We are presented with tens of thousands upon millions of voices crying out that racism is real and something that they experience on a daily basis.
I feel inadequate to address this topic, because I fall into the category that hasn't experienced racism. But we must speak out against injustice or we are silently supporting it. We want to believe that if we aren't actively participating in racism or injustice, then we are not part of the problem, but this is a lie. If we aren't speaking out against racism, then we are part of the problem.
This requires education. We must take a look at the underside of our nation's history to see how racism has survived for so long in our culture. This isn't to say that we ignore or deny the good parts of our history, but to acknowledge that we need to address the problems in our society. If a friend comes to you and tells you that something you said hurt their feelings, I hope that you don't immediately start telling them all the good things you have said over the years. Yes, it is true that you said good things, but that's not the issue right now. The issue is you said something hurtful and that is what needs addressed. Once that hurt has been addressed, then you can reminiscence about the good things together.
So I acknowledge that there are many good things in our nation's history, but that isn't our conversation right now. We need to address the racism that existed, still exists, and will continue to exist if we don't change. Racism didn't die out with the Emancipation Proclamation which freed SOME of the slaves in our nation, but survived by making Jim Crow laws to keep black people as close to their enslaved state after the Civil War ended. Racism survived through desegregation and the civil rights movement that pushed for legislative reforms.
We hear an ugly word like racism and immediately want to deny that there is any part of it that applies to us, but the only way we can make that claim is to narrow the definition. We do this when we define the rich as "people with more money than me" instead of as "people who can eat 2-3 meals a day and has a home with bills paid up-to-date". We do this when we define racists as "people who verbally abuse, physically assault, or kill people of a different ethnicity" instead of as "people who react differently to a person because of a physical characteristic related to their ethnicity".
Racism is the extreme acts that shock us on the news, but it is also the insidious small actions in our daily life.
If the following examples hit too close to home, I apologize for any pain they bring.
Racism is clutching a bag tighter when a black person comes into view.
Racism is acknowledging the diversity in "your group" while painting "their group" with broad brushstrokes.
Racism is sounding surprised when you mention that a black person came into your place of business...and was...nice!
Racism is believing the segregation in our Sunday services is normal because each group prefers to worship with "their own kind".
Racism is saying you talked with a black person and telling your listener that they "sounded so eloquent".
This will be an uncomfortable journey. Lean into that. As we go down this path, we will hear and see and read things that upset us. Our initial reaction is to deny and offer excuses, but I encourage us to pause and reflect on what is upsetting us.
This is going to cut us to our core, break us, and cause us to lament. And I hope that it does. If we read about prejudice, discrimination, and racism in our midst and remain unmoved and without compassion, we are not displaying the love of Christ that we claim to have. Encountering racism should lead to changes in our lives. Otherwise, we are just like the priest and the Levite who saw the man beaten by the side of the road and who walked on by. (See Luke 10:25-37)
Being ignorant is not the problem. Becoming aware of our ignorance and choosing to STAY ignorant is the problem. To continue the Good Samaritan analogy, there were plenty of people who didn't pass by the man on the road. They were ignorant of his problems, but they weren't there to fix them. That's not the issue. The priest and the Levite saw the problem and chose to do nothing. This is a sin that they will have to answer for on the day of judgment.
This might be a good time to start a journal.
What did you read/hear?
How does that make you feel?
Why do you feel that way?
How would you feel if you were in a similar situation?
What did the writer/speaker say about how they felt in that situation?
Where do we go from here?
What do we need to repent of and stop doing?
What have we neglected that we need to start doing?
Brush up on the 5 stages of grief. This is a grieving process. The "normal" life we knew is dying and something new is being born. We won't remain unchanged as we pass through this fire, but remaining unchanged isn't our goal.
Learn to reflect on which stage of grief you are in (denial, anger, depression, bargaining, or acceptance).
Is the stage of grief directed inward (at ourselves), outward (at our own culture), or further out (at those telling their stories)? Why is that?
Listen. Don't just find people saying the things that you want to hear and want to believe are true. Seek out voices that will challenge your biases and way of viewing the world. Then listen, reflect, and pray.
Sincerely,
Liz o' the Niche
