in
your few months with us, you have
managed to inspire us either
directly or vicariously, think again.
Mr. Ryan, in the name of More
house and her century-plus years
of building men, think again. Wha
tever you decide and for whatever
reasons, May God bless you as he
has us with your time, understand
ing and wisdom.