By Rev. Nelson Johnson

The recent rash of U.S. Supreme Court decisions is deeply troubling from a political perspective and even more troubling from a moral perspective.  There has been a lot of discussion recently of “weaponizing” the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department, regarding the investigation and charges brought against Former President Donald Trump.   It seems to me, however, that the most dangerous weaponizing is arising from the U.S. Supreme Court.

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What we have witnessed in recent weeks emerging from the Supreme Court Justices, three of whom were appointed by the previous president, Mr. Trump, is both unfortunate and dangerous.  Mr. Trump, during his tenure as U.S. President, reflected a pattern of fueling greater falsehoods, growing confusion, and deeper divisions, resulting in increasing fear and hatred that is increasingly reflected in growing episodes of violence, both targeted and random. 

Now, we see emerging from the U.S. Supreme Court a rash of decisions, including allowing businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community and blocking plans to cancel student debt in addition to replacing doctors with politicians as it relates to women’s reproductive rights.  All of this emerged from the Supreme Court while the federal legislature refuses to compel the millionaire and billionaire classes to pay their fair share in taxes. While it affects the broad range of college students, student debt cancellation has the most devastating impact on Black women who carry nearly twice as much student debt – on average $52,000 after four years of college – than their white counterparts, whose debt after the same period averages only $29,000.

 

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The recent rulings signal the urgent need for truth-based solutions driven by the people. We are currently leading the North Carolina Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Process (NC-TJRC). This statewide initiative aims to tackle issues such as vast wealth inequality, police abuse of power, poverty, voter suppression, and other injustices affecting the people of North Carolina. The upcoming NC-TJRC Summit 2023, scheduled for October 25-28 on the campus of Bennett College in Greensboro, will address the impact of these rulings on local communities and regions. It will serve as a space for discussions, collaboration, and action toward achieving truth, justice, healing, and reconciliation. By coming together, we can amplify the power of unity and work towards resolving these pressing concerns.

The TRUTH Process | NC-TJRC ’22

 

About Beloved Community Center: 

The Beloved Community Center of Greensboro, North Carolina is a community-based, grassroots empowerment-oriented organization rooted in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of proactive struggles for racial and economic justice, democracy, and beloved community. Founded in 1991, we’ve continued to pursue our mission and dream of building an inclusive community that uplifts the dignity, worth, and enormous, often unrealized potential of all through community building, community organizing, advocacy, and other forms of coalition building. 

Learn more about Beloved Community Center at belovedcommunitycenter.org and contact us at info@belovedcommunitycenter.org or (336) 230-0001.