Soulful Grace in the Face of Adversity
Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper
In the Face of Adversity
Christian Cooper was in Central Park bird-watching when Amy Cooper took umbrage at him asking that she put her dog on a leash. Seething with resentment, she called the police, telling them that an African-American man was threatening her. When asked to testify against the woman who sought to cause him untold harm, having learned that she had lost her job, Cooper said: "I must err on the side of compassion.”
A moment of grace …
Last week, CNN’s Alisyn Camerota interviewed Jacob Blake’s father after his son was shot seven times in his back, with his three children watching in the backseat of the car. Alisyn was visibly moved during his interview, saying that the family has “been kind and generous of spirit.” She told him that he is “a role model for the rest of us.” Mr. Blake Sr. said: “we don’t prescribe to useless violence … [we] have to stay humble … I can’t be angry because I still have to be faithful.”
When she asked if he had expected President Trump to say something about Jacob in his convention speech, his response: “Well, if I have to tell you I want you to do something and you don’t want to do it, there’s no need for me to mention it because then it’s not coming from your heart.”
Moments of grace …
At the conclusion of the interview, Alisyn took a deep sigh and said she couldn’t imagine someone “more measured, prayerful, and thoughtful,” and asked her co-host, “How could he already be at that point?” After all, his son was shot down only four days prior.
I will carry his words of wisdom with me. He doesn't focus on anger, he focuses on healing. If only we could all be so generous of heart. My dad died twenty years ago and I wonder if Mr. Blake would mind stepping in to be his surrogate.
—Alisyn Camerota
Julia Jackson, Jacob Blake’s mother
Grounded, self-assured in her beliefs, Julia Jackson, Jacob Blake Jr’s mother, denounced the violence in Kenosha because “it doesn’t reflect my son or my family.” She called for healing and asked us to “Take a moment and examine your hearts. We need healing. Even before this, I have been praying for the healing of our country. America is great when we behave greatly.”
Julia Jackson even prayed with the police officer stationed in her son’s hospital room.
Moments of grace …
Time and again, I’ve marveled at and been humbled by the responses of people of color who have experienced travesty, trauma, and unfathomable pain, yet still displayed deep inner strength and a kindness of spirit that was remarkable. The word that came to my mind as Greg and I talked about this latest tragedy was grace.
Soulful Grace
Grace can be defined as elegance and beauty of form, motion, or action, as when a woman saunters across a room or when we are entranced by the supple flow of a dancer’s movements. Grace can be a spiritual gift that brings love and mercy, even though it may not be deserved—a connection of Divine transcendence. Grace is also a polite and thoughtful way of behaving—a disposition to kindness and compassion.
Through the individuals above, we illuminate the latter—grace that brings strength of character by adopting everyday acts of kindness to make a difference. As with the physical dimension, there is beauty in these actions, as grace becomes a change agent to empower potential.
As a virtue through which we assert our values, grace is usually embraced as part of our cultural upbringing and reaffirmed as we commit to those values as adults. When the weight of trials and tribulations try to tear us down, it’s often easier to react from the pressure, the anger, and the hate that sometimes consume us. Christian Cooper, Jacob Blake Sr., Julia Jackson, and many others like them are shining examples of grace in action. They are committed to something larger than themselves, with a graceful humility steeped in respect and truth.
It may not be easy, but a cultivation of gracious behavior can be the pathway to more effective leadership, and to bolster our capacity for compassionate empathy—a topic we’ll tackle in another post.
