I saw the killing of George Floyd and I watched the reaction spread from South Minneapolis to around the world. And like many folks, I’ve had to ask myself some difficult questions — questions like, what part do I play in this? Why am I asking myself this? Because, like it or not, I’m standing by and watching the pain of those who’ve suffered injustice and inequality. It’s a suffering that’s gone on for many generations.
To ask myself these questions, I have to begin with the first question, which is “what is my perspective?” Let’s begin with the obvious, I’m a white male. In the American way of life, I’m at the top. Throw in that I’m a protestant, I’m at the top-top. I have benefited from a system, one that the demonstrators have called out. It’s a system that’s designed to do what’s it’s intended to do—to live in the benefit of white privilege. Even if I’d prefer not to admit it or face it, it’s true. It’s been that way since the arrival of the first African slaves to Jamestown in 1619. It’s also been that way since the first wars were waged by European immigrants against the indigenous peoples of this continent.
I’m old enough to have lived through the 1960s. I marched for the enforcement of civil rights laws, for voting rights, and for improved equality across color lines. I saw the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the establishment of Affirmative Action and the passage of equal housing. All these steps worked to change the mind of America, but not its heart, and not necessarily its will.
Witnessing the murder of George Floyd is beginning to change this nation’s heart. It has given white America a real insight in to what “Black Lives Matter” is really all about. Some might say “but the reaction over this has ranged from peaceful to destructive and illegal.” When you think of it, the Boston Tea Party was also destructive and illegal — and we might not have become an independent nation if it hadn’t happened.
So if my heart is beginning to change, what do I do next? Next, it’s to change our will. That responsibility begins with me. I have to admit that I have biases that are “hard wired” into me. I have to look deep within myself to ask what biases I have. I have to ask others what biases you see within me. Once I have these out in the open I can work to cleanse them from that quiet thinking that we all know about.
But even if I’m successful in routing out these biases, I’m still living in a culture that is built upon systemic biases. We have to work together to rid these from our nation’s psyche. That’s a tall order, but not impossible. It begins with an understanding of what’s it all about. To better understand systemic biases, a prominent African American leader stated it this way. If you’re white in this country it’s like being carried by the current of a river. Sure you might have ups and downs along the way, but you’re still being carried by the current. But if you’re black or brown, you are being forced against the current. And despite your successes along the way you’re still being forced the wrong way on that river.
Now is the time for all of us to work on this. Everyone needs to be carried by the same current in the same direction. I must work to be a part of that solution. Being complicit is no longer a qualified response to the inequities that still plague us. We’ll never be any better if we don’t all have a change of heart and will. Let’s first look within ourselves. Then let’s look to others for advice and knowledge. It’s a great opportunity to learn. Ask questions of others around you—others that are different from you. And then, like I’ve said before listen… really, really…listen. The future reconciliation of this nation’s heart and will depends upon it.