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character. I’ve been thinking about this quote a lot lately, especially since Monday was the day we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. This day was also President Donald Trump’s inauguration day. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t quote Dr. King, perhaps his most famous line: Don’t judge a man by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. But are we really practicing looking at character today?
I say practice because it’s a skill. Claiming the identity of immutable properties requires no skill. All one has to do is step into the politics of that particular identity and speak in pre-approved platitudes. Also, it doesn’t take skill to make snap judgments based on a person’s unchanging characteristics. All this requires is ignoring the individuality of the person in front of us and clinging to all the stereotypes that come with that particular identity.
We see this kind of behavior all too often in the cesspools of social media and so-called thought leaders who sit behind the microphones of podcasts and stoke outrage to line their own pockets with clickbait money. Ironically, many of them tell us to look at character, but they do the opposite.
MLK Celebration and Trump Inauguration: What a Historic Day Means for America
You can’t make money just by looking at a person’s personality.
Even I have been told by others to look at color first and foremost. When I was on the rooftop at a community center fundraiser, I heard about how white neighborhoods in North Chicago had to hire security because of the violence that erupted after the George Floyd protests.
As we were getting ready to record that story at Fox, a few people came to me and said we should make a movie about white people finally getting a taste of the violence plaguing their neighborhoods. I emphasized. I resisted completely. This wasn’t a racial thing for me. This was about our city’s values going into a downward spiral. I ignored race and created what I believe would be a much better and more insightful story.
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It takes discipline to resist the temptation of identity politics and dig deeper into one’s character and the character of society at a given time. By doing so, we often reach deeper meanings that are closer to the truth. This is not surprising, because, after all, character is the truth about humans.
We live in the United States, and that must mean something. If I learned anything from Martin Luther King Jr. and his long struggle for civil rights, it was the lesson of striving as a human being and as an individual. His infantrymen often held placards proclaiming “I am a man.” That is the essence of our struggle, and that is what was denied us under centuries of brutal oppression.
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So why should I betray the King for the instant gratification of the lower classes of playing identity politics? I have disciplined myself to walk the path of character, but that choice is mine. brought much fruit.
Right now, I’m in the middle of building a $45 million community center. There, our focus and the foundation of everything we do will be our individuality. My neighborhood may be mostly black, but we are raising men and women of character, and I hope that someday they will succeed so that their names have meaning to you.
Click here to read more about Pastor Corey Brooks’ story
