It hardly needs to be said that race is a big issue in America. It has been for a long time. At America’s constitutional convention in 1787, the representatives argued over the status of slaves. Our nation fought a Civil War over the issue of slavery. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a movement that sought grater racial justice and ended the Jim Crow era. The issues were so volatile that he was assassinated. The race issue is woven into the fabric of our society. Events like the killing of George Floyd bring it rushing back to the fore.
I’m no expert on the race issue. However, I try to process what’s going on. Like many, I’ve struggled to put together what seems clear and easy to some. This discussion, like most political issues, is complicated by the fact that advocates of a need for change have views with which I disagree and advocates of the status quo say some things with which I agree. Extremists easily dominate the discussion. Polarities are easier for the mind to process than nuance.
So, I’ve tried to listen carefully to both sides and understand their concerns. I do think that there are continuing racial injustices and that they need to be addressed. I have had to confront (and no doubt will need to continue to do so) my own sins on this issue. I also think we can do so without embracing a Marxist worldview. I believe that Western civilization offers the best resources for dealing with these issues on a societal level. Those who have opposed racism and slavery most prominently have done so from the context of a Western perspective: emphasis on the rule of law, equality of the citizenry, the non-ethnic character of citizenship, free speech, the scientific method, democracy, and so on.
That said, here are four perspectives on this issue that have helped me these matters and shown me a path forward.
Black Lives Matter
The statement “black lives matter” is not a racist one. It is an important point that should be made. It is rooted in the fact that black lives have not been valued as they should be. Black concerns have not been given the hearing that they should. In essence, it means, “black lives also matter.” To say in response, “all lives matter” is like saying, “that concern is misplaced. Black lives have not been devalued.”
Take an example from issue. I think it could rightly be said, “Unborn lives matter.” It’s worth saying because we have not valued the unborn as we should. If someone replies, “all lives matter,” it is like saying that the concern over the unborn is misplaced. Agree or disagree, we should have clarity on what is being said.
We should also note that the term “lives” goes beyond mere physical existence. The phrase “black lives matter” includes a recognition of issues that are particularly important to Blacks. As Carl Ellis, Jr. says:
This truth encompasses the healthy concern for matters that touch Black lives – criminal justice reform, racial justice, just policing, better community relations, crime reduction, urban homicide rates, discipleship, mass incarceration, abortion rates, poverty reduction, education, employment, ethnic reconciliation, accurate representation of our history, etc.
It is a wide-ranging term.
In spite of the value of the phrase, we should also be aware that there is a movement that in some cases is intertwined with this phrase. One can appreciate the general concerns associated with the phrase without embracing all the details of that program. When people write “Black Lives Matter” in popular culture, they are often using it in this general sense. Carl Ellis, Jr. has provided a helpful explanation of the difference between the emphasis and the movement here.
Honesty About a History of Injustice
The second matter is that we need to be aware of and clear about the history of racial injustice in this country. We should particularly seek to gain knowledge of racial injustice in our own areas.
A couple of years ago, I heard a Black woman speak about growing up in my County. She said that in order to attend high school, she had to attend school an hour away because she wasn’t allowed to attend the school the whites attended. This was an injustice. There are innumerable stories like that.
It’s easy to find people who believe racism is a problem in America who are on the left. The statements they make from that perspective often complicate the racial issue for those on the right. There are many people who think racism is an issue in this country who do not share the presuppositions of the left. If you are conservative politically, I would encourage you to listen carefully to them. A great example is Dr. Anthony Bradley. He is a fellow at the Acton Institute, an educational organization that advocates free market economics.
Dr. Bradley has put forth a non-partisan proposal to help communities that have experienced injustices to move forward “towards reconciliation, peace, and trust in ways that uphold both human dignity and the rule of law.” What interests me here is his emphasis on the importance of honesty about past injustices. Truth is important for reconciliation, and Bradley emphasizes that those who have experienced injustices “must be given an opportunity to share their stories so that the truth may be fully and clearly revealed” in order to bring about reconciliation.
Our denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America) has made an effort to do this. Many of our churches are Southern, and they either were complicit in or promoted the injustices of the Jim Crow era. Pastor Sean Lucas proposed that we acknowledge this wrong clearly and confess it as sin. You can read his proposal here. Our General Assembly affirmed Rev. Lucas’ resolution that read in part that “during the civil rights period, there were founding denominational leaders and churches who not only failed to pursue racial reconciliation but also actively worked against it” (read a report on this here). You can read a recent summary of what our denomination has said on these issues here. We need to continue to promote this sort of honesty and awareness.
Harmful Stereotypes
Another concern that is often perplexing to people is “implicit racism.” I don’t think it’s always clear what that means. To me, it means that there are stereotypes that have harmful effects on individuals and communities. I have had to confront my own erroneous stereotypes. I attended a lecture on stereotypes at our church’s General Assembly and realized I had some re-thinking to do. Here’s what I wrote on June 28, 2017:
At our denominations General Assembly, I had the privilege of attending a talk by Dr. Alicia Jackson, professor of history at Covenant College entitled, “In His Image? How Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Shape Our View of God’s Creation.” I highly recommend it [My note 7/22/20: I could not find where this discussion was available. However, I found this lecture by Dr. Jackson available here].
Jackson highlighted several stereotypes that have governed how white Americans view African Americans. Entering this lecture, I thought of myself as having made good progress on the issue of race. I admit to my shame that this lecture helped me see how often I viewed African-American men through the stereotype of the violent black man. I realized this was unjust, and I’m thankful for this lecture because it has helped me begin to view African-American men more justly. I am thankful especially for the African-American men and women in my denomination who have helped me think through these matters in ways I would not have done without them.
I’ve still got a lot to learn.
Racial Disparities in Outcomes
Much more complicated but still important is the issue of racial disparity in a variety of places but especially in the criminal justice system. This is complicated by simplistic answers given to explain the disparities (i.e., simply Black irresponsibility, simply the Black family, or simply white racism). There are many causes for these disparities.
Fortunately, there has been a lot of study on these issues. I would recommend that you carefully read “Race, Ethnicity, and the Criminal Justice System.” by Katherine J. Rosich under the auspices of the American Sociological Association. This provides a detailed analysis of the studies that had been done up to 2007. She explains the variety of levels at which racial disparities can occur and explains the evidence for and against disparities. It provides the sort of complex analysis needed on such issues. She writes: “Although overt discrimination has diminished in the criminal justice system over recent decades, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we continue to grapple with the perceptions of and the reality of unfairness in our justice system” (2).
Of course, it is easy for me as a white man to say that we can sit back and look at these things slowly. For those who feel the weight of these disparities, action is a much more pressing matter. This is what the protests are fundamentally about. Those who are protesting are saying that these disparities need to rise on the list of America’s priorities. They are calling for us to pay greater attention to these issues, even though they may not be as pressing for me personally.
Conclusion
Racism is an issue that haunts America. As a nation, we have committed serious sins on this matter, and we continue to feel the consequences. We may not always know how to go forward, but we need to keep listening, thinking, discussing, and, whenever possible, acting. I have noted four areas to consider in regard to the racial issues in this country. First, we should emphasize the value of black lives and acknowledge that we have not always done this. This is the heart of the meaning of the phrase “black lives matter.” Second, we should acknowledge the sins of the past, talk about them openly, and listen to the victims of these sins. Third, we should guard ourselves against harmful stereotypes that negatively impact those who are viewed this way. Fourth, we should learn about racial disparities and carefully consider how and where we can address them. This provides me with some direction on how to think about these issues. I’m certainly open to learning more and doing more listening on this subject.
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