Dr. Felder began his lecture by defining the African Diaspora as the dispersal of African people. He stated that we must try to restore pride in African contributions to the world throughout history. He went on to explain that the bible is misleading in its lack of representation of people of color.
Dr. Felder discussed freedom and defined it as “the right to exercise unfettered choices…” He explained, however, that sometimes freedom for some has led to the enslavement of others, as in the case of slavery. He joked that justice used to mean “just us”, as in justice for the majority only.
Dr. Felder then spoke on righteousness, defining it as having the right relationship, not only with God, but also with one’s neighbors. He explained that all religious books like the Bible, the Torah (the Bible’s first five books), and the Koran (the Muslim code of ethics) seek to define and create the “right relationship”. He explained that the media tries to demonize laws that are not Christian, especially Islamic law, since the September 11th attacks.
Dr. Felder went on to explain that “Slavery is the most glaring denial of ones freedom” as “slaves are essentially non-people” whose choices and actions are an extension of their “master’s”.
Dr. Felder ended by describing how Jesus of Nazareth, that is, Jesus as a man, rather than a symbol of Christianity, represented the justice of God in his healing, teaching, and challenging of the political establishment and was essentially a martyr.
I found Dr. Felder’s lecture quite interesting, though I thought he indulged in too many tangents that made it hard to focus on his main point. I thought his lecture would have been easier to follow had he used PowerPoint or even written main points on the board for those of us who are visual learners.
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