FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RACE: PART 1
Why ask and answer these questions in a blog?
One reason is more general, and the other is much more personal.
Generally, and as I stated in my first post, I think the church has been behind on knowing how to talk about race in a way that is helpful and Gospel-centered. And I’m not talking about speaking to it vaguely, but being able to speak to the specific situations we’re facing in a way that strengthens the church as a whole. We all have a hard time talking about the specifics with anyone who thinks differently than we do because it’s awkward and often leads to more division than unity.
Though I am sorting through this as much as anyone else, I pray these posts help our ability to have healthy conversations. But before you read, and especially before you respond to my answers, please do me two favors:
Give me the benefit of the doubt. The Lord knows the only reason I do this is because I believe it will be helpful in moving the conversation forward. I have no agenda other than to answer questions honestly and in light of the truth I know from walking with Christ and from personal experience.
Feel free to disagree. I understand that depending on your stance and perspective on these issues, much of what I am going to say might rub you the wrong way. But I assure you, I am a big boy and can handle it. Let’s talk.
More personally, I write this because I want better for my daughters. For better or worse, I shielded my oldest daughter from having to see or think about what happened to George Floyd. About a week after the incident, I was putting my girls to bed and needed to ask them for forgiveness. I had been rather quiet and grumpy all week.
My oldest asked me if it had to do with the man who was killed. I said yes. She asked me if it was because he had dark skin. I said we can’t know for sure, but it seemed like that had something to do with it. She then proceeded to tell me about what she learned in kindergarten about Martin Luther King Jr., and asked me if it was kind of like that. I said yes. Then she asked me a question that no six year old should ever have to ask her dad. “Will that happen to you?” No words can express the pain I felt from hearing that question.
I write this because I think to myself, “How amazing would it be to have a church that knows how to empathize and become allies with my daughters through the various forms of prejudice they will inevitably encounter?” They will need it.
So why don’t we lean into the awkwardness just a little more? Here is my attempt at answering questions I am frequently asked about race…
Have you ever, or do you currently,
deal with racism from others?
This is by far the question I get asked the most.
First, let’s define our term. Hang in there, I know it’s a little long…
According to Webster’s Dictionary racism is: 1) A belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. 2) Behavior or attitudes that reflect and foster this belief: racial discrimination or prejudice.
When you look at me, you might think you are just looking at a black man, but you are also looking at a Colombian. One of my favorite things to do is speak Spanish in public to see heads turn in extreme confusion. My name is Daniel Eduardo Orozco. My mother is black, and my father is Colombian. Though I grew up very close to my mother’s family because we saw one another often, I also grew up in a Hispanic church where my father served as pastor, and I went to predominantly white schools. I love my mixed heritage and upbringing and how they have impacted my life.
I often remember hearing from my mom and her brothers and sister what it was like growing up in Northern California. And because they were the first black family in Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento, I heard countless stories. My grandpa having to secretly buy a house only to have many in the neighborhood sell their houses and move once they arrived. Name calling. Running in fear. Fights. Racially motivated hostility and targeting in sports. You name it…
Every time I heard these stories, I remember thinking to myself, “Thank God that was then and this is now. My generation is better.” It didn’t take very long to learn that was only partially true…
The answer to this question is yes.
Have I dealt with it in the past? Yes, more times than I can count.
Do I currently deal with it? Yes. More often than I’d like to admit.
Honestly, many of you might be surprised at how often I have dealt with racism over the past thirty-four years. I went back and forth in my mind as to whether I should include specific stories in this blog, but ultimately decided this isn’t the place to get into those details. However, if you’re up for it, I would love to get coffee with you, talk about growing up from my perspective, and how it has shaped who I am today.
How do I help someone of color who is having
a hard time with current racial issues?
If you are reading this and know someone of color who is struggling with racism or prejudice, whether that be anger, sadness, or fear, taking a few steps to assume a posture of love before reaching out is vitally important. If you haven’t already intentionally assumed such a posture, it would probably be wise to silently reflect before attempting to help someone who is having a hard time.
You should commit to hating racial prejudice because you firmly believe it is evil and rejects people Jesus died for.
You should commit to recognizing racial prejudice as a current problem that many deal with on a regular basis. Intentionally sitting down with others to hear their personal stories might help with this.
You should commit to believing it is a problem worth giving your time to, even if that means having hard, awkward conversations.
You should commit to loving others even if you may not agree with everything they will say. The command to love our neighbor as ourselves has no caveats or limitations.
You should commit to listening to hear, not listening to respond. The best responses come from those who are the best listeners.
With a commitment to these things, the next step becomes much easier. And that is recognition. Recognize what they are going through is a form of suffering. The pain, fear, worry, anger, and sadness many are currently feeling is a form of suffering. Once we acknowledge this, the question then becomes pretty simple…
How would you help anyone who is suffering?
You would sit with them.
You would bear their burdens in whatever way you can.
You would pray for them and with them often.
You would check in on them.
You would give them space to sort through their suffering at their comfort level.
You would gently remind them of their calling to rejoice in suffering because that’s what Jesus did.
And you would point them to Jesus, His coming kingdom, and His love for His multicultural bride.
Regardless of where you may stand on personal or structural racism, where you align yourself politically, or even if you have personal connections to the issue, we are all called to bear one another’s burdens no matter what that burden looks like. Please don’t allow your own opinions and stances to hinder you from loving your brother and sister in Christ or your unbelieving fellow image-bearer the way you are called to.
Is saying ‘I don’t see color’ helpful?
I completely understand the sentiment behind this statement. The hope is that by saying this, others will see and know that all people are the same to you. While this is a really noble thing to want to portray to others, I would encourage anyone who uses this phrase to adopt another method because while I am not personally offended by it, others might be, and it’s actually unhelpful.
For one, black people are not honored by this simply because we aren’t asking you to be color blind. By and large, black people are proud of the fact that we have darker skin and don’t look at colorblindness as a compliment. Also, what speaks more powerfully than making a statement like this is simply treating all people in a way that proves this to be true. Because honestly, we all notice our differences and that is not a bad thing. Rich or poor. Old or young. One leg or two. Loud or quiet. Tall or short.
We all see color. The question is what your heart and actions do with what you see? How do you view, think about, and even compare yourself to any person who is different from you?
So friend, you do see color. And those colors must be beautiful to us because all colors equally portray the image of God. Simply love (with all the weight that word holds) what you see no matter what it looks like.
What do you think about Black Lives Matter?
Christian, it is extremely important to make the distinction between the simple statement and the organization.
The Statement
“Black lives matter” originally began as a statement declaring the value of black lives. There is no arguing with the statement. Black lives do matter. The thing is that from the perspective of many black people, some others seem to value their black lives less than other lives.
Christian, as followers of Christ, simply rejecting this feeling is not an option. Telling a black person their fear is unreasonable is not an option. The posture of defensiveness is not the right posture. This is especially true among the people of God. We should be really good about loving anyone among us who deals with any sense of fear or feeling undervalued.
I can tell you personally, it is only by the grace of God that I am not controlled by bitterness and hatred from my past experiences. Telling someone with my history who has not been met by the transforming power of the Gospel to simply move on is like telling a victim of abuse their fear is not valid. Taking a defensive or dismissive posture with that person will undoubtedly drive them further away from Christ. Christian, that is not an option.
Now, are there people who use this statement for other reasons? Absolutely. And this is where the distinction lies.
The Organization
Remember this…Affirm the Statement, Not the Organization
Now, the organization is an entirely different thing. Are there people supporting the organization who simply want to bring awareness and help combat injustice that is done to black people? Yes. However, as a follower of Jesus, I cannot and will not align myself with the BLM organization. Very early in its formation, it morphed into a politically driven organization that is pushing agendas forward that are contrary to many core Christian beliefs. All you have to do is go to their “What We Believe” page to see for yourself.
It is for this reason I choose not to use the statement. I know how loaded it is, and I know many might be prone to making assumptions about where I stand on things which is unfortunate.
Though I’ve chosen not to use the statement “black lives matter” for the reasons outlined above, I do not have a problem with those who choose to do so. If you personally choose to use this statement, it would be wise to consider the assumptions others might make about you when you do. If you do not use this statement, try to avoid lumping all people who do use the statement into the same category. Not everyone who says, “Black Lives Matter” hates cops, supports the riots and looting, and/or is not conservative in their Christian views. Please, give your Christian brother or sister the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise.
What do you think about All Lives Matter as a response to Black Lives Matter?
Just as with the statement “black lives matter,” every believer should affirm this statement as well. No human life matters more or less than another’s. Life is life, and all life has been made in the image of God.
Put simply, the reason “all lives matter” is not the most helpful response to “black lives matter” is because it demonstrates an unwillingness to empathize with the fears or thoughts of others. I have already spoken about defensiveness and dismissiveness in the previous question so I won’t repeat myself except to say this: it would be wise to ask yourself why you would want to say or even think “all lives matter” as a response.
This is why we, as the church, need to create spaces to begin having healthy conversations about this issue. That is the purpose for these blogs, to get us talking and to keep us talking. Some of you might be using this statement with complete innocence, which is understandable, but that doesn’t mean it’s beneficial and definitely requires more thought before being used again. Unfortunately others might be using it for other reasons.
Maybe you are thinking anyone saying black lives matter doesn’t believe all lives matter. Or even that black lives matter more than others. Let me assure you that is not why most people say black lives matter. It is simply a declaration of a feeling that black lives don’t matter as much as other lives to many people. In this case, there is no need to create balance because the reason for using the statement isn’t imbalanced.
Or maybe you respond with all lives matter because you feel like many people saying this are blind to the other issues facing the black community. Christian, please hear this, don’t use other injustices or sins to reject this one, or to shield you from talking about it. Please don’t refute the injustices black people face (whether felt or actual in your opinion) with any other injustice or sin. To be honest, this is not only petty, it actually demonstrates a serious level of immaturity as a believer.
Is it awful and an injustice that black people are killing one another in gang violence? Absolutely. Is it awful and an injustice that black babies are aborted? Absolutely. Is it awful and an injustice that the fatherless rate in the homes of black people is significantly higher than among the majority culture? Absolutely. (And of course we all know that these aren’t only problems within the black community). But why would we think to use those things as weapons? Weapons for debate. Weapons to strengthen our arguments. Weapons to ignore or diminish another injustice. Weapons to say this particular injustice is not the “real” problem.
The world can use those arguments. Politicians can use those arguments. Media can use those arguments. But not so among the people of God. His people see injustice and talk about it without using something else as a shield to avoid, ignore, or diminish it.
Black lives matter. All lives matter. Both statements are true.
What do you think about systemic/structural racism?
There has been so much said and written about this topic. All you have to do is search ‘systemic racism’ online and you will find many people and organizations who have studied the issue and given and endless supply of statistics to support their side of the argument. I will only answer this question from an angle I think hasn’t been brought to light enough or been given enough weight.
Although racism is an ancient evil, the idea of officially creating racial categories by which to govern people is a comparatively new concept. It was a system created in the 18th century as a way to sort and rank people in the English colonies. This system had a major influence on the treatment of African slaves as a sub human “race”, as seen in things like the Three-Fifths Clause where blacks were only considered three-fifths of a human. It wasn’t until 1964 that the Civil Rights act was signed which legally ended Jim Crow Laws meant to keep blacks in their place as second class citizens though the violence and intimidation continued well after.
Why do I say this? Why bring up this history? I say this because it is highly unlikely to expect entire cultural systems put in place to be clear of racism after less than sixty years. Why? Because systems are controlled by people. Problems like this trickle down from person to person, generation to generation. That said, systems are not the primary issue. People are. I agree with pastor John Piper when he says,
“…if your mind is Bible-saturated, you would consider it absolutely astonishing if structural racism were not pervasive wherever sin is pervasive. In other words, Bible-shaped people should expect to see structural racism almost everywhere in a fallen world.”
The bottom line is as Christians, we should not be surprised when one “race” elevates itself over another in the form of systems. Now, please hear me when I say this is not an accusatory statement. I am not saying that all majority Americans are aiding in any current systems of racism. I am simply saying, perhaps many have been blind to these systems under the assumption that racism as a system was a long time ago.
I also say this because of a first grader in 1991 named James.
I was in first grade when me and a few others were playing after school waiting for our parents to pick us up. One of the kids in my class, James, got upset at me for playing with a ball he wanted, and in his anger he let it fly right out of his mouth. “You nigger!” I couldn’t believe it. This was a thing of the past, right? Six year old kids don’t know the meaning of words like that, do they? Doesn’t he know how mean it is to call me that? I was both in shock, and instantly angry.
A few moments later, both my father and his showed up to see their sons fighting in the playground. They broke us up, found out what happened, and instantly began arguing about whose son was at fault. I quickly realized how James learned to use that word towards people who looked like me.
Sixty years sounds like a long time ago, but that was just a generation before me. That was James’ dad. Perhaps even you had a dad like James. And now, it is in James too.
It would be wise to consider how many James’ there are. I know I have encountered quite a few of them. Some are more willfully blatant in their racism while others are unfortunately blind to it. But they are out there. Running businesses, in the classrooms, in the judicial system, or just right next door affecting the balance of whatever system they have influence over.
Friends, it is tough to move beyond individual racism from one generation to the next. And if that’s the case it’s probably even tougher to move beyond the broad, structural injustice imbedded into things like our legal and prison systems, housing, economics, education, healthcare, etc.
So why do I think systemic or structural racism still exists? Because where personal racism exists, systems are sure to follow.
Let’s keep talking…