For some time, I’ve been attempting to understand what brought us to the last 2 years of fear and anger as it pertains to racism. So many people are angry.

I attended the recent West Coast Racial Unity Leadership Summit held at my church, College Church of Christ. Was I ever enlightened!

There’s less … and more … to race than meets the eye. Ten things everyone should know about race.

History shows that we integrated, but we didn’t assimilate. In order to make things better and overcome the current racial divide, we need to have the desire to nurture a conversation. Have one good conversation at a time, and do the best we can. Be willing to tell the truth about what we think or perceive … but more importantly, be willing to listen and ask questions of the other person … and then listen some more. The listening and hearing is what will bridge the gap.

What Doesn’t Work

• Avoidance
• Normalization of self or outliers
• Cultural and social illiteracy
• Single-source narrative

What Works

• Empathy: kindness to others
• Extending dignity to differents
• Education
• Expanded listening – further than you have listened before

We discussed some techniques. To begin a conversation, ask … “please tell me what you think about ….” Then, ask them: “Tell me more.” Learn all you can about them in order to find out about how they think, their history, and perspective. Ask questions that keep the conversation going. Learn to ask questions that don’t shut people down.

Contrary to popular belief, we do not live in a post-racial America.

Truth-telling must be a prerequisite to racial unity.

Scapegoating

A scapegoat is a person that is blamed for the sins of others.

Scapegoats allow us to pretend that we have no sin, and we can feel better about ourselves without making personal changes. We focus on scapegoats and ignore what’s around us. Persecution often occurs when a minority group is being blamed for some social ill. Unemployment, inflation, food shortages, the plague, and crime in the streets are all examples of ills which have been blamed on minority groups. More about scapegoating and racism.

The forgiveness of Dylan Roof by the family of those he murdered is an example of how the veil can be lifted … we can see the glory of people as Christ sees them.

Fear and blame can push us into uncertainty and puts the veil over our heads.

Ideology of White Supremacy

This is unique to United States history, and it isn’t about delivering the “white guilt” message. It’s about understanding as Christians that we are all in the same boat … and that we need to yield to the spirit within us and treat all people the way God sees us.

How does social conditioning group people together?

America is still racialized. 

To be continued ….