On Life- Life and Racism

On Life- Life and Racism

It’s shocking to me how many people want to believe that racism doesn’t exist or that it’s no longer a problem in our country. I mean they learned about racism, or a version of it, in their history classes but certainly, they believe, it was dealt with in the past. Or was it? Were reparations ever made? Absolutely not. Has the trauma and pain of slavery, the KKK, and Jim Crow laws ever been acknowledged let alone apologized for? And I’m not talking about from the perspective of historians, writers, psychologists or sociologists. I mean, has this country and its leaders at any point publicly denounced its history of slavery and racism? Have they publicly denounced white supremacy and all of the despicable acts done in its name? Has any administration stood up and said we are going to honor our promise of 40 acres and a mule, maybe not with literal acres and a mule, but with some sort of payment to black America to say- we see you, we know we wronged you, we could never repay you for all the damage that’s been done to you but here’s a start. Maybe we would have seen some healing for our country during the presidency of JFK, but we all know how that turned out. There is much work still to be done- collectively in our structures and systems, and individually in our hearts, thoughts and behaviors.

Now, I am not one to think that we will eradicate racism completely from every human’s heart. As long as we live in a fallen world, there will be hate and hate can lead to racist views. But I am confident that we can eradicate it from the fabric of our country. We can take it out of the workplace, the church, the police, schools and other organizations that have been built upon systemic racism. We can make it so that it’s not okay, not even legal, to walk around spewing racist views so openly and boldly. And you know what, this change is happening. People are getting fired, losing their jobs and businesses, losing scholarships and contracts, being asked to step down and otherwise not associate with companies due to racist remarks being made. And it’s about time. This should have been happening but it’s happening now, and it’s just the first of many needed changes that will be coming our way. We can make it so that it’s not acceptable, not on any level, for unarmed Black men to continue to be murdered by the police. That means that if it happens, the police are charged and held accountable every time. If it happens, we don’t watch it with our own eyes on video and then say “yeah but..” or “what if..” or bring up the dead man’s past to justify his murder at the hands of a professional who is supposed to be trained to protect.

In everyday life we shouldn’t try to minimize issues of race or act like they don’t exist. When people say they “don’t see color” or respond to “black lives matter” with “all lives matter,” all I hear is “I don’t see racism as an issue” or “I don’t want to see racism as an issue.” In other words, all I hear is the deafening sound of denial. People ignorantly say, “just stop talking about race and racism will go away.” Really? If I have a cancerous tumor and just stop talking about it, will the cancer magically go away? When has ignoring a problem ever stopped it? The thing is, just because you don’t like hearing about it, doesn’t mean other people have to stop talking about it. And we won’t stop talking. We won’t stop marching. We won’t stop protesting. We won’t stop speaking out. We won’t stop educating others. We won’t stop supporting Black businesses. We won’t stop supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Because this moment in time is important. It is historic. A much-needed shift and change is coming, and we don’t need everyone’s approval for it to happen. This movement will happen peacefully, or violently, or whatever way it needs to happen. You’d prefer it to happen peacefully? Then don’t be the one who resists the progress or fights against it. Don’t be the one lumping protestors and looters into the same category. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. The protestors want justice. The looters are simply out there for their own personal gain. Don’t be the one who denies racism exists because you haven’t experienced it. You want a peaceful movement? Then get out there and link hands with those who are working to enact change. Be a part of the solution and not the problem. Otherwise, you have no right to speak on the matter.

And if things do get violent? Why is the first impulse to blame the protestors? Why is the first impulse to blame the victims? The violence comes from those who oppose the change we want to see. It’s police officers pushing down and berating protestors. It’s white supremacists causing destruction and letting Black protestors take the blame. It’s the assassination of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. It’s the beating and hosing of peaceful protestors during the Civil Rights Movement. A movement that ended over 50 years ago, and yet, here we are dealing with many of the same issues that clearly have not been settled. The protestors today have every right to be angry. Violence may not be the answer, but it is an appropriate response to years of trauma, oppression, and violence that have been directed towards Black America. Imagine a woman abused for years by her husband and one day she snaps and fights back. Maybe she kills him in the process. We don’t condone her actions, but we understand where they came from. The social contract for Black Americans has been destructively severed for so long, it is only natural that people would fight back. Don’t think you wouldn’t do the same, if you were in the same position. You don’t know what you would be capable of, if pushed far enough. If you don’t know what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship, don’t judge the woman who takes matters into her own hands to protect herself. And if you don’t know what it feels like to be Black in America, then don’t judge the movement that is rising up.

Don’t judge the feelings or the tactics or the way people are expressing themselves. Because you don’t know. You just don’t know. Judge less. Talk less. Argue less. Listen more. Try to understand an experience that is different from your own. Educate yourself about more than what you learned in history class. Do your own reading and research. Don’t ignore the problem or minimize people’s pain. Looking the other way is not going to make any of this go away. Because you know what, these protests against police brutality, white supremacy, and racism are not just happening here in America. They are happening all around the world. The whole world is paying attention. How is it that people in France, Denmark, Italy, Syria, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, etc, can see what is going on here but some Americans want to turn a blind eye? Could it be that some don’t want to face the racism in their own hearts? Or they’re too afraid to take a stand for fear of rejection by their friends and family? Or maybe some are afraid that it would be too uncomfortable, too inconvenient to make the necessary changes.

If you are not engaging in the movement, it is time to do some soul searching. This is a moment for the history books. One day your great grand children will be reading about it and where will you say you stood on the issues of equality, justice, and freedom for all? Did you fight against it? Did you watch from the sidelines? Or did you do your part to move society forward in more equitable ways? Obviously we all have different parts to play. There are many ideas on how to get involved circulating through social media. If you feel compelled to join protests, that is one way. You can also donate to organizations that support the movement, support Black owned businesses, educate yourself on racism and then share your knowledge with friends and family. Have difficult conversations and speak out when you see or hear racism in action.

What we have right now- even if some people want to brush it off, ignore it, minimize it, or deny it exists- is an infected wound. The wound started when Africans were kidnapped and brought to America to build a country that they were never intended to have a part of as free men. But there were people back then who had a conscience, who knew slavery was wrong, and so they fought against it. They spoke against slavery and worked tirelessly to abolish it. The wound festered when slavery was not directly opposed in the Constitution. At the very founding of our country, our leaders compromised on the issue of slavery with the three-fifths compromise, the extended slave trade and the fugitive slave clause. (And we have been compromising ever since.) The wound became infected when America had to go to war with itself- North vs. South. And when the North won, and slavery was abolished, that should have settled the score. But instead the infection grew worse with the implementation of Jim Crow Laws and segregation. The Civil Rights Movement tended to the wound for a little while. But in reality, since this movement, there have only been band aids placed on the issue of racism. Surface level solutions that pacify people for awhile but never get to the heart of the matter. If you had a gashing wound that a doctor just kept putting band aids on, you’d get fed up too. You’d want him to clean it and stitch it up so it could heal properly. And that’s where we’re at with racism in this country. No more band aids will be accepted. The wound needs to be cleansed and healed down to the very root so it can heal properly. This healing is long overdue.

Racism and racists will have their day of reckoning. The question is, what side will you be on when it’s all said and done? I wonder how many Nazis regretted their beliefs, their position, their actions, after the horrors of the Holocaust were truly realized. How many ignored, dismissed, or denied what was happening to the Jews? I wonder in 40 years or so, how many will look back on this moment in time and regret what they did or didn’t do. If they’ll regret taking racist actions or making racist remarks. How many will regret sitting by complicitly in silence? I don’t have all the answers here. I just know that this moment, this movement, is so important. It will be life changing for us individually and as a nation. How will you let this moment change you? Will you join those of us who want to work together to heal the wound of racism? Or will you fight us every step of the way? And if you are resisting the change that is taking place, that needs to take place, you should be asking yourself “why”? Go deep and face that thing that is holding you back.  What’s there? Your own racist views you don’t want to admit? Your ego that is trying to convince you that YOUR life is just as important as black lives, yet your life is not in danger in the same way as black lives? Your comfort that doesn’t want to see the status quo upended? Your ignorance that believes that racism no longer exists? Your loyalty to this country (a piece of land) or the flag (a piece of fabric) over the well-being of human lives? Your sense of superiority that believes your skin color somehow magically makes you better than another?

Go deep and face that thing that is holding you back. Because if you don’t do it now, you will do it one day. One day you will look back and wish you had done it sooner. You will wish you were on the right side of history. But make no mistake, whether you get it right now or not, the movement is in full motion. We will push ahead with or without your help. Change IS coming- hundreds of years too late but rest assured it is coming. I am ready to see the wound healed. I am ready to see this burden of racism lifted from the shoulders of all those I love. It is too heavy a burden for them to bear, especially alone. We need more voices to rise up to help shoulder the burden of the weary right now. I hope that when it’s all said and done, your voice gets heard and that it stood loudly for equality, justice, love and freedom for Black America.