“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 9:5)
Former Alabama Governor George Wallace’s death a few weeks ago symbolized a lot more than a ceremonial death to the racial hatred that our country experienced during the 1960’s.
Wallace stood against many of the victories that black Americans fought so hard for in the 1960’s and steadfastly opposed so much of the progress that I have witnessed for minorities in our country.
In his first inaugural address as the newly elected Governor of Alabama in 1963, it was Wallace who said, “In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny. And I say…segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
I can’t remember any one individual who portrayed racial hatred more than George Wallace did. He was a lightning rod for racism whose 1968 Presidential Campaign slogan was “Send ‘em a message”.
Ironically, it was Wallace who changed. He eventually repented and said, “I was wrong. I am sorry.”
Wallace finally realized the truth in something the Apostle John once said: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) So he spent the rest of his days seeking forgiveness from those against whom he fought so vigilantly. There’s no telling how many black churches he visited with his message of apology.
The joy in this story is that blacks in Alabama responded with open arms. In fact, when he won a final bid for governor in 1982, he drew 90% of the black vote.
The Reverend David Lowery, now retired from his post with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, recalled how he felt after Wallace had requested to meet with marchers in 1995 after a reenactment of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march: “We could not, would not, deny a human act of repentance. We serve a God who makes the crooked places straight, makes the desert bloom, and makes the lion to lie down with the lamb…Isn’t that what the world needs now?”
George Wallace is a great example of just how much God can change the heart of a man. He learned that God is no respecter of persons. He finally understood that God “…accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” (Acts 10:35)
Wallace will never be forgotten for the racial hatred he stirred up in the hearts of Americans. But as one editor puts it: “His conversion helped bring out the best of the nation as well. It was proof positive of the hope possible in human nature, of the reversal of attitude for an entire region of the country, and of the possibility of national healing. He was one of America’s most unusual prodigals, who left the fair-minded mainstream to indulge in the worst of segregationist ideology, but who returned and became an advocate for the rights of all. And as with the Biblical prodigal, almost the entire household rejoiced.”
I trust that he is with God now and I pray that the racial hatred for which he will be remembered will never again be seen in the heart of another leader.
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