I watched the documentary Uncle Tom a few weeks ago, so it’s not exactly fresh in my mind, but I can tell you one thing for sure – it was excellent and I wanted to be sure I blogged about it. I resonated so much with what every one of those who spoke was saying. I may not be a Black Conservative, but I am a Latina Conservative. And let me tell you, they have a LOT in common. In fact, I’d even say the only difference is the amount of melanin in our skin. That’s about it. Their stories were incredibly similar to my own.
Several of the people who spoke on the film talked about how they were liberals growing up. How they were essentially taught that if you’re black, you’re Democrat. Same for me. In my mind, Republicans were white, wealthy, and racist and since I wasn’t any of the above, I was a Democrat. Plus, I was a feminist, so there’s that too.
But I loved how what precipitated the move from Democrat to Republican for many of the people involved with the film was coming to Christ. They were first spiritually awakened to the fact that there is a LORD in heaven who is Holy and Righteous. That we are rebellious sinners who deserve hell (sidenote – that’s all of us deserve hell, regardless of ethnicity, language, citizenship, gender, etc). And praise God, there is a way that the LORD has provided for us to be redeemed, and that is the blood of Christ. Once we have been humbled, and accept that gift of forgiveness given to us when we repent of our sin, then we begin to obey God’s Word out of obedience and love to our Father in Heaven. As we walk with Christ, we learn His will through His Word, and we change to align our convictions with His.
Now going from Democrat to Republican was not like a light switch going on for those interviewed. It was more of a gradual realization of how their values did not align with many of the values and stances of the Democratic party. I’m sure if their experiences were anything like mine, the people in this documentary had a hard time openly admitting to anyone they were close to, that they were actually switching parties, at least initially. That’s how ingrained it is into the culture. In Black culture, if you even question the narrative they’ll call you Uncle Tom, House Negro, or other pejoratives. In Latino culture, they’ll say you’ve either sold out or you think you’re white. In either case, you’re taking a chance that those you love and care about, even those who have been in your life since you were born, will reject you for your newfound convictions and insights. But eventually, by questioning the narrative and seeking out facts rather than stories or strong emotions, each of these Black Conservatives came to change their political affiliation despite the tremendous cultural backlash they faced.
Each person in the documentary is a courageous counter-cultural leader. They came from various parts of society. For example, one is a radio host. One is a popular YouTuber. Another is a plumber. But what all of them have in common is love for their God and love for their country. Contrary to what the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) espouses, these Black Americans have “worked hard” and have succeeded. Not based on skin color but based on their character. They rejected the narrative that they were victims of a racist society, and instead relied on their strong work ethic, “objective, rational linear thinking” (which apparently is another White characteristic according to NMAAHC; please re-read that last sentence with sarcasm) and their intelligence to compete in their respective chosen professions and have all done awesome.
I highly recommend this documentary. It is eye-opening for those that may not have a clue about why in the world everyone is talking about social justice all of sudden. This has been brewing for years. When I think about my own life, I was raised in it, although there were no references to Critical Race Theory or Intersectionality or Social Justice. However, the ideas were definitely there. The narrative went something like this: The playing fields still aren’t equal, since the outcomes haven’t been the same. Equity (which is equal outcomes) is espoused as the goal. But the problem with equity is it takes all responsibility away from each person, in addition to the reality that when people make different choices it inherently means different outcomes. That’s life. Equality of opportunities makes much more sense and is much fairer for everyone. And that, by the way, is what is strived for throughout the United States since the Civil Rights Movement. Has it been done perfectly? No. But that has been the goal. Unfortunately, since these ideas of social justice have been around for so many years and been accepted by so many in minority cultures, now the chicken has officially come home to roost and it has exploded into mainstream culture.
I pray that especially those of us that are people of color (POC) within the body of Christ, that we stand for the truth of the gospel. Jesus didn’t die to give us a better social standing in this world based on our skin color. He died to give us a righteous eternal standing before the God of the Universe based on Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. We don’t need any new laws or changes in our government nearly as much as we need new hearts. Hearts that love our neighbor with the Truth of the Gospel. We can have a perfect set of laws in place, but if our hearts aren’t changed, it won’t mean a thing. And we should know that, since that’s part of our biblical history. The Israelites were given just 10 commandments which really were PERFECT, and they still managed to screw it up. I think we need a lot more than good intentions. We need Jesus. More and more and more of Him.
So if you need something good to watch, consider checking out Uncle Tom. I promise you won’t regret it!
