Sometimes elderly African-American slaves were freed not as a favor but as a means to cut off the expense of providing food, clothing, shelter, etc. for those who were sick and/or disabled and could no longer produce at previous levels. Such was the case of elderly, married, slave couple James Baumfree and Mau Mau Bett Baumfree. The Baumfree's slavemaster, Charles Hardenbergh, became sick and died. What to do with his estate?
Since James Baumfree was sick and disabled he was freed, and his wife Mau Mau Bett was freed to take care of him. Hardenbergh also owned the Baumfree's children who were put on the auction block and sold to another slave master since they were young and could work much.
Hardenbergh was of Dutch heritage. He also spoke English, but deliberately did not allow his slaves to learn English, adding a layer of difficulty for his slaves to escape slavery since English is the primary language in America. So when Mau Mau Bett sought employment to support herself and her husband after they were freed from slavery her employment options were limited because she spoke Dutch instead of English. One day Mau Mau Bett went into a coma and died. James died of starvation because no one could take care of him after Mau Mau died.
No matter what age we are or what abilities we have or do not have, God loves us. God is good to His friends and even His enemies. Matthew 5:43-45 New Living Translation Bible says, "“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike."
An African proverb from Zaire says, "A kind person is the one who is kind to strangers."
Discrimination preys upon those who are strangers, sick, disabled, too young to speak up for themselves and others. The Nondiscrimination in Treatment Act of Oklahoma protects the elderly, seriously ill and disabled by preventing medical providers from denying individuals life-saving treatment based on their quality of life.
Sadly discrimination is widespread. In Frederick, Maryland, a young man, Robert Ethan Saylor, was killed in a movie theater in January 2013 because people didn't understand someone with Down Syndrome. Many unborn boys and girls are being discriminated against because of their place of residence and age. In America since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion 55 million babies have been killed. Since China's one-child policy was implemented in the 1970s more than 336 million babies have been killed by abortion; that's more Chinese baby boys and baby girls have lost their lives to abortion than the combined total population of the United States of America and Australia. And so many other people are being discriminated against.
Chen Guangcheng is helping to stop some discrimination. He became internationally known for filing a 2005 law suit against a local government for forced abortions and forced sterilizations practiced as part of China’s one-child policy. Guangcheng's lawsuit was rejected, and he was placed under house arrest in Shandong, China, with guards surrounding his house, his cell phone service cut off and bright lights shinning on his house at night.
Tejas is the name the Spanish gave to what became the US state of Texas. The Spanish chose the name based on a Native American word for "friend."
Guangcheng, a blind self-taught lawyer, had friends help him to escape from house arrest in April 2012 and to enter the US embassy in Beijing. A deal was worked out between China and the United States; now Guangcheng lives in New York with his wife, Yuan Weijing, and children.
On April 9, 2013, he testified before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee On Foreign Affairs about his family's and other people's persecution in China and other ongoing human rights abuses in China. Guangcheng gave Congress a list of 130,000 Chinese officials involved in forced abortions and forced sterilizations.
When Guangcheng was under house arrest in Shangdong, China, Actor Christian Bale tried but failed to visit the activist to publicize his plight.
Andrew Jacobs of The New York Times with others attempted to visit Guangcheng when he was under house arrest. Jacobs was met by a man who swatted at his car with a broom and called for back up who detained Jacobs. The security back up took the reporters' camera and deleted their images. When Jacobs was driving out of town, he was followed by a car with the license plate covered over by paper.
Guangcheng's nephew, Chen Kegui, has been in jail after using knives to fend off local officials who burst into Kegui's home after Guangcheng's escape.
Chen Guangcheng said, "Recently, many friends and neighbors who I have been in touch with by phone have been taken into custody by the authorities for questioning. They have been threatened and made to describe what our conversations have been about," (January 29, 2013, Reuters article entitled "Blind dissident urges global pressure on China over rights" by Paul Eckert.)
A Japanese proverb says, "An evil act runs a thousand miles."
Discrimination, all types of abortion, involuntary sterilization and a lack of free speech are evil acts to be exposed, eliminated and replaced by the love of God. 1 John 4:7-11 Complete Jewish Bible says, "Beloved friends, let us love one another; because love is from God; and everyone who loves has God as his Father and knows God. Those who do not love, do not know God; because God is love. Here is how God showed his love among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that through him we might have life. Here is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the kapparah for our sins. Beloved friends, if this is how God loved us, we likewise ought to love one another."
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