Reflection Questions
- In Harris' article, she writes that being both African American and a Christian can at times be difficult, and suggests that her beliefs as a Christian are part of what leads her to oppose same-sex marriage. She continues, "Asking those 66 percent of black Protestants [who oppose same-sex marriage] to look at religion through the veil of race is not the place even of Martin Luther King Jr.'s comrade [NAACP chairman Julian Bond]." What is your take on her comments? What parallels do you see between this issue and other issues related to identity and action? How difficult is it, in your experience, to separate different parts of our identities? Do you agree with Harris that it is sometimes necessary to do so? (Think back to other Living the Legacy lesson plans you may have studied.)
- How are the Lewis interview and the Harris article similar and/or different? How does each use the Civil Rights Movement in his arguments?
- To what extent do you think same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue? What kind of criteria would you use to determine if this issue or others are really civil rights issues?
- Based on what you've learned by studying Jews in the Civil Rights Movement, and on the material presented in these documents, do you think a group's experience with persecution/oppression in the past should make us expect more from them in support of another group's fight for justice in the present/future? If possible, support your argument using material from this class and/or other classes.
