The Black Church's Response to this Hate Crime? (Queue the Crickets)

NOTE: This was also posted at the watchdog site for this case: Justice 4 Two Sisters. Angela Davis, one of my (s)heroes, said, "If they come for me in the morning, they'll come for you in the afternoon." Where did I learn this powerful saying? In a sermon by the great Rev.Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright,Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago IL. Yeah that's right, a black revolutionary, exegeted by a black theologian. The black church and civil/human rights have been galvanized since emancipation and before. Historically the black church has as a whole never backed down from attacks on our community or our people. When did this shift occur? Time was, the first entity in the black community who would have weighed in on the rape,brutalization, and racial terrorization of 2 African-American women by 3 white members of the Duke University Men's Lacrosse team would have been the black church, no question. The church has been our country club, our fraternity,sorority, alma mater, citizens action committee, finishing school, mission,homeless shelter, soup kitchen, et al since forever. No member of the black community could matriculate where we do, work where we do, eat where we do, walk where we do, or live where we do, if it were not for the black church...if not for preachers and mothers of the church, for protest marches and prayer meetings. Where is the black church on this issue? Now, let me be real. I know who we will not hear from. We will not hear from the so-called prosperity or 'word' church leaders who run the Sunday Morning Church Amusement Parks around the country that are focused on sowing seeds made of paper currency so they can reap a Gulfstream Jet or Rolls for themselves Haw-Lay-LOOOO-Yuh. We will not hear from empty-suit preachers like Rev. Patrick Wooden of Upper Room Church of God in Christ, in Raleigh NC, headline seekers who pop up at the holidays to denounce businesses who use Xmas in their advertising. Let's see ...sexual assault and hate crime VS. Xmas...which one do you think the Almighty is most grieved over? "Straining out gnats and swallowing camels" is what Jesus called this backward value system in the Gospel of Matthew. But I digress... Black church we need to hear from you and see you. Trust and believe if this was a Jewish girl who'd been brutalized, our brothers and sisters in the Jewish community, rabbis and members of synagogues around the area would converge on the Duke campus and let it be known this act of violence will not be tolerated. I beseech you to replace thesilence with the voice of the Black church. Our ancestors are waiting on you. If we don't, rest assured they will "come for you in the afternoon" as Sister Angela so eloquently aid.