We are still wading in the water

The song, “Wade in the Water” was extremely important to Harriet Tubman in her efforts to guide slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad: “Wade in the water. Wade in the water, children. Wade in the water. God’s gonna trouble the water.”

The lyrics, as with many other spirituals, contained secret codes that were far removed from any association with Christian traditions. The lyrics served as a message to runaway slaves that the slave master has detected their absence

The use of bloodhounds was a primary strategy for catching runaways, so this song was a directive to travel through water whenever bloodhounds were heard in order to prevent them from sniffing the slaves’ scent. They were likely to be safe if they were able to make it to the water.

For some reason, this song is resonating with me in a different way than it ever has before. On the surface, I would think it’s because February is Black History Month, but I know it’s really much deeper than that.

In all honesty, I must say I am still recovering from our last presidential election. I can still hear the echoes of racism and bigotry, which cause me to wrestle with the fear of losing decades of advancements in civil rights and social justice.

Who would’ve thought in 2017, after all of the decades of achievements, we would still have to wade in the water in order to get to freedom? The disenfranchisement of black men by the criminal justice system and police departments has been championed by the Black Lives Matter Movement. However, overt expressions of outrage over structural racism tend to be seen as an aggressive attack against the status quo, making it too politically incorrect to be tolerable.

When freedom of speech is no longer free, activists and community organizers must wade in the water because the bloodhounds are chasing the scent of their dissension and despair. To that, we see them wading in the waters of marches and calls to action.

Immigrants are learning what it means to wade in the water. Both immigrants and Muslims are feeling threatened, fearing that at any moment they could be attacked or sent out of the country. Although many of them believe they are making significant contributions to America, they are coming to the understanding that this is a time they too must wade in the water to escape the bloodhounds of racism. Many Americans are helping immigrants wade in the water by serving as barriers to their deportation.

The last verse of the song yields a message that is very applicable at this time in our nation’s history: “If you don’t believe I’ve been redeemed, just follow me down to Jordan’s stream.” Those words are a charge to confront your fears of crossing over the Jordan River (or the Ohio River) to freedom. In other words, if you keep moving forward, you ultimately will be free.

This is a challenge to all who refuse to be enslaved to keep moving through the waters of freedom. Every protest, every call to government officials, and every tweet or blog is a wade in the water.

Let us wade together. This is our charge — our path to freedom.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 6:56 AM with the headline "We are still wading in the water."