On Difference January 15, 2012

Reflections on Difference

Rev. Lee Ann Bryce

Community Christian Church

Are you racist?  I’m not going to ask you to respond out loud, but I do want you to look inside yourself thoughtfully and consider the question – are you racist? 

In all fairness, I should come clean and tell you that was a trick question because I believe we are all, to some degree, racist.  And I’m referring to everyone present here today and I dare say, everyone living in the United States embodies some type of racism.  Our backgrounds are all different, but growing up in our shared culture cannot help but produce citizens that are racist.

A more interesting question might be:  what were your early experiences that have impacted your views on race?  I’ll tell you a bit about mine.  I was born and raised in Texas.  Every single person in my church, school, family, and circle of friends was white.  My parents never had black, Asian, or Hispanic friends and occasionally, I recall hearing racist jokes.  I don’t recall if I laughed at them, but I probably did.  Everyone else seemed to be laughing, except my mother, whose disapproval was apparent when someone offered a racist joke.  My brother had a friend from school who was black named Keith Clay.  Of all the friends that my brothers had during our childhood, I don’t really remember any of their names except for Keith.  You might say he stood out in my young mind because of his particularity. 

And I shouldn’t say that every single person I knew was white.  There was Alice, the black woman who took care of me when my parents were working and my older brothers were at school.  I was quite young and though she worked for our family for a couple of years, I didn’t really think of her as a person in the same way my parents were people.  Like a child might do, I more identified her with the role she played.

As I got older I began to notice that not everyone was white like me.  As I grew up and my little world began to broaden, I began to notice more African American people and Hispanic people.  I would not see people of color as teachers or church members or business associates of my parents, but as the young men who would bus the table or work in the kitchen in the restaurants we frequented or maybe pump gas into our car.  People of color were, without exception, at least in my recollection, in subservient roles.

 I have a distinct memory of sitting with my Grandmother and watching TV.  I was probably 12 or 13 and we were watching “The Dating Game.”  An African American couple were contestants and at one point in the show I commented that I thought the husband was “cute.”  My grandmother gasped as if I had said a terrible thing.  She put her hand to her mouth and said, “Lee Ann, he’s a…” and she used a word that I will not repeat. 

These are my early experiences, some of the influences that have shaped who I am and how I relate to the world.  I’m not proud of them neither do I apologize for them.  My grandmother was a wonderful person and I loved her dearly - and she was a product of her context.  I was born into a certain context and my early childhood experiences shaped me.  And thanks to later experiences, education, exposure, and friendships, that have also shaped me, I am happy that I have grown.  I am, however, always on the lookout for those little threads from my early life to manifest in some kind of snap judgment or visceral bias with another person.  I’m mature enough to know that there are people in this world who are raging racists.  And there are people who are blind to their own racial bias.  And one is just as dangerous as the other.

What about you?  Think for a moment about your early experiences regarding race.  How do you locate yourself in the ongoing story of racism?   

Sometimes people think of racism as a black problem rather than an issue that affects all people, though differently.  For Native Americans, the issue of racism is shaped by the reality that they are a colonized people.  For African Americans the issue is around their past status as slaves.  When white people begin to confront the effects of their power and privilege, we must begin to accept the full history and legacy of colonial America. 

The term “White privilege” refers to a way to think about racial inequality that focuses on the advantages that white people accrue from society as much as the disadvantages that people of color experience.  In my experience, overt racism or prejudice, in which a dominant group actively seeks to oppress or suppress other racial groups for its own advantage; that brand of racism is pretty rare.  At least in the people I talk to.  What’s much more common is the assumption by people who are white that their experience is the norm that everyone should experience.  Racism is not all about slavery.  There have been many institutionalized racist practices in the history and present reality of the United States.  Indeed, all people who are white reap tremendous benefits from the legacy of slavery and segregation.  It’s important to acknowledge that all people who are white benefit from this legacy of racism, even if they were not alive during the time of US slavery. 

 An awareness of white privilege begins with noticing.  If you are a white person in our present context, you can generally count on the following conditions that a person of color cannot count on.  A white person could say:

·         I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only white person.

·         Whether I use checks, credit cards or cast, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.

·         If I want to, I can arrange to be surrounded by people of my race most of the time.

·         If I need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing whatever home I can afford.

·         I can be sure that my children will be given materials in school that testify to the existence of their race.

·         If I have a cut on my hand, I can easily find “flesh” colored bandaids that more or less match the color of my skin.

·         I can generally arrange to protect my children from people who might not like them because of their race.

·         My chief worries about my children do not concern others’ attitudes toward their race.

·         I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.

·         I can be pretty sure that if I ask to speak to “the person in charge” I will be facing a person of my own race.

·         I can easily buy postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race.

·         I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.

·         I feel welcomed and “normal” in the usual walks of public life.

 White privilege is real and it’s vital that people who are white, first, understand it.  It’s only then that something can be done about it.  And there are tangible, concrete practices that people who are white can embrace.  For example:

·         Stop allowing yourself to be brainwashed into believing stereotypes.  Acknowledge and examine society’s stereotypes about people of color.  Assume you’ve been influenced by them.  What are they?  Make a list.  Know what you are working to change.

·         Don’t assume that everyone is either a person of color or a white person.  (This paradigm assumes white is normative and all other races can be lumped together.)

·         Start turning things around.  Instead of wondering why no people of color attend an event or join a group, ask why the group only attracts white people.

·         Be willing to be uncomfortable.  Understand that race and racism presents complexities and contradictions.  Be patient and do not try to reduce or simplify.

·         Learn about other cultures, not by asking questions, but by spending time with people (without interrogating them.)

·         Put yourself in environments predominantly attended by people of color.  Notice how it feels to be the only white person present.

·         Stop passing down racist prejudices to your children.  Expose them to differences early on.  Actively encourage your children and all children to develop relationships with people of color, both adults and children.

·         Come to the MOJO film series on Tuesday to watch “Gran Torino” and discuss.

It’s so easy to talk about diversity and inclusivity without really ever doing anything to make those concepts real.  (Churches are very good at this.)  The truth is, diversity and inclusivity are terribly hard realities to achieve, so few communities achieve them because it’s uncomfortable, unsettling, and frustrating.  Learning the language of diversity, walking the talk is the work of a lifetime because it’s hard to accept people who are not like you, who do not talk the way you do, or believe the things you believe, or dress or vote as you do.  It is even harder to appreciate them for the things about them that are not like you, to find them interesting and fun, and to enjoy the learning that is part of the experience.

Overcoming racism is not a quick fix, in our own lives or in our communities.  And so the question becomes, can we get beyond our need to fix everything quickly and simply begin a process that will last a lifetime?  I’m not sure, but I hope so.  In any event, all we can do is choose to walk down that road toward affirmation of all people.  And for today, maybe it’s enough just to start the journey.