Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I live in the Midwest and Midwesterners have a front-row opportunity to see God’s handiwork from September through November as the leaves on the trees change colors from green, to red, orange, and brown. The air has a crispness to it as we wait (with some dread) for winter to arrive. Midwesterners know that in order to have a fruitful spring and bountiful summer harvest, we must welcome the fall and endure the winter.

America has been in its fall for quite some time. The United States Census Bureau reported that the 2020 Census Report stated that the chance of two people chosen by random are of a different race or ethnicity. This is an increase from previously reported in the 2010 Census. As a matter of fact, the most generally accepted racial or ethnic group in the US (White, non-Hispanic) had a population decrease from 63.7% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2020. 

It is apparent that the falling leaves are not the only change that the United States is experiencing. The overall population of the US has increased by 7.3% from a 2010 population reported at 309,327,143 to the 2021 population reported at 331,893,745. Between 2010 and 2021, the state of Texas had the largest growth with 4.3 million more residents.  It is clear that by 2021, the United States will be more diverse than it was in 2010. With these statistics (and growing projections) on the horizon, it is no wonder why the “once majority, now the minority” racial group is on the offense.

The Governor of Texas has signed into law new voting laws that are designed to place new restrictions on citizens in that state. The new Texas laws ban 24-hour voting, ban drive-thru voting, put in place new vote-by-mail ID mandates, ban officials from mailing unsolicited mail-in ballots, empower poll workers, implement new requirements for assisting voters, and give authority for the Texas secretary of state to regularly scrutinize monthly voter roll calls. Eighteen other states have enacted new laws that make it harder to vote.

It appears that state and local governments have jumped on the bandwagon of offense. Lawmakers who are in the majority are abusing their powers by re-drawing their districts so that voting will be more advantageous to their agendas. Apparently, America’s reckoning with their own democracy seems to extend beyond the desire to win a presidential election. State and Federal courts are filled with hearings challenging partisan gerrymandering efforts of the rich and powerful. Even the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court has been in on the action.

America’s two “true colors” are the motive behind such destructive assaults on democracy. America’s demographic change is the silent elephant in the room. This silence has led to decisive thinking against your very interests. The “lack of” gun laws in America is even considered a “win” for those individuals who would rather incite fear and hatred in the hearts and minds of their constituents.

Democrat or Republican….Black or White. There is no room in America for any other race or political affiliation. Those are the true colors of America. It is not red, white, and blue. As long as one ethnic group in America has the controlling narrative, there will be no room for anyone else. Race and politics are as ingrained in the minds of many Americans as the colorful story of Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America.

The state of Florida recently banned AP African American history classes ins schools after determining that it “lacked educational value” and the new standards require teachers to say that enslaved people may have benefited from the skills learned in slavery. Irishman Edmund Burks said it best “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Showing one’s “true colors” can reveal one’s real character or intentions, especially when these colors are dishonorable.

I was thinking about the subject of “true colors” while attending church last week. I was drawn to the beautiful stained-glass windows that surrounded the cathedral. Even though I was unsure of the weather conditions outside, it appeared that sunlight always passed through those stained-glass windows. Even the blue or purple stained glass always reflected some sort of light.

It struck me that each piece of stained glass could represent the many racial and ethnic groups in America. During the nighttime hours, we never stop shining, but are absent of the very life force that propels us (God’s light-the sun). The dawn of every new day brings challenges and frustrations, but if we stay close to one another, our light will shine through…even on the cloudiest of days. Light carrierd the message that we must stay vigilant against those forces that want to break us down or separate us.