On July 22, in announcing the federal indictment of Charleston killer Dylann Roof, Attorney General Loretta Lynch commented that the expression of forgiveness offered by the victims' families is “an incredible lesson and message for us all.”
Forgiveness and grace are, indeed, hallmarks of the Black Church.
Since slavery, the church has been a formidable force for the survival of blacks in an America still grappling with the residual effects of white supremacy.
This was eloquently illustrated in the aftermath of the Charleston church massacre. Americans rightly stood in awe of the bereaved families' laudable demonstration of God’s grace in action.
But what about the psychic toll that these acts of forgiveness exact?
Events like Charleston put a spotlight on the growing body of literature that looks not only at the United States’ failure to have authentic conversations about slavery and its legacy but also at the mental health impact of forgiving acts of white racism and repressing justifiable feelings of anger and outrage – whether these are horrific acts of terrorism or nuanced microaggressions.
[For more of this story go to http://theconversation.com/how...mericans-today-44642]
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