Elephant in the Room: Falsely accusing black men of rape is an old tactic, especially in the South

[EffieBlack]

154. Of course we can forgive him

But, as I said, forgiveness doesn't mean that we don't have to expect him to atone and make amends. He doesn't just get to behave the way he did, go along with his life with no consequences, then when the truth comes out - through no effort on his part - say, "Sorry" and then continue moving along with his life as if nothing ever happened.

When Dylan Roof slaughtered those poor people at Mother Emmanuel in South Carolina, many of the victims' families told him they forgave him. But that didn't mean the charges were dropped or that he got to escape punishment.

Forgiveness is a gift, an act of grace. It's not a get out of jail free card.

And black folk are tired of being asked to forgive everyone for every wrong, but when we ask them to atone for or own up to the consequences of their behavior - or even go through a little inconvenience - we're told that WE are being unfair, WE are trying to destroy their lives, WE must let bygones be bygones.

No. It's time for people who actually do the bad deeds to actually share the burden of this process. And asking him to step down from the seat that black folk put him in and that he wouldn't have come close to getting if it weren't for the black folk who are now supposed to forgive and forget is not a heavy burden for him to bear.