Count by 21 to trace a historical thread of freedom and the compromise of conscience.
Athenian leader, Draco (Greek root for dragon and draconian), introduced a written system of laws. Draco’s Code was said to have been written in blood rather than ink. Many crimes, small and large, were punishable by death. Revelation, Chapters 12 and 13, tell us about a dragon and two beasts combining their powers to force people to choose false worship or death at the end of time. Their draconian reign will be cut down when Jesus, the dragon slayer, returns in Revelation 19.
Disappearance of Al-H.ākim bi-Amr Allāh. Al-H.ākim was a Caliph over Egypt during the Fatimid Dynasty, who severely persecuted the Jews, Coptic Christians, and even other Muslims. Before and after Al-H.ākim’s reign, there was harmony between the three Abrahamic religions. When news spread that the only trace of Al-H.ākim was his bloodstained clothes, we can imagine people from all three religions recited, “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy” (Proverbs 11:10, NIV).
Peter Abelard, a popular theologian who taught kings and bishops, was convicted as a heretic and mercifully sentenced to silence (as opposed to death). Later in the same year, he was castrated by his wife’s uncle – a clergyman as well. Uncle Fulbert was understandably upset that Abelard had impregnated and secretly married his niece, Héloïse, when she was supposed to merely be his student. But castration? WWJD?
The “Christians” of Erfurt, Germany falsely accused Jews of ritualistic sacrificing and eating Christian children and drinking their blood (aka – blood libel). They surrounded the Jews at synagogue and gave them a choice of baptism or death. They tortured and massacred many before demolishing the synagogue and Jewish community. Ironically, Romans suspected early Christians of cannibalism because of what we call the Lord’s Supper, Communion, or the Eucharist. It’s also a strange irony that Jews obey biblical texts forbidding the eating of blood or fat, while many Christians label those practices as legalism.
The “Christians” of Chinon, France burned 170 Jews to death on an island in the river Vienne. It is known by some as “the island of the Jews.” Jews were being widely blamed for spreading the Black Death by conspiring with lepers to poison the wells of Christians. The root of much of this violence was resentment of growing Jewish prosperity – often from money-lending with interest. Ironically, money-lending (aka usury) helped the European economy, but Christians deplored the practice and often relegated it to the Jews.
The Vienna Gesera was a decree authorizing ethnic cleansing of Jews from Austria. The “cleansing” included starvation, torture, imprisonment, banishment, forced baptism, and being burned alive. Possessions were plundered, property seized, and synagogues destroyed. Why? Jealousy of their growing wealth (often from lending with interest as in 1321), and suspicion of harboring Hussites (a Christian sect critical of Catholicism). There seems to be something very unchristian about the Christianity of this age. How could they be followers of a humble, generous, nonviolent Jew?
Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther in January. Three months later, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who was neither holy, a Roman, nor really an emperor) declared Luther an outlaw and heretic. You would think the increasing Catholic-Protestant conflicts would provide respite for European Jews from European Christians. However, even Luther—the persecuted reformer —urged anti-Jewish burning and looting in his 65,000-word missive, On the Jews and Their Lies.
June 21, 27 protestant intellectuals were publicly executed in the Old Town Square of the Czech Estates. This was part of the Counter Reformation, a “recatholization” of Europe. It was one of the many bloody scenes during the 30 Years War, which killed about eight million Europeans fighting for ascendancy between Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists.
Massachusetts passed the Body of Liberties. As with many colonial documents professing liberty, its provisions involved bondage, making Massachusetts the first British colony to legalize slavery. At least they were egalitarian about it – allowing Whites and Indigenous people to be enslaved along with Blacks.
Zabdiel Boylston is credited with performing the first smallpox inoculations in America. The physician learned the procedure from Cotton Mather’s slave, Onesimus. Would sharing this life-saving knowledge be valuable enough to free Onesimus? C’mon, this was colonial America in 1721. What do you think?
Birth of Sor (Sister) Juana Inés de la Cruz. Known as the 10th Muse, Juana was a prolific writer of both religious and secular literature. Her famous poem “You Foolish Men” appeared alongside her likeness on the 200-peso bill from to 1993-2019, until she was replaced by two male heroes. Perhaps the “Phoenix of Mexico” will rise yet again.
Napoleon Bonaparte died of stomach cancer at age 51. The United States bought Florida from Spain for $5 million. Imperial Spain’s dominion took more hits as Caracas, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, San Salvador, and Chiapas broke free from Spanish colonialism. These independence movements received inspiration and support from the newly self-liberated Haiti.
Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler was born. She overcame racism and sexism to become the first black female physician in the U.S. and the only woman to publish a medical text in the 1800s. Dr. Crumpler helped pave the way for other women and people of color to join the healing professions.
Black Wall Street was destroyed by state-sponsored white supremacist terrorism, lies, and jealousy. Although once proud enough to turn photographs of the destruction into postcards, Tulsa’s residents began a massive cover-up.
Insurrection Day. The whole world watched on January 6, 2021, as the U.S. Capitol suffered invasion by neo-Nazis wearing shirts with genocidal slogans; neo-Confederates parading their seditious flag; barbarians defecating in the hallways; vandals looting legislators’ desks; paramilitary groups insulting, beating, disarming, tazing, tear-gassing, and trampling police officers; terrorists demanding the hanging of the Vice President, for which they prepared gallows; and Christian nationalists initiating a prayer and praise service after sacking the congressional chambers. All this, with the goal of overturning the 2020 presidential election results. Not all the results. Just enough. Mainly the ones from metropolitan areas with high concentrations of people of color, whose votes are historically slandered as invalid for one reason or another.
In a parallel move to Insurrection Day, several states pushed hundreds of voter suppression laws to solve the fabricated problem of widespread voter fraud. Some of these will allow politicians from sparsely populated, majority white districts to take over the county election operations of densely populated areas that are primarily comprised of people of color. They seek a legislative process to make coups legal and respectable – genteel, if you please.
Derek Chauvin gets convicted and sentenced. Some say the verdict proves the system works. Others point to the leniency of the sentence as proof that the system does work – against us.
The 2020 Census report showed a growth in populations of color and a corresponding decline of the white population. A representative government that reflects a demographic shift could mean an end to centuries of identity politics based on whiteness. Some will have to share the power they see as their god-given right to lord over others. Could unresolved guilt be triggering suspicion that others will do unto them what they have done to others?
Several states have passed laws banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT, an academic framework, taught mostly in law schools, that traces the impact of racism on American institutions). Many of these state laws can be interpreted in such a way as to ban any teaching about racism in America’s past and nullify any accusations of racism in the present. By pushing these laws, these politicians are providing case studies that affirm many of the claims made by CRT.
The United States withdraws troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of military conflict and occupation. The void was immediately filled by Islamic extremists, causing a heart-breaking humanitarian crisis that sent thousands of Afghanis into hiding or fleeing to leave the country. It’s much easier to make war than peace, and the peace for which we wage war almost always eludes us.
But hey, at least we fiiiinally got Juneteenth as a national holiday!
