Our cities are on fire again. Many of you have seen this before. Some of you many times over the course of your lives. The causes are both simple and complex: the killing of George Floyd by a police officer, anger over 400 years of unheeded and unhealed wounds caused by racial injustice in America, the concurrent crisis of a virus that has taken the life of 100,000 people and livelihoods of millions more.
Few of us have been involved in the civil protests. But all of us are implicated. This is not something happening only “out there,” but also within and around us. We want to be involved. We want to “do something.” But what?
There are 1000 ways for an individual to respond constructively and faithfully to the nexus of issues this civil unrest has opened up. Before I mention specific actions and organizations, I would say a few things about race that are important to me:
All white people are “at least a little bit racist.” Me, you, all of us. Even if we don’t harbor racial hostility, the definition of racism includes BOTH individual attitudes/biases and the economic, political, and social advantages and disadvantages that inhere in social systems because of skin color (what we call “systemic racism). Simply living in the United States as a white person means that we participate in and benefit from a culture of racial privileging for people with lighter, whiter skin.
All of us at NDPC are different. And all of us are “raced”—we all have a racial, ethnic, cultural identity. Some of us are black, Asian, Latino/a, Native, mixed. For the majority of us who identify as white, each of us has a different background and life experience. None of us has experienced race and racial identity the same way. So, none of us will have exactly the same response. That’s OK. We don’t have to reduce the complexity of race. We can encourage and support one another to be faithful to our own path of learning and growth. We don’t have to be upset if someone is not exactly where we are—they may have been there already, or they may be there in the future. We are where we are. If you have something you’ve learned or want to share with others about racial identity, employ the spirit that we use for sharing the good news about Jesus: “a hungry person telling another hungry person where you found bread.” You don’t have to compel someone to go there—just share with humility what you’ve experienced. The decision is theirs. This “grace” will help us to not hurt each other, and will help us sustain energy for antiracism work over the long run.
White folks should be talking about guilt. Should white people feel “guilty” about racism? In two words, “yes, and....” For many white people, including myself, guilt is one part of the process. If my actions create real harm for others—intentional or not, I am right to feel guilty when someone I care about tells me they hurt. Guilt is a sign of moral awareness and of your receptivity to mutual, ethical relationships. Our faith tradition also has deep wisdom about guilt: it is real, but we don’t recommend staying there. We repent of our transgression fully and completely, we receive divine forgiveness (thank you, God!), and we live differently into the future (without change, our repentance has likely been insincere). I will always remember what my theology professor, Rev. Dr. James Cone (who pioneered “black theology”), would say to his white students: “Do not give up hope! You can still become black!” What Dr. Cone meant was that by the love of Christ working through the Holy Spirit in our lives, white people can experience a transformation from white supremacy into racial solidarity. The Spirit’s gifts allow white people to listen, learn, love, and grow, so that the concerns and insights of our black neighbors become our concerns and insights. Racism and racial inequality continue to shape the life of all Americans; despite great gains during the Civil Rights movement, racism persists. We didn’t ask for it. We inherited it from our ancestors. Our responsibility is to acknowledge it, figure out where it is located and how it works, and decide how to use our energy to leave our culture and our institutions less racist for our children than we received them from our parents. Guilt is one step in that larger process.
There are many ways to “do your own work” on racial identity. Sorry, listening to Bey and eating at Mary Mac’s don’t count as antiracism. You should, however, read and learn. You can create a learning community, like a white anti-racism group, to help one another. You can join multiracial organizations dedicated to education and awareness around race (Healing the Racial Divide, Compassionate Atlanta, Decatur Dinners). All are worthwhile. It is important that all of us do what we can to develop a consciousness around the way race functions in our life and in the life of our community. Toward this end, here are a few good books to read:
- Theological: Jesus and the Disinherited (Thurman), Cross and the Lynching Tree (Cone)
- Historical/Sociological: How to Be an Antiracist (Kendi), White Rage (Anderson), White Flight (Kruse); The Color of Law (Rothstein)
- Memoir: Between the World and Me (Coates); Autobiography of Malcom X
When it comes to opposing racism, what matters is changing disparities in social outcomes. I mean, it’s great if you “get it.””Getting it” about race and racism is important. But getting it (your enlightenment) doesn’t really matter much in the big picture. Nor does having black friends (although that is a great thing, too). In the end, antiracism is about changing race-based distributions of wealth, power, and access to opportunities and resources. How will you contribute your knowledge and your power and resources to organizations and movements that are changing the systems and institutions through which racial advantages and disadvantages are conferred?
If you want to make a difference in ending racism, you are probably going to need to join something. I know, “another meeting.” Yes, lots of them, maybe. Be a part of a group that is doing great work to change the racial reality for future generations. There are so many things you can do. It depends on what you are interested in doing. Here are some examples:
Lastly, I want to talk about our church. One lament I have heard often is “our church is too white.” We probably are. We are about 92% white. Does that mean our church is “inherently broken?” No. Are we “racist?” In the sense that NDPC participates in the racially divided American church landscape created by our ancestors, the answer is “yes.” But NDPC didn’t create that reality, we inherited it. We have the opportunity, every Sunday (and every day) to live in the direction of an anti-racist future for our congregation. Your leadership (pastors, staff, and elders) are regularly thinking and talking about how to do this. If you have ideas and dreams, we welcome your input. What is most important to me is that we decide to act—in every way—to be a congregation that “welcomes all.” Diversity and inclusion are not words to make us feel good. They are about creating an institutional culture at NDPC and a set of regular practices that prepare a place at the table for the all of God’s beloved children.
Racism is a gigantic beast. As much as we’d like to “defeat racism,” it’s not going away any time soon. It is in housing policy. And bank lending policies. And at the statehouse. In boardrooms. In the legal system. In healthcare. In policing. But we need not throw our hands up or pretend we are powerless—that posture will only re-enforce white supremacy. Each of all—all of us—can take one piece of this malevolent spirit—one right-sized piece—and work like hell for months or years and maybe you will make a change. You may even end up seeing a change in your lifetime. Or you may not. But either way, you will have done the right thing.
- NAACP: join/support the DeKalb chapter; their current work includes installation of a lynching memorial in DeKalb as part of the nationwide work of the Remembrance Project (https://naacpdekalb.org)
- Join/support the Beacon Hill Black Alliance (functions like the Decatur chapter of the NAACP), advocating for issues of concern to black citizens of Decatur (https://beaconhillblackalliance.org)
- Just DeKalb: join Rev. Lewicki in re-forming a grassroots faith-based community organizing group in DeKalb to work on education, policing/criminal justice reform, economic inequality in DeKalb County; our Lenten partnership with the Church of the Holy Cross is connected to shared work in Just DeKalb (www.gamaliel.org)
- Presbyterians for a Better Georgia: PBG is a partnership of Presbyterian churches that engages in policy advocacy at the Georgia statehouse on increasing access to healthcare (Medicaid expansion) and increasing affordable housing—both key justice issues that affect black (and white) residents of DeKalb; we are also supporting hate crimes legislation after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery (https://www.p4bg.org)
- Coalition for a Diverse DeKalb/Decatur is our local grassroots affordable housing organization, trying to create and preserve housing affordability; racist housing policy lies at the root of much of DeKalb County’s racial division and we must fight and advocate for economically and racially diverse communities (https://diversedekalb.org)
- Southern Center for Human Rights: racism remains embedded in the legal and criminal justice systems in America; SCHR works on legal issues, criminal justice reform, mass incarceration, and the criminalization of poverty (https://www.schr.org)
- Fair Fight: the last several years have seen a systematic effort in Georgia to limit—rather than increase—voting among black citizens; Fair Fight engages in voting rights protection and the expansion of the franchise, which is the bedrock of freedom and democracy (https://fairfight.com)
- Southerners on New Ground (SONG): LGBTQ-centered activism and community organizing (https://southernersonnewground.org/)
- 9to5: economic and workplace justice advocacy for low-wage and working women (https://9to5.org)
- Atlanta Jobs with Justice: economic justice, living wage, and union organizing, (http://www.atlantajwj.org)
Lastly, I want to talk about our church. One lament I have heard often is “our church is too white.” We probably are. We are about 92% white. Does that mean our church is “inherently broken?” No. Are we “racist?” In the sense that NDPC participates in the racially divided American church landscape created by our ancestors, the answer is “yes.” But NDPC didn’t create that reality, we inherited it. We have the opportunity, every Sunday (and every day) to live in the direction of an anti-racist future for our congregation. Your leadership (pastors, staff, and elders) are regularly thinking and talking about how to do this. If you have ideas and dreams, we welcome your input. What is most important to me is that we decide to act—in every way—to be a congregation that “welcomes all.” Diversity and inclusion are not words to make us feel good. They are about creating an institutional culture at NDPC and a set of regular practices that prepare a place at the table for the all of God’s beloved children.
Racism is a gigantic beast. As much as we’d like to “defeat racism,” it’s not going away any time soon. It is in housing policy. And bank lending policies. And at the statehouse. In boardrooms. In the legal system. In healthcare. In policing. But we need not throw our hands up or pretend we are powerless—that posture will only re-enforce white supremacy. Each of all—all of us—can take one piece of this malevolent spirit—one right-sized piece—and work like hell for months or years and maybe you will make a change. You may even end up seeing a change in your lifetime. Or you may not. But either way, you will have done the right thing.
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