Reflections on Racism
Reflections on Racism
It’s hard to know how to respond to the events unfolding in America right now; racially motivated murders, scenes of police brutality spurred on by white privilege, and to jarring images of a president forcibly removing peaceful protesters for a photo opp whilst wielding the Bible.
The truth is that I have no adequate words (or hashtags), and I feel unqualified to even try to find any.
But at the same time, saying & doing nothing no longer feels like an option either…
About white privilege
Like many of us, I am left stunned, shocked and asking questions. How is this still even happening in 2020, more than 50 years on from the civil rights act? Aren’t we better than this?!?
But deep down, I know that is at least in part, my own white privilege talking…
Just as terms like ‘social distancing’ felt completely alien to me a few months ago, so ‘white privilege’ and ‘racial reconciliation’ are ideas that I’ve never really needed to consider in any great depth before either.
The truth is, I didn’t realise that these things were still such large issues for so many black Americans, because as a white Brit, they have not personally been issues for me.
But isn’t this exactly what white privilege looks like? It’s a privilege not to be directly affected by something, and to have choices about whether you will bother to engage with it or not.
You see, I haven’t ever needed to worry about whether my son will be safe jogging on the streets as he gets older, just because of the colour of his skin.
Or about whether my husband will be pulled over by police and forcefully interrogated just for being in the ‘wrong’ place at the wrong time.
I haven’t ever really felt the intimidation of being the only person that looks like me when I enter a room.
I haven’t ever experienced oppression because of my culture or background, or weathered the subtle offences caused by cautious looks or poorly landed words.
That is the white privilege that so many of us have unknowingly, yet comfortably, lived in for so long.
Know better, do better
Do you know what I think?
It’s really not enough to just sit back and say, ’This is nothing to do with me’ anymore. To do and say nothing is to uphold the status quo. And when the status quo is systemic racism, injustice and police brutality towards people of colour, it just isn’t an acceptable standard.
It's also not good enough to try to deflect or diminish our responsibility by trying to argue that some black people are also in the wrong right now too. Wouldn't you feel angry towards the systems of power too, if you had walked a day in their shoes?
A moment like this requires all those of us in the white majority try to better empathise and understand what it feels like not to be.
And I’m not writing this with any sense of judgement over myself or anyone else, because we simply don’t know what we don’t know or have never been told.
But as one of my favourite black American authors Maya Angelou once put it: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
It’s a line I just can’t get out of my head this week.
We are in a cultural ‘watershed’ moment right now, and there’s a fresh invitation to all of us who live in the comfortable white majority to open our eyes to the systemic racism that still exists in our world, and to choose not look away any longer, or just to ignore our own cultural blind spots – just because we can.
And for those who are part of a black, asian, or minority ethnic (BAME) background, there is also a challenge in terms of being gracious and open-hearted towards all those of us who are trying to listen, learn and change.
My own experience
As a Brit, I think it’s also far too easy to say ‘Oh, that’s just America’s problem. We don’t have the same racial history. Things like that just don’t happen here.’ But the truth is that our nation was built on slavery and colonialism, and prejudice, racial inequality and fear of those who are different to us still exists here too.
You can see it in our government’s recent treatment of the so-called ‘windrush generation’ and in the unkind politics of Brexit. It was evident in the horrific murder of a young British Member of Parliament (MP), Jo Cox on the streets of the community where she served in 2015 for her politics of tolerance by a far right supporter.
It also remains apparent in our prime minister’s refusal to apologise for historically referring to black people as ‘piccaninnies’ and muslim women wearing burkas as ‘letterboxes’. And it’s there in the fact that the black female MP, Dianne Abbott, single-handedly receives half of all online abuse directed at MPs.
Sadly, we are not yet the beacon of tolerance that many of us would like to believe we are in the UK. And it’s not good enough for Brits to say ‘But America’s problem is far worse’, or for American leaders to stand on platforms and say, ‘But look at China’s human rights record’. This is not a race to the bottom.
The truth is that no society is totally exempt from the effects of racism, and until it is no longer an issue for anyone, it should concern us all a lot more.
There’s no excuses left to lean back on now; we know exactly what is happening to our black brothers and sister across the world. In fact, they have been telling us for years and year…
So now we know, how can we do better?
How can we respond?
In all of this, I am reminded of how much I still have to learn personally about white privilege and racial reconciliation. I’m not sure that any of us have all the answers yet, least not me. But I know that it starts with a posture of humility and requires intentionality to be a part of the solution.
So here are a few ideas as starting points that I am working on, and that I’d invite you to join me in considering too.
1. Don’t stay silent
You may not be comfortable with attending peaceful a protest rally right now because of lockdown restrictions or concerns about the safety of being in large crowds, and understandably so. But there are other ways to speak up against racism too – so join the social media movements, share helpful articles with others online, and sign the petitions.
And most of all, be willing to challenge and speak out against any form of racism or injustice, wherever you see it - whether that’s actions of exclusion, words of prejudice, or jokes with a racist root. And be aware that staying silent is also taking stance.
2. Keep sense-checking your own environment
How homogeneous are your social circles? How white is your workplace, your friendships groups, your church, or even your facebook page? Keep asking yourself how can you actively seek to be more inclusive of those who look, speak, think, vote, or even worship differently to you.
I really think this is a challenge for all of us, regardless of racial identity. Of course, we can’t change our racial identity, the culture we grew up in, or even how multicultural it is where we live… but we can all seek to learn and grow.
3. Intentionally expand your choices
Consider how much BAME content you are consuming. What are you watching on Netflix? Which authors do you read? What are do you enjoy? What music or podcasts are you listening to? Try to expand your awareness of and appreciation for other cultures. Don’t always stick to what you know. And if you’re a parent, try mix up what your children are culturally exposed to too…
4. Read up on white privilege and racial reconciliation
Start learning from BAME thinkers, faith leaders & writers, particularly those working in the field of racial reconciliation. There are lots of good resources out there, but here are a few books that I’d really recommend checking out as a good starting point:
Osheta Moore – Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World.
Austin Channing Brown - I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
Latasha Morrison – Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation
Jo Saxton – The Dream of You: Let Go of Broken Identities and Live the Life You Were Made For.
5. Learn about your own roots
Take the time to learn about your own racial history. In the UK we don’t have a history of racial segregation, but we were still complicit in the oppression of people of colour through empire building and the slavery trade for many years.
What’s more, the city of Liverpool, where I live, built up most of its prosperity, influence and reach, by becoming a major world trading port during the industrial era - an industry under-girded by slavery. (Incidentally, if you live in the area and have never visited The Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum on the Albert Dock before, you really should check them out…)
7. Determine to stay well informed
Try to watch and read as much news coverage on this subject as possible. Aim to stay well informed, and not just for the next few weeks whilst it receives a high level of media focus, but also in the longer-term too. Don’t avoid it just because it makes for uncomfortable viewing, or because it doesn’t have a close proximity to you.
And try to do it without prejudice or judgement too. That means reading critically, and from a wide range of sources beyond those closely aligned to your own political views and affiliations as these will only serve to reinforce your pre-existing biases. In particular, choose to expose yourself to BAME journalism as much as possible too. Because how else do we expand our understanding, except by trying to see how it feels to walk in someone else’s shoes?
8. Drop any defensiveness
I think this is a really challenging one, especially when feel that you aren’t directly complicit in any way for the oppression that BAME people face. It’s a pretty natural human instinct to want to defend yourself and your culture, but it’s important to recognise that traces of white privilege are found in almost every argument that tries to justify police action, minimise someone suffering, or seeks to blame its victims in some way.
So don’t use the ‘all lives matter’ argument – of course they do – but not all lives are threatened in the same way because of their race or ethnicity. It’s the equivalent of saying ‘save all trees’ when someone says that we need to save the rainforest! And don’t accept the arguments that seek to lay the blame for recent racial tensions and rioting at the feet of the BAME community either, because that is only focusing on the outcomes of long-term systemic racism, rather than addressing the cause. Does the black community seem very angry right now? Well wouldn’t you be too if you had dealt with what they have? Cut them a break!
9. Pray about the situation
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly of all, if you are a person of faith (and perhaps even if you’re not!) I would encourage you to pray for America, and for your own nation and leaders if you’re not American too. Because prayer has the ability to change our hearts, open our eyes, and realign our thinking with God’s more than anything else can. When you prayer about something, you can’t fail to be personally moved and changed.
A short prayer
It feels appropriate to finish this blog with a prayer today:
Lord, may we each be committed to ruthlessly exposing and ridding ourselves of any prejudices - those deep down and hidden away in our hearts, or even subconscious, as well as those seen.
Lord, let us not only love with our words, and with our hashtags, but may we also love in our actions, in how we serve one another, and prefer one another’s needs.
May we be willing to do the hard work of learning about different cultures and racial identities, and quicker to build bridges with those who look, think, act, vote and worship differently to us.
And may we keep asking for more of God’s grace and love to fill us to overflowing so that we may love one another hard, love long (long after this becomes yesterday’s news), and love deep.
Lord, start with me.
#blacklivesmatter