by Rev. Danielle Rogers
I recently read a Facebook post by Ana Verzone that said the following: “Here's a little secret. One of the most relaxing things you can do for yourself—better than a spa vacation in a remote mountain area—is to let people be wrong about you. Yep, when people are wrong about you, let them be.”
As a young adult this concept seemed radical even a bit dangerous to me. Let people be wrong about you? How? Surely it is better to clear any wrong feelings, especially if you are not at fault, right? Haven't we been taught to prove our naysayers wrong by showcasing our good standing and ease any misunderstandings at any cost? With enough time, shouldn't we be able to clear false assumptions? Now, my short answer to those questions is no.
In my early adulthood I had a epiphany. Some people will never like you or see your talents and that is okay. Do not worry about others perceptions. Keep your eyes on God's calling in your life, pray for them and move on.
God has a calling for everyone of us. We are all ordained with the gift of life and a purpose of our choosing. Be true to God and your own path in this life even when fear enters.
Anytime someone has said a hurtful thing about me God has always helped keep my tongue still and let my actions speak for themselves. I do not retaliate or do anything except stay in quiet contemplation. Doing nothing is powerful in itself. Let people be wrong about you and continue God's calling in your life. Remember, hearts can be changed but it is not your job to change them. Give that to God and release that burden.
Recently I have become engaged in community conversations regarding a equity policy in our public school system. I started giving public comments because our youth group wanted me to convey specific thoughts on how the policy helps their class mates receive specific help for those with learning disabilities, or homeless youth, or those with physical disabilities. This policy addresses the various reasons students are not excelling in math and reading and attempts to provide resources to help our youth graduate. Last summer, as part of the School Board's preparation for writing the policy, they all read Ibram X Kendi's book, “How to be a Anti-Racist.”
I had no idea so many in our community objected to the words “equity" and "diversity training" and "inclusion.” Somehow, those words have been classified as “Critical Race Theory” and used as code words to persuade our community members to believe in a racist concept, instead of a field of study in law school that looks at the intersection of race and U.S law. It is a field of study developed by U.S. Civil Rights scholars and activists, and is still taught at the graduate level. There is no curriculum teaching Critical Race Theory in Montana, or in any elementary, middle, or high school in our Union.
Being one of the only People of Color in the room during our school board meetings was intimidating, but I gave my public comment anyway. I had a duty to God's calling in my life and to our youth to speak for the hundreds of children in our school system who need help. I spoke up for them.
I am sure there were many who were very displeased with my involvement and my comments, but I have not let that stop me. How other people feel about me is not my concern. Following God's calling is. I stand on the shoulders of other women like my Mother Rev. Denise Rogers who spoke against racism for over twenty five years with her organization The Montana Hate Free Zone. I watched her stand up against the Militia and White Supremacist groups. I prayed as she received death threats for following God's Call as a Black woman in the early 1990s in Bozeman. I also watched our community learn to galvanize and denounce White Supremacy many times over in the last several decades. Each time it's scary. This is when you lean in and follow the words in Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
I am not sure how the Equity Policy will be implemented, but I will be in the room when we have our community conversations along side community members whom feel very differently from me. My job is to keep to God's calling, to see them as children of God, and to move forward. I will let them be wrong about me.
— Rev. Danielle Rogers serves as Pilgrim’s Christian Education Director