Racism is Alive :(

I grew up with parents who were both born and raised in St. Louis, MO. As I’m watching the news over the last week plus I’m still shocked that my parents seldom ever talked about racism. I knew that they both grew up in ‘White’ neighborhoods that at some point experienced ‘White Flight’ to the suburbs. I understand now looking back that my parents protected me from experiencing the racism that was held by their larger family. The opportunity for us today as we are overwhelmed by what is unfolding in this little city in MO is how all sides need to step back and be more able to see all sides of the issue. The unfortunate reality is that there are many taking advantage of this tragedy and using this killing as a way to loot, steal and continue to promote racial unrest.

Yet, the reality is that someone who has experienced discrimination is more likely to react to someone that looks like the person that put them down, abused them or fired them. I will always remember an experience, as a 10 year old, when my mom’s mom sat me down and explained to me how all N___________ are bad. I had to ask my dad about the N word to really understand what grandma Red was saying. My dad, who I’m so amazed at, quickly explained to me in his own words why he was so upset with Grandma’s racism. I had been blessed by a father who taught me to see all people as people not as different races.

Let me fast forward to after I graduated from college and ended up in a situation where I experienced discrimination because I was a graduate that should have gotten a high tech job. I was a year ahead of my wife in college and had a year to burn while she finished. I had done a little bit of concrete work when I was a sophomore in College. I was able to get into the Cement Finisher’s Union and landed a great job with a small Hispanic Concrete Contractor. Looking back I’m amazed at being laughed at and bullied but the reality was that the owner’s family company had never had a ‘White’ guy hack it with their curb and gutter machine crew. I put up with the harassment and eventually learned how to do concrete work and won these hermanos over and they became close friends. This didn’t happen in a few days but over a year.

It would have been so easy for me to have walked away from a job that paid $25 an hour in 1976 and settled for making probably $5 an hour. Yet, E and A Concrete became my family and the owner, Henry, ultimately became like a father to me. So I don’t totally understand racism as one of my teens has tried to remind me often. She is presently homeless and is emotionally empty, because of the way she was raised, by a mom that used what I call reverse racism. It is so easy for someone to use their race as a means to get help or take advantage of the system or a church.  My point in all of this is that racism is still a huge issue both in the church, our city, families and our nation.

Justice is important to be pursued on behalf of all. Yet, the reality is that your race, socio-economic setting and network of family and friends determines whether you can be treated fairly. The challenge of our nation, our cities, our churches and families is to learn from someone else that is of a different race what it is like to be harassed or discriminated in life. It is so easy to pass judgment on a situation without knowing the facts. It is too easy to assume that all police officers are racists and don’t care about someone who is on the other side of the tracks. Just like I can react to an African American Policeman that gives me a ticket and accuse him of racism, even though I know I was speeding.

I have been involved most of my life with doing community work where racial reconciliation is the only path for our families, cities, churches and nation to see life become better. It requires all of us to step outside of our comfort zone and purposely make friends, business associates, worship, work and play with those that are different from us. This is not the typically way that life works for most of us. Yet, for the riots to stop, for there to be an attempt to see justice happen, it is time that all of us learn that it is character, not skin color, that determines the value and worth of a person.

Our nation, cities, churches and families need to see that the racial wounds need to be addressed and no longer ignored. It is time that I admit to my own bias or prejudice and choose to eat at a different restaurant, attend a different church and even consider a different job to help make a difference. The challenge is that everyone truly believes that it is someone else’s responsibility to do something.  Yes, the rallies will continue tonight, yes the Grand Jury will make a decision soon and the nation will be on edge for weeks to come. So what can I do today to make a difference? I can consider whether I’m willing to make new friends and just listen to someone else’s story and hopefully learn more about life from a different perspective.