The positions on this issue could not be further apart. You can read articles on both sides showing “their data” to support their assertions. And the two sides aren’t African American vs. Whites, for there are whites claiming systemic racism and blacks saying that other people of color are responsible for their own problems.
So for America to be considered racist, what would that mean? More than 50% of the existing population to be racist? As I discussed in the last post, it is not as simple as saying a person is racist or not racist. The same person, like me, can have both racist and anti-racist thoughts.
In my opinion, fighting about whether America is racist or not, makes for great headlines but increases the divisiveness and does nothing helpful.
I recently heard a statement I have fully embraced. “The general is the enemy of the specific.” It is so easy to use a broad brush to paint something one way, but in my experience it is much more beneficial to talk about specifics. Criticism is never helpful unless it is specific.
To restate, when I use the term “anti-racist”, what I mean by that term is, I need to speak up against racism in any form in which I see it. (Others use that same term to push their agenda which includes much more than that.)
I think it is pretty clear that racism is “alive and sick” in America today because America is made up of people. However, is there systemic racism in America? Again, before we talk about it, we must define it. Let’s go with this definition.
Racism resulting from the inherent biases and prejudices of the policies and practices of social and political organizations, groups, or institutions.
If organizations, groups and institutions are made up of people, and people are flawed which includes racism among other things, how can there not be systems which allow racism to exist and in some cases even flourish.
While some would argue that America is racist to its core, I would contend that the core of America is its Declaration of Indendence and the Constitution.
The natural response would be, is the core what it says or what it does?
That is the constant struggle in life whether it is on a personal level or at a national level–eliminating the dissonance between my behavior and what I claim to believe.
There are those who conclude because they don’t wish harm for someone who is of a different ethnic group, that they aren’t racist. However, if I don’t speak up when some person or policy is racist, I am at least complicit, and I would argue also encouraging racism.
Joseph Grenny in his book “Crucial Conversations” relates the true story of a lady who was admitted for a tonsillectomy but left the hospital with an amputated foot. “How can such a thing happen” is a normal question to ask. As it turned out there were actually seven people who could have spoken up to avert this tragedy but the intimidation culture in that hospital did not encourage dialog.
When the argument is being made that there is no systemic racism in America, often the person is comparing current day policies with those in our sordid past when the systemic racism was very blatant like “White Only” restaurants and home loans not being available to African Americans.
Thank God, and the work of our predecessors for those changes. But just because there aren’t racist policies that are so blatant, are there still some policies today which promote racism? It is my hope that as we are made aware of any, that we would not be silent.
Next week I will do my best to address the topic of racism as it relates to police officers and the charges that have been leveled against them.
I have a few questions about your story of the young lady in your community. I know you said that your community has a reputation for not being welcoming to black people. Is this something that you’ve personally discussed with black people in your neighborhood or is this just what you’ve heard? I’m not saying the reputation is wrong, I’m just curious. Do you know if this is something that this young lady has experienced herself in your community? Do you know if she reacted the way she did because of her skin color and because she was treated with kindness and acknowledged by a white man or is that just your assumption? Did you discuss this with her? Do you know this woman’s personality, her circumstances, or what kind of day she was having? Could she have reacted the way she did because she enjoys interacting with other human beings regardless of their skin color? Could she have been having a rough day and just really appreciated someone showing kindness, showing a little bit of Jesus? I’ve heard it said that showing someone kindness or even just giving someone a smile can have a big impact on someone’s day and change it for the better. I personally know this to be true. When someone takes the time to acknowledge me or show me kindness it makes my day. Is it possible that this young lady would have been offended that you thought she reacted the way she did because of her skin color? Maybe skin color doesn’t matter to her. Maybe it had nothing to do with skin color at all. Maybe it was just about one human being showing kindness to another human being. 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you, Sarah, for engaging. I will answer your questions the best I can. In listening to the recent discussions about racism, I am skeptical. Whenever someone makes a general statement like our community having a reputation for not being welcoming to black people—I question it as you are, wanting to know the specifics. It is very uncomfortable for me to hear of racism in my community or even in my country. I know that there are black people who have a victim mentality, and they tend to view everything through the filter of racism–which is unfair. But the fact that there are people like that, in itself, does not negate or affirm the existence of racism.
We live in a beautiful semi-rural city with brand new schools and recreational facilities of extremely high-quality—artificial turf throughout. It has always seemed like a friendly town to me. You ask about our neighborhood. According to the most recent data that I have seen, less than 1% of our population is Black. About a month or so ago, we had a black lady at a church here in Ridgefield, say that she didn’t feel safe walking alone in our town based on previous unkind treatment. She also talked about the fact that in school her kids were made fun of for both the color of their skin and what their hair was like. There was a forum in our area where people were invited to share their experiences about racism. There were some examples which I discounted because there were potentially other interpretations of what happened. But there were other examples for which I could see no other explanation. I also have a black friend who has shared some of his experiences for which I can find no other reason than racism.
Regarding my encounter with the young lady. In my neighborhood, I always wave or smile at everyone. Alice used to ask me if I knew the people, but now she knows that it is just what I do regardless of knowing the person. I have smiled or waved at people thousands of times over the years that we have lived here, and I have never seen a response close to that. If my goal were to prove that there is no racism in my community, I am sure I could come up with another reason for her reaction. But just taking it at face value without an agenda on my part, I believe the fairest conclusion is that it was unusual for her, in our area to have a friendly encounter.
I think that addresses your questions without going through each one individually. I definitely have much to learn and will continue to attempt to be teachable while at the same time using appropriate skepticism. Have a great week.
Here is my question, Do you believe only white people can be racist or do you believe that anyone can be racist? I believe our society today has made it look like it is only a problem white people have. I believe there are people of all races that are racists. I believe that is isn’t as big as a problem as it has been in the past. I believe that people have more opportunity in this country than they ever have had.
Thanks for your question and comment. In my previous post, I defined a racist as anyone who views another ethnic group as being inferior. This applies to anyone regardless of the color of their skin. It applies to whites when they think they are more capable than blacks. It applies to blacks when they think that whites are inferior because of the oppression of the blacks. It can even apply to people of the same ethnic group like 3rd generation Mexicans viewing recently arrived Mexicans as lower class citizens.
While I do agree that much of the blatant racism is gone, I don’t want to be dismissive of the current racism that exists against blacks.
I live in a town that is predominately white and apparently has a reputation for not being welcoming to blacks. Just a week or so ago, I noticed a black lady pushing a baby stroller near my neighborhood. I smiled at her just like I do to everyone but you would have thought I told her she just won a thousand dollars by the way she responded. It was fairly obvious that she wasn’t used to my gesture. I hope to be a part of the change so that when that lady’s child is grown, such a simple gesture won’t be a surprise.