Equality is not Enough

In the 50s and 60s, the Civil Rights Movement was successful in winning legal equality between white and black Americans. However, this was a far cry from the complete restoration necessary to truly heal the wounds from the past. Through it was certainly a glorious step in the journey, hundreds of years of dehumanization are not wiped away by a few laws.

Many Americans, especially whites, are confused about what has happened since those historic times, and about how the past is still playing out in the present. I think many whites simply feel like they don't know what the problem is. Maybe they think, "But we are equal now?" or "But I don't have a problem with black people", or "Why is this my fault? I'm not racist."

Though I think these thoughts and feelings are genuine, those sentiments reveal a real lack of a willingness to dig beneath the surface and acknowledge the true depths of destruction that have been left in our wake.

You see, the idea of "allowing them (blacks) to have the same rights as us (whites)" still reeks of rejection and arrogance. And sadly, that's where many people stopped a long time ago. They conceded, but they never welcomed. Welcome is an attitude and a heart stance, and you can't write it into a law.

Many Americans see programs like welfare or affirmative action as some sort of get-out-of-jail-free card, but refuse to acknowledge that the system itself already has every card stacked against the success of the black community. School tax divisions are set up to favor wealthy neighborhoods which are predominantly white because of hundreds of years of prosperity and favor. Poorer communities, which are primarily black, therefore, are predisposed to disadvantages in the area that could give them the most opportunity to change their circumstances. This system alone has ensured that black communities stay in a downward spiral of disintegration, ever more segregated from the fruits of a healthy life.

The reality is that white Americans are swimming in privileges and opportunities that they have taken for granted. And that's not really the worst thing. The worst thing is that many of them have simply been indifferent and oblivious to the plight of the black community. They have never really taken the time or interest in trying to understand what it means to grow up black in America.

The reality is that those of us who are considered white have a grave responsibility on our hands. It really doesn't matter if it's "not our fault" because it happened in the past. The truth is that the past has left our black brothers and sisters in complete disarray. Everything that was meaningful, that gives a human being dignity was stripped from them. We, our ancestors, treated generations of people like animals. There is profound trauma and brokenness that comes from something like that. Stuff like that doesn't get healed over night, nor even within a generation. It takes very intentional, very patient action to help overcome those wounds. Equality is nowhere near enough to set things right.

The black community needs us to go out of our way to support them.  We need to repent on behalf of those who came before us and acknowledge the injustice of their actions, rather than look on with indifference and apathy. We need to stop taking for granted the privilege of not living a life in fear because of the color of our skin. We need to recognize that much of what we enjoy today, in both freedoms and opportunities, has come at the cost of others.  Whatever lines exists, we need to be the first ones to step over them towards reconciliation.

We need to become their friends and be willing to listen to their hearts. We need to grow in understanding to their perspectives and challenges. We need to have uncomfortable conversations with them, even when that means that we have to face a less than pretty picture of ourselves.

Ask yourself, how close are you to the black community? Do most of the people who live around you look like you? If you see a black person while you are walking, do you make an effort to make eye contact with them? Do you go out of your way to show friendliness?  Do you work with black people? Do you go to church with black people? Have you made it a point to build genuine friendships with them? Have you asked them to tell you their stories of experiencing racism? Have you asked them how they feel every time they hear of another black person being murdered? What are you doing to make sure they feel safe, accepted, and affirmed in your presence? Have you simply asked, "What do you need from me to make things right?"

White people, white voices need to play an integral part in offering our service and support to the black community as they continue on the journey towards healing. We cannot ask them to do it on their own. We need to build meaningful partnerships with members of the black community to further discover what they need from us to continue growing towards a better future. We must do everything in our power to ensure that they are truly on equal footing with us in every area of their lives, that we haven't considered our own freedoms and rights more precious than theirs.  We must be willing to constantly confront our own biases and harmful attitudes. We need to come to appreciate and respect our differences, both in color and in culture, while remembering what makes us all human and therefore, united.  We have to fight for them and with them until the wounds are completely healed. Together, on this journey, we can all move toward a future that is hopeful and prosperous.