In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Matthew 2:18
This passage of scripture has gripped me since 1994. Just four short years into my ministry, I came across this stark depiction of a mother weeping for her children who are being mercilessly and systematically slaughtered.
The biblical account was written hundreds of years ago. It is Matthew’s account of the “Slaughter of the Innocents” in Bethlehem and is seen as a fulfillment of the prophecy given in Jeremiah 31:15. Rama is the geographical location. Rachel is the mother who would not be comforted from her trauma and sorrows. And the children she is weeping for are her own.
It’s 2019, the geographical location is Indianapolis. Rachel is still weeping. The children are our own. Indianapolis has experienced another record-breaking year with a total of 161 homicides being reported. For the fourth year in a row, young Black males under age 25 are the victims in more than 34 cases. Three of every four homicide victims were Black.
Since 2014, young Black males have been four times more likely than anyone else to be victims of homicides. Black male homicides outpaced all other races in every age category. The highest percentage of those killed are in the 18- to 24-year-old age range.
We are experiencing a Black male epidemic. We are in the midst of a Black male crisis. With every Black male murdered, another mother and father are forced to bury their young son. In many cases the victim is also a parent. Thus, another Black child will grow up without his or her father. When the case goes unsolved another murderer remains loose on our streets. Since the perpetrators are often Black males, prison or death awaits them. Rachel is still weeping.
Over 28 years ago, the murder of a young Black male by another Black male, who faced 60 years in prison because of the crime, compelled me to leave a comfortable and lucrative corporate position and devote my life to serving others and working to save our young Black males.
I can’t count the number of mothers, fathers, family members and friends that I’ve consoled, preached funerals for, and written letters and cards to, on both sides of these tragedies. I can’t count them. I’ve grown tired of these senseless tragedies.
I’m tired of young lives being lost. Tired of funerals. Tired of mothers, fathers and family members crying over loved ones they will never see again. Tired of the court cases, plea bargains and seeing our young Black males sentenced to decades in prison.
The Black community must stand up cohesively, and Black men must be in the forefront of the movement to save our Black sons. Our community must bond together like never before. We must find ways to build on the work we are already doing.
We owe it to Aaron, Rodney, Earl, Terrell, and the countless other young Black males who were snatched away from us long before they ever reached their fullest potential.
Yes, Rachel still weeps. She wept in the time of the prophet Jeremiah. She wept in the time of Jesus. And she still weeps in 2019 for her children who are being systematically destroyed. Rachel has been weeping for centuries, and she will continue to weep until the senseless slaughtering ceases.
Dr. Preston T. Adams III is senior pastor at Amazing Grace Christian Church in Indianapolis. Contact Pastor Adams via email at seniorpastor@agccindy.org or via Twitter @DrPrestonTAdams. For more information, visit agccindy.org.
