Leading through Racism

Monday is Martin Luther King Day. Although you are reading this a few days afterward, it is important that we do not lose the values of justice, equality, nonviolence, love, and service to others. Dr. King said, “A man that hasn’t discovered what he’s willing to die for, isn’t fit to live.” He put his life on the line for the dream that “one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

The Dream

Over the past several years, months, weeks, I have had a hard time ignoring the racially charged rhetoric against immigrants seeking the same dream of Dr. King, the derogatory comments against an African American elected official seeking to live out her dream, and the racist language to describe and demean people seeking to find a peaceful existence in the country they see as safe for themselves and their families.

Although, at this time in history, we hear the words of hatred and contempt, you and I have the opportunity to shape a future without racism. To fight this disease that threatens the lives and dignity of so many people around us, it is time to become the courageous leaders we have been gifted to be. Antiracist work is hard and exhausting, but you have been created to lead for such a time as this.  As a Christ centered leader, you have the opportunity to literally change the world. 

We Can Do Better

Our country, our communities, our churches need leaders who are willing to help, not only face the reality of systemic racism that is rooted in the soul and fabric of our culture, but to speak out against the racist rhetoric that is becoming normalized in our culture.

I confess that I have grown weary of the words “this is not who we are.” The truth is, it is exactly who we are, and it is time for us to wake up and recognize that we can do better. The question is, will we?

Irrational Basis of Prejudice

Jane Elliot, a third-grade teacher from Iowa, who on the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, felt compelled to teach her students about discrimination.  She told the children that brown-eyed people were superior to blue-eyed people. She watched as the students turned on each other. Then, the next day, she reversed the script. The exercise highlighted the arbitrary and irrational basis of prejudice, an issue that we, in the United States, continue to grapple with 57 years later.

Since that day, Elliot has worked to fight racist ideas, challenged textbooks that teach false or incomplete history, and has emphasized the common ancestry of all human beings that makes us members of the same race, the human race.

This is what she says, “Human beings created racism. Anything you create you can destroy. We can destroy racism.” (Jane Elliot)

Like no other time in our history, we have the opportunity to address and put an end to the evil of racism. The question is, “Will we?”

The Evil of White Supremacy

While I was a student at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, I was introduced to Dr James Cone and his book, God of the Oppressed. Over the years I have read several of his books like, A Black Theology of Liberation, The Spirituals and the Blues, and The Cross and the Lynching Tree.

In his book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree, he tells the story of a white mob in Valdosta, Georgia, in 1918 that lynched an innocent man named Haynes Turner. Turner’s wife, Mary, promised to seek justice for the people who murdered his husband. The sheriff responded by arresting her and then turning her over to the mob. As the story is told, Mary was “stripped, hung upside down by the ankles, soaked with gasoline, and roasted to death.”

I have difficulty in writing the story, but that is the evil of white supremacy that results in dehumanization, inhumanity, and murder. The acceptance of this kind of action nearly destroyed our nation. It proved that generations of Christians were hypocrites. It turned normal people into morally bankrupt participants if not by their action, by their silence.

Divisiveness Expanding

The divisiveness seems to be getting worse. The rationalization that deep down we are not racists seems to be overshadowed by the truth of who really are. Those who play down, or excuse, or try to walk past the offenses that are taking place are enablers of racism.

Michael Gerson, chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, wrote, “Racism is not just another wrong. The Antietam battlefield is not just another plot of ground. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is not just another bridge. The balcony outside Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel is not just another balcony. As U.S. history hallows some causes, it magnifies some crimes.”

He continued to write, “Some political choices are not just stupid or crude. They represent the return of our country’s cruelest, most dangerous passion…Treating racism as a typical or minor matter indicts us.”

Shape the Future Without Racism

Let me go back to what I wrote earlier, “Like no other time in history, you have the opportunity to shape a future without racism.”

If you are ready and willing to put an end to racism, then join me in getting a clearer understanding of racism and our participation in and benefit from it. The following is for you and your reflection. You need to be honest with your thoughts and own your feelings. Your reflection is a necessary step in gaining a clear understanding of how your life has been shaped by racist ideas and policies. This is for you and you only. All I ask is that you be honest with yourself.  

Racism Makes People the Problem

Unapologetically admit that you are ignorant and complicit in the racist ideas, power and policies of our culture and country.  

Racist ideas make people of color think less of themselves, which makes them more vulnerable to racist ideas. Racist ideas make white people think more of themselves, which makes racist ideas more attractive.

This kind of racism has us seeing people as the problem. To protect ourselves and our beliefs, we design and participate in policies that elevate White people and degrade Black people. Although it is true that “All Lives Matter,” it is in our uninformed dehumanizing of Black men and women that we deflect and redirect our awareness regarding “Black Lives Matter.”

We are Complicit

We are complicit when we dismiss violent crimes as “black on black” crime without addressing the systems that give birth to such crimes.

It is easier to blame people than it is to design systems.

It is easier to reject people than it is to actively develop policies that help people out of poverty or homelessness.

It is easier to offer “thoughts and prayers” than it is to tackle the root causes of drug addiction, unemployment, and violent crime.

It is easier to feel blessed than it is to provide the blessing of health care and human development.

Of course, the systems in place to address such issues are designed to get the results they are getting. Are you aware that you participate in such systems?

Time to End Racist Ideas and Policies

Now, if you are feeling offended by what I have written, then multiply that feeling by 400+ years of hatred and dehumanizing treatment and you might begin to feel a little of the pain our Black sisters and brothers continually experience. Don’t you agree that it is time to put an end to racist ideas and policies? 

White Privilege

Learn what it means to benefit from “white privilege.”

Most people I know are offended by the term “white privilege.” It is the word “privilege” that gets in the way.  Privilege is usually associated with affluence. Although affluence might be part of it, privilege refers to being protected by laws, benefiting from systems, having an advantage, which means you don’t have to look over your shoulder.

Missy Elliot writes, “Privilege is when you think something is not a problem because it is not a problem to you personally.”

Consider This…

I think of it this way. I don’t worry about being stopped, questioned, or shot while jogging through the neighborhoods around my house. I have never worried for my life when I have been stopped for a traffic violation. The one time I unknowingly used a counterfeit $10 bill, I did not worry about being arrested, handcuffed, or even questioned by police. It never crossed my mind to have the “talk” with my son regarding being stopped and questioned by police for any reason.

I have never had anything other than a credit check when buying a car or a house. Since I was 20 years old, I have had health care, a pension to look forward to, and a salary to meet my needs. I grew up with both parents present in my life while living in the same house. As a teenager, I worked to have my own spending money and never thought I needed to give money to my mother, grandmother, or my aunt to pay monthly bills. I never questioned whether I should or could get a quality college education.

I did relatively little to bring about what I listed above.  I was born into a system, participated in a system, and benefitted from a system that was designed for my advantage. I don’t feel guilty about it, but I now understand that I have been complicit in my participation in a system that has elevated White people and degraded Black people. Are you aware that you have benefitted from such systems? 

Confronting Racism

When we are confronted with our racist ideas or with racist policies, we usually deny that we are racist. Denial is the heartbeat of racism. Now, this might not be how it works with you, but for most of us it works this way.  Even when we point out racist ideas or identify racist systems, we usually deny that we perpetuate such ideas or participate in such systems. We become defensive and deflect or redirect.

Part of our racism is revealed in our understanding of the word “racist” as a derogatory term. The truth is the word “racist” is a descriptive term. When we see it as a derogatory term, we seek to protect ourselves by being neutral. So, we self-identify as “not racist.” When it comes to racism, there is no neutral ground. Racist is a descriptive term. If you are not antiracist, then you are racist.

Racism Interwoven into Our Lives

Racism is so interwoven into the fabric of our lives we have been taught not to see color. The problem of not seeing color is that we don’t see the discrimination or the injustice of our systems. Because we aren’t having a problem with things the way things are, we don’t understand why others are having problems. So, we justify ourselves by saying “they bring it on themselves.”

Racism is so interwoven into the fabric of our lives, we become timid and afraid to even use the word racism.  I recently read a post on social media where the person referred to racism as the “r” word. The comment was something like this: “The “r” word is a problem…How about teaching the words of Jesus?”

One response to the post was: “This comment is exactly why we need to hear the r word from our pulpits, study it together, and prepare to take action. Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. We cannot do that if we continue to be part of the problem by not even being open to studying how racism applies to us.”

The response continued, “I believe pastors of predominantly white churches are at the fork in the road. Will they lead our congregations toward a path of action, or will they enable us to continue to believe the r word has nothing to do with us or Jesus’ commandment to love? What an opportunity for all of us.”

You Can Help Put an End to Racism

Friends, if you can’t name it, then you don’t see it. And if you don’t see it, then you are part of the problem. Are you able to see that you can help put an end to racism? 

My point is not to shame you, make you feel guilty, make you angry, or put you on the defensive. My point is, until we face the reality of our participation in racist ideas and policies, we will not take action to change them.

We are way past the time to educate ourselves and to address the complex, emotional, and significant evil of racism. It is time to step up and lead like you have never had to lead before. The time is right, the opportunity is now, for open conversation, education, and transformation.

 As a leader, you have the responsibility to do the hard work of questioning our history of racism and to name the reality and ramifications of our sin. You have the opportunity to engage people in open conversation. The very conversations that once were held behind closed doors are now public conversations.  

Transformation

I know that ultimately, the transformation needed in our lives, in our country, and in our churches will come when we truly live as God created us to live.  I believe that comes through God’s love in Jesus Christ. I am committed to that transformation. 

But let me be clear. I’m not talking about a shallow, “What the world needs now is love sweet love.” That is a good song, but it is not about putting an end to racism. I am talking about what Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of and for which he gave his life, love, and justice. What the world needs now is people who treat one another justly, as human beings, as God’s beloved children. Until we love our neighbors as ourselves, we will not have justice. And, until we work for restorative justice, bathed in God’s mercy and grace, we will not love our neighbors as ourselves. To have a loving society we need a just society. 

Putting an End to Racism

I am grateful that you have come this far with me on this journey. Because you are still with me means you are ready to put an end to racism. There is more to come in future blogs, but here is what you can do now:

1. Pray – Stay connected to God and grounded in who God has created you to be and who has created the people around you to be. We are all God’s beloved children.
2. Read – Racists are not stupid. Racists are ignorant. I posted a list of resources in previous blogs where you might start.

In the blog “Overcoming Racism” I listed children’s books to help design a future without racism. In the blog “Putting an End to Racism” I listed books for adults to help design a future without racism.

You might start with these resources. There are more than enough to make a difference.

The truth is, we have the opportunity to educate ourselves and to take the steps to address the evils that are again raising their heads to be noticed and normalized.

3. Commit – Engage in a conversation with a Black man or woman. Develop a relationship of trust. Be honest with yourself and with them.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Ask him or her to help you become an antiracist.

The Influence of Dr. King

Well, you have just discovered what has been stirring in my heart and mind. I’ll blame it on the influence of Dr. King and then I will confess that being a follower of Jesus has led me to the place of loving my neighbor. No apologies for being a Jesus follower. He has transformed by life, and I am praying that Jesus transforms your life as well.

It is past time to get started.  As a Christ-centered leader, take the next step toward changing the world and putting an end to racism.