Three Waves of Justice

The waves of the mighty ocean play a prominent role in American history. Over the course of 250 years, the waves of three oceans brought 12.5 million people into bondage by slave ships to the western hemisphere. For 2 million others, those waves would be the veil that would cover their graves to this day. The remembrance of those lost reverberate in the soundwaves of their descendants through stories, spiritual songs, chants for equality, and world altering speeches.

Using experiences from a recent pilgrimage I took that retraced the steps of many prominent civil-rights events and sites, I will highlight three key points of inspiration as metaphorical waves that ultimately connect any American to the great wave created by the Atlantic Slave trade. From these points of inspiration, I will highlight three distinct actions that anyone can take to help improve our businesses and communities.

The Pilgrimage

This past weekend I had the great honor and privilege to attend The Faith & Politics Institute (FPI) Pilgrimage, sponsored in part by RTX as well as many other wonderful organizations. This year’s journey was an immersive three-day experience that takes its pilgrims through locations such as the Bethel Baptist Church of Fred Shuttlesworth, the sacred grounds of the 16th Street Baptist Church, the First Baptist Church of Ralph Albernathy, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge. We were joined by members of congress, civil-rights luminaries, scholars, and professionals.

This was a life altering experience that began for me, next to Mrs. Willie King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s executive administrator, who typed Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

She and I discussed many things, including Dr. King’s leadership philosophy. However, the most impactful piece of advice she offered was to write about and discuss impactful world topics—the genesis of this article.

Wave One - Have Courage and Stand for What’s Right

Digital roaring waves crash around the entry room of the interactive Legacy Museum ?of the Equal Justice Initiative . The presentation of these waves provides a sense of drowning and hopelessness, representing the horror of millions of slaves being taken away from faith, family, and freedom, a pain so terrible it is described as the feeling that one’s heart is bleeding. The heart represents our source of purpose and identity; thus, a wounded heart represents the slow loss of oneself—a seemingly unrepairable state of existence.

While we have made steps toward healing from slavery, we must continue to bring forward progress which will require courage. Dr. Ray Arsenault described to our pilgrimage cohort the adversity faced when peaceably advocating for basic rights as “unmerited suffering”. Depending on the change being driven, this adversity may be large, while for others it could be as simple as having a crucial conversation in defense of a colleague.

The adversity is not what matters, but rather, the courage to stand for what is right—something we all can do.

Wave Two - Ensure Every Voice is Heard?

The second wave I experienced this past weekend were the soundwaves of Patricia, Ruby, and Carolyn Shuttlesworth performing a soul-moving rendition of We’ve Come This Far by Faith while at Bethel Baptist Church. One of the lines of the song begins with “don’t you hear me crying” upon which I could feel the pain and struggle of the civil-rights movement through their voices.

This made me consider that we should ensure every voice at our respective tables are heard. Also, we should strive to be present at each conversation we have, especially when blessed with the opportunity to interact with those of different backgrounds than ourselves. In our businesses and communities, many voices go unheard or are suppressed, preventing their inclusion. ?

However, we can all take action to improve these disheartening realities by ensuring all voices are heard and circling back with our teams if they are not.

Wave Three: Always Persevere; Especially When Helping Others

One of the most memorable moments of this weekend’s journey was retracing the steps walked by the late Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 600 others as they crested the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama during a peaceful protest march for the right to vote. As they reached the bottom of the bridge, they were beaten, chased down by state troopers on horseback, and shot with tear gas, evoking the name Bloody Sunday .

At the top of the bridge, we heard from Mrs. Sheyann Webb-Christburg about her experiences as the youngest (8 at the time) marcher in Selma . As she closed her speech, Mrs. Webb-Christburg spoke the standout words of the song Oh Freedom, saying “and before I’d be a slave, I’d be buried in my grave, and go home to my Lord and be free.”

With tears in my eyes, I thought about the perseverance we as humans have when fueled by the fervent and pure desire for freedom and equality. There is a duality of perseverance that we should uphold: 1) to push for what we believe in and 2) to press selflessly to help others in their pursuit of happiness.

The group that traversed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, crossed over the waves of the Alabama River as a mixed multitude of people from different backgrounds, not just African Americans, but all willing and brave enough to persevere on the journey for a more perfect union.

No matter the obstacles we face, or the setbacks, we should keep pushing for positive change.

Waves of Justice: We Can Alter the Energy

My experience at this year’s FPI Pilgrimage further connected me to the journey of America, displaying the power of embracing and recognizing our past to improve our future. As I consider my own leadership journey, I will commit to implementing more of the three waves into my own philosophy and seek to help improve my organizations and communities.

Science defines waves as perturbations that carry energy from one place to another. Our daily actions decide the type of energy the waves are carrying into the future: whether it is bad energy or good energy.

For the sake of the generations that follow us, I urge us to all choose the latter.

Much thanks to my RTX pilgrimage cohort for making this experience a time that I will never forget: John Beaver Shanda Hinton Keyosha Lee Veronica M. Dr. Osyria Webster, MBA Kenneth W. Cedric Smith, MBA, CPPS