Everyday Black Matters
This post is a follow up response to yesterday’s blog about a situation that my husband & I witnessed the other day. I wanted to respond to some of the comments & also to clear up a few things.
First things first, a few details I got wrong. I apologize! Next time I’ll do better research! 🙂
#1. The cops weren’t looking for two black males. They were looking for two males, race unknown. I didn’t know this but Dave also went over and talked to the officers.
#2. Dave told me to be clear that he did not in any way apologize to the men on behalf of white cops in general or on behalf of those two cops in particular. He says he apologized for what they experienced and any pain that may have caused them.
Now, in response to a few comments in particular from yesterday’s post:
~Joe, Phil & Ken are three black males who left comments yesterday of similar painful situations they have been through. And for that I, too would like to apologize for the pain you three have been through. I think it’s a big hot mess that you have to live that way & I pray that things get better as folks become more and more aware of these issues. We keep fighting justice no matter what. I will if you will.
~Tamara said …”I believe it is your intent to bring to light important issues regarding blacks in society. Unfortunately, your methods are doing more harm than good when it comes to race relations. I am so happy that you and your husband are able to share the love of Jesus with people of all color, but this constant racial speak creates dissent.”
I’m not sure if my methods are doing “more harm than good.” The question of the day is: for whom are they doing more harm than good? I imagine my blogging about issues in the black community would do more harm than good for those who don’t want to think about race because of its difficulty or who can otherwise choose not to think about race. Anytime I’ve ever had anyone tell me that I shouldn’t think, talk or blog about race issues they generally fit into one of those categories. This has happened very rarely.
In general, I’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response as I’ve talked, preached, written, or blogged about race relations. And I’ve been doing all those things for the last 8 years, especially in campus ministry where person after person after person -both black & white- has thanked me (& my husband) for raising the hard issues about race relations.
“This constant racial speak,” as you say is actually part of the gift God has given me. I am a biracial woman who grew up as in insider in both black & white communities giving me a unique voice and perspective which allows me to speak to both sides about things in ways they wouldn’t hear from anyone else. I can assure you there will never be a day of my that I don’t think, talk, preach, write or blog about race issues between black and white people. It’s who I am (both black and white) but it is also the call God has given me. I will never abandon my call because it makes you or any one else feel uncomfortable.
Of course talking about these things creates dissent! That is why it is so needed. I think blacks & whites in this country could use a little healthy conflict. It takes work and drama and conflict for any relationship to be healthy let alone one that got started off the wrong foot. (And of course, to describe black & white race relations that way is a huge understatement). How can we expect to move forward if talking about our sordid history does not produce at least some dissent?
What alternative methods should I use? I only have one voice. I try to be as real, honest and vulnerable as I can in using it. If that’s not good enough you have to find the voice your looking for on these issues from someone else who you trust.
All that said, if it’s not good for your soul or produces anger and resentment in your heart towards me, my only suggestion is not to read my blog because I have no intention of silencing myself on an issue that affects me every day of my life.
~Jeremiah offered a very helpful definition of profiling & asked a great question: “Do you consider it incongruous for a Christian to be a police officer where such interaction may be a vocational imperative?”
No, not at all. I definitely think Christians should be police officers and indeed engaged in every sphere of society. Yes, even if that means profiling (as you described it by definition) as a vocational imperative. My hope and prayer would be that they would carry out their job in a just way, showing appropriate compassion and mercy.
Jeremiah also said, …”There is likely a minority of racist and unjust police officers patrolling the streets of America, yet racism and racial profiling are not systemic.” I wonder what you meant here, Jeremiah. I’m not sure that I’d agree that racism is not systemic. Racism was built into all of the systems and structures and layers of our society since the 1st day Africans were carted over as slaves. The police system above all in the last 100 years has been the main proprietor of the most cruel forms of racism. In fact, at one point in the history of the KKK, when they at were most violent, more than half of them were either police officers or politicians –people with power. These systemic systems are still in place, but are played out in different ways. Thank God no one is getting lynched any more, but that doesn’t mean racism isn’t still built into the structure and being carried out in different ways.
It’s not just “likely that there is a minority of racist and unjust police officers patrolling the streets of America,” it’s a cold hard fact. And who is to say for sure, but I’d take a gander it’s probably more than just a minority. There is so much pain in the black community about this issue because for many years, for many generations black men have not been safe from the very people who should have been protecting them. Hopefully you can see even from the comments on yesterdays post about how often it still affects three black men in particular.
Lastly, Dave & I agree it would have been improper for him to apologize on behalf of the cops which he did not. Sorry for my mistake.
Thanks all for engaging this issue with me & I think we all want the same thing: justice to reign in every area of life!
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