We caused this.
📷: Em Bateman
I have written and rewritten this post a number of times throughout the past month. Struggling to find coherent words instead of disjointed thoughts. The weight of my silence as I try to craft the perfect words has become unbearable. This post may be a bit messier than normal, which actually seems quite appropriate considering the mess we’ve created.
We, being white people.
This is a white problem with black consequences.
It’s time we take personal responsibility for our actions. It’s time we actually do the work ourselves instead of forcing POC (people of color) to do it for us They’ve been doing that for 400 years, I think they deserve a break.
To be clear, that doesn’t mean we only listen to white voices on this issue. That would be idiotic. It means we stop relying on POC to educate us and tell us what to do to fix it. Most of us carry super computers in our pocket that give us access to endless amounts of information. There are no excuses (to make it even easier I’ve linked a few resources at the bottom of the page).
We have created a system that grants enormous privilege based on the color of your skin. Before you come at me saying your life it hard so you can’t have white privilege I will remind you of a few things. I come from a divorced family who went through tremendous financial hardships, I’ve had an eating disorder since elementary school, was in an abusive relationship and lost my 16 year old brother. I haven’t always had it that easy and I’m sure you have gone through some shit too. That sucks. Your pain is real. You still have white privilege.
It’s time we examine our beliefs and constructs and are humble enough to admit we found them wanting. We’ve gotten so much wrong and we need to admit it (as step one at least).
It’s time we dismantle the system. Vote for people who will do that work in office (and not just on the national level). Give to organizations who are doing the work in the community already.
Have conversations with your white friends and neighbors. Hold each other accountable. Say the thing that makes you uncomfortable.
Listen to POC. Trust their voice, believe their experience.
We should not need to watch a video of a man being murdered by police to believe it happened, nor should we then wonder why he was in custody.
Let’s pivot to white christians. Amos is one of my favorite books of the bible (highly recommend reading it rn).
In it, he addresses the hypocrisy of people who claim to have a relationship with God, yet ignore the people in poverty and injustice in society. He calls their worship a sham and says a true relationship with God will transform earthly relationships to look like this:
“let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos 5:24
Justice or mishpat (Hebrew) is defined as actions taken to correct injustice. Righteousness or tsedaqah, are right relationships (i.e. equity despite social difference).
As followers of Christ our lives should be filled with seeking justice and righteousness, not because it earns us God’s love, but because His love has transformed not just our hearts and minds but our actions as well. If your life doesn’t look like that- what god are you following?
Additionally, we need to own the role the white church has played in all of this. The way we’ve been at best ignorant and at worst actively contributing to continued oppression and inequality.
God’s grace is big enough for these egregious sins. That does not give us a pass to continue in them.
White people, this is our mess, and just like we learned as kids, when you make a mess you clean it up. Except unlike when we’re children, our inaction costs lives.
Here’s where to go if:
You are just realizing: What White People Can Do for Racial Justice
You don’t understand: Black and White: Racism in America
Have been in the fight: Antiracism Resources