Iran Vows Retaliation; Black Americans Urge: “Leave Us Out of It”

 Iran vows retaliation. The many bibles of the world speak of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth..  African Americans tell Iran that this is not African Americans' fault, and leave them out of it when retaliating. - SDC News One

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News Commentary — June 22, 2025

Headline: Iran Vows Retaliation; Black Americans Urge: “Leave Us Out of It”

In the aftermath of a devastating bombing inside Iran — widely suspected to have been orchestrated or supported by the United States and its allies — Tehran has vowed retribution. The rhetoric from Iran’s top officials has escalated, calling the strike a “criminal act of war” and promising that a response is “inevitable and proportional.”

As the world braces for the next domino in an already-unstable geopolitical chain, one group in America is speaking out with a clear and emotional message: “Don’t drag us into this.”

From church pulpits to social media timelines, African Americans — long burdened with carrying the consequences of U.S. foreign policy decisions they had no hand in making — are voicing their frustration, fear, and historical perspective.

“This isn’t our war, it never was,” said Rev. Malcolm Hines, a pastor in Atlanta. “Our sons are sent to fight in wars we don’t start, and our communities pay the price while the architects of these policies hide in boardrooms and Senate chambers.”

Many are invoking Scripture, including the well-known passage from Exodus and Leviticus, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” which has been used across various faith traditions to debate justice and retaliation. But African American communities are emphasizing a different kind of justice — one rooted in nonviolent resistance and historical memory.

“We know what collective punishment looks like,” said activist Amina Jefferson in Chicago. “We’ve lived it. Iran has its grievances, but we are not the ones who dropped the bombs. We’ve been fighting our own war for equality right here at home.”

This sentiment echoes a broader frustration with America’s repeated entanglements in foreign wars — and with a political elite that often does not reflect or represent the views of the communities who bear the brunt of conflict fallout.

While Iran has not made any threats directly targeting American civilians, the fear is not unfounded. From 9/11 to the Iraq War, backlash from foreign policy decisions has frequently had ripple effects inside the U.S., from Islamophobia to surveillance to increased militarization of police forces.

As the drumbeat of possible war grows louder, African Americans are drawing a moral line: if retaliation comes, let justice be targeted, not indiscriminate.

History, they warn, has shown what happens when innocent communities become collateral damage — and they refuse to wear the consequences of decisions made in their name, but not by their will.