Let’s just stop with the whole Race Card thing
During my teenage and young adult years, I thought people made too much about race. It seemed like every problem could be blamed on racial prejudice, and that gave people an excuse not to be held accountable for their actions. The riots in LA? Just an excuse to vandalize. OJ’s defense team using race as part of their defense? A literal get out of jail free card. I even wrote an essay in college about how the Million Man March was only going to reinforce negative stereotypes and focus on our differences. That wasn’t a good thing, I argued.
I “didn’t see race.”
You see, I grew up in an era that encouraged us “not to see color.” Instead of embracing and celebrating our differences, we were taught not to really pay much attention to color. We’re all part of the same race, after all. The human race. And that’s enough for everyone to get along.
It was a great sentiment. And there’s an underlying thought in this perspective that’s true. We’re all created in the image of our Creator. Therefore, we all have value. But it falls short in its execution.
There was no reason to even notice racism happening around me because “I didn’t see color.” And if you did notice race, you were either a member of an extremist group like the KKK or you were just playing the race card so you could get a free pass.
It’s the subtle things.
I don’t think I know anyone who would openly call themselves a racist. I don’t think I know anyone who is a member of the KKK (I’d want to punch them in the throat if I did). But…I’ve heard people express racist tendencies in the most subtle of ways.
- When I worked in retail, a man with darker skin walked in, walked to the back of our store, and walked out. My co-worker was convinced that he shoplifted something and spent the rest of that night trying to find what he had to have stolen. People would walk into our store like that all the time. She never thought anyone had taken anything before. The only thing different was the color of his skin.
- You think opiod addicts need treatment instead of prison for their illegal drug abuse. On the other hand, crack addicts deserve jail time.
- During a graduation ceremony, a black family loudly celebrates when they hear their graduate’s name called. An older woman leans over and says “That’s just how they are.”
- You see a group of black teenage young men standing together. You wonder if they’re doing drugs. It doesn’t matter. They’re a bunch of thugs anyway and are up to no good.
Unfortunately, hints of racism are all around us. And if you’re anything like me, there’s a chance you didn’t really notice them when you first encountered them. After all, they happen so frequently that you just kind of take them for granted. Besides, they probably don’t represent what’s going on inside. And they can’t possibly represent our society as a whole.
Right?
Let me tell you another story.
I was standing in the driveway, watching my black teenage son ride down the street on his new-to-him bike. We’d adopted him just a few months before and this was the first time the weather had permitted him to take the bike out for a ride. Not long after he rounded the block and left my site, a car pulled up to me.
The driver had his window down. He leaned out to talk to me.
“Excuse me,” the stranger said Another stranger was sitting in the front passenger seat. I’d never seen either one of them in our neighborhood before. The car did not look familiar.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“Yeah. Do you know that kid who just rode his bike down the street?”
“I do. He’s my son.” I paused. “Is there a problem?”
“No, I just wanted to make sure he was supposed to be here.”
I was dumbfounded. And he drove away before I could respond. No one ever questioned whether my white kids “belonged” in our neighborhood when they were out riding their bikes. It’s that subtle racism that builds up and leads people to think they need to “protect” people from someone who looks different from them. Because what’s a black kid doing in a neighborhood like this? He’s surely up to no good.
Do you see how easy it is to jump from “what’s that black man doing here?” to “I must stop that black boy from causing trouble”? And then it can spiral even more out of control from there.
And then we end up with a young jogger shot to death in the middle of a street broad daylight because he looked suspicious.
In other words, he was black.
It’s not just a southern thing.
Riding while black.
Jogging while black.
Eating while black.
Breathing while black.
This problem isn’t limited to the South. And it’s not something that went away after the Civil War or the passing of the Civil Rights Act. So let’s stop accusing people of “playing the race card” any time racism or white privilege is brought up. Because racism is real. And it continues today.
Don’t misread me. This isn’t some claim to sudden wokeness. That word gets thrown around in too flippant of a way, anyway. I’m just telling you what I’ve seen – and that it’s wrong. This has to stop.
What can I do?
I don’t know all the answers. I’m no expert. But I do know that acknowledging the problem is the first step. And I hope you realize it’s a problem. A big problem.
What else can we do?
Well, here’s a few resources from people much smarter, experienced, and educated than I am. Let’s start with what they have to day.
Courtney Ahn Design has a brief illustrated guide to white privilege and racism. There are several important points, and we should do all of them. The the one that’s a good starting point is this: Be more than “not racist,” but actively anti-racist. And confront racial injustices. Even when it’s hard.
Corinne Shutack wrote this piece a few years ago: 65 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice. It’s a few years old, but there’s a lot of stuff we can do. Right now. So pick one or two things a week and get started.
The Seattle Times published this article in commemoration of Martin Luther King Day. How White Families with Young Children can Undo Racism.. There’s a lot of challenging stuff in this article, but two quotes stick out to me:
This is lifelong work. Waiting for “the right way” allows white families to avoid what is challenging but necessary.
Maggie Beneke, Manka Varghese, and Caryn Park. The Seattle Times.
As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we remain accountable to Dr. King’s central message of undoing racism by speaking up about things that matter in our own communities. In this spirit, white families must take responsibility for challenging racial injustice and raise their children to do the same.
Maggie Beneke, Manka Varghese, and Caryn Park. The Seattle Times
We aren’t going to find all the answers in these three posts. But it’s a start.
“It behooves us to live!”
I’m trying to live my life by the old Todd family motto: “It behooves us to live!” I’m hoping you do the same. This motto compels me to speak up.
It behooves us to live in diversity. And diversity is a beautiful thing. It also behooves us to live lovingly. And openly. And supportively. When necessary, it behooves us to live uncomfortably – especially when it comes to something as important as this.
It’s past time to start doing something. It’s past time to live in the tension, uneasiness, and discomfort. Our neighbors have been dying for someone to speak up.
Will you join me?
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