by rekless 8 Replies latest jw friends
Did your congregation have any racial problems from 1972 - 2005?
Was Afro-Americans passed over as elders or were their any
false charges drummed up to remove A-A elder or MS?
I 've been reading Randy Watters' thesis, and I know in 1972
a black elder was removed on some bourder line charge.
thanks
Dan
We had two halls in our town. The South & East hall.. Most all of the "black" people went to the South Hall & all of the "whities" went to the east hall. Then later the started a new congregation and named it the west hall. Most of the "black" friends still go to the south hall.
When I was a witness in Cleveland from the 60's to 1981. During the 70's in my congregation we had racial harmony. Whites, Blacks, Puerto Ricans, Italians, Irish, French. We only had 1 black couple at the time. I remember he was a Ministerial Servant. So was I. We probably were not elders because we were in our early 20's.
Although I remember the year I was 20 I was made a ministerial servant in charge of the litterature I pioneered that year and worked part time. My brother in law that year, who worked full time and published part time ,10 hours a month ,despite being in the last days ,1972 was made and elder. I complained and was told, well hes 21 and your 20. That didnt sit well with me. After that I ate the humble pie and remained gung ho until 19 75, publishing ,giving hour talks regularly, taking care of the literature and I was never made an elder. Nor were any other young brothers under 30. But that didnt sit right with me.Why could my brother-in-law be a 21 year old elder and no one else? To me, it was like a sibling rivalry, I had tried and fallen short. I could tell my brother in law back then was a much better hiney kisser than I. It made a calous on my heart for Jehober that he would fall for that. I was thinking maybe Adam and Eve were really able to hide from this guy in the garden after they sinned.
In modern times I reflect and am very grateful I was not made an elder, as I had the impetus and disgust to leave the organization in 1983. My brother in law is still in the borg, full tilt. Routinely blessing and thanking Jehober for all the good hes done and all the people he's shown the wonderful strobe light too. Participating in the joy of providing free professional labor at the quick builds. Offering marriage counsling from the insite hes garnered from the hours he's spent in front of the televison. He swallowed it hook lline and sinker. He even subscribed to the Armegeddon retirement plan. I look at him and I can see truth in the adage "Ignorance is bliss."
From that time in my life I learned the addage. "Sometimes its a blessing when you don't always get what you want." I don't have any ill feelings for my brother-in-law he is a most wonderful man. It seems he and Jehober were a marriage made in heaven. I would never meddle with their relationship. In fact I'm going to my brother-in-laws 35th wedding aniversary Saturday night. Imagine an apostate like me sitting at the kings table.
But back to your question during my 33 years of association with the Watchtower, I never noticed racism. Also I have never been black. I look at blacks the same as any other people. This could be a whole other topic. I have the upmost love and respect for my black brothers and sisters and I don't say that in a JW sort of way.
I grew up in a circuit that where 80% of the witnesses were black, when i went to other circuits we were shown the same amount of "love" and respect as i experienced in other congregations. (However, do have to say that ounce for ounce, the witnesses in spanish speaking congregations were a lot nicer). I've met as many white "brothers" that were prick as i've met black ones.
My only problem with the WTBS (with this issue anyway) was that they didnt support the civil rights movement and didnt fight against segregation. Which is funny because blacks are overrepresented in the religion.
No problem...the black people out numbered any other race in the cong.
I was raised in a very mixed Hall. The PO was black. The old Asst. Congregation Servant was black too. No prejudice there vs. blacks. However uneducated blacks were put down by the more refined blacks. In the cong. that shared the Hall with us, the Spanish were very much looked down by the others.
I never saw racism in the organization as a whole. I did know some individuals who had problems with prejudice.
The early JW books had some racist (by today's standards) comments in them, but somewhere along the way the WTS quietly dropped those type of disparaging remarks. IMO, I think the WTS realized that the color of money is more imporatant than the color of skin and therefore changed tactics to welcome all money races to the Kingdom Hall.
Even still, the WTS was not the leader in civil rights, as some JWs like to point out. The WTS never bucked the Jim Crow laws of the South but kept the congregations segregated as was expected back then. As the civil rights movement gained momentum and de-segregation took place elsewhere in society, the Kingdom Halls followed suit.
I remember the first black brother assigned to our all white hall. He didn't move into the territory, he was re-assigned by the CO as to add some "color" to the hall, hoping to encourage other blacks to attend our hall, in whose territory they lived, instead of driving across town to attend the "black" hall. This was ten years or more after the local schools integrated.
We had some black brothers in our hall and I heard some of the white brothers making fun behind their backs and it just sickened me, the lying hypocrits would invite these brothers over as many of the black brothers had a zeal, a true brotherhood and possessed exceptional skills on the platform and in the door to door work that put the white ones to shame. Of course this was done without any of the black brothers knowing about it as it was such a loving brotherhood. Give me a break. It all just sickens me now even more so.
abr
Great Topic.
I have never noticed direct racism, but I have heard of many instances. I know a few pioneer-elders who went where the need was great, (on their own) and NEVER made elder. One elder served in my hall for 15 years and moved to an all white hall and NEVER was appointed. He became depressed and moved after 5 years. They (the body and CO) made many excuses and he told me before leaving that they talked about him and his family behind his back for years. An older white pioneer sister enlightened him how they BLACK-BALLED (no pun intended) him. Not sure whatever became of the man. Had outstanding zeal and was a great speaker.
Also, regarding the post
........ I heard some of the white brothers making fun behind their backs ..........
What were they saying??
