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Another thread on race: I woke up thinking abt the world in which I live. 2 big pieces of my life run parallel - church and education. In both there are far too many who think the convo abt race/racism is unnecessary and/or divisive. Why can’t we just stop talking about this? 1/
In church spaces, there are daily arguments against CRT (critical race theory) by folks who, I suspect, have never actually studied CRT. Those arguments were amplified by President, who wrote an executive order forbidding gov’t orgs from receiving training in racial equity. 2/
In school spaces, consternation revolves around whether it’s necessary to become anti-racist. “Can’t we just be ‘not racist’? Isn’t that enough? I’m a good person. Is this all necessary?” I can’t tell you the # of times in last 4yrs I’ve heard, “but slavery ended so long ago!” 3/
Here’s the deal. I’m not one who thinks guilt, shame & blame are useful in this work. However, in both church & school spaces, ppl want to believe it’s enough to just be a “good person”. “After all, my family didn’t own slaves. I don’t use the ‘n’-word. I have a Black friend.” 4/
Here’s a truth... Systems & practices & policies actually don’t require “bad people” to continue to get results that disproportionately/negatively impact certain groups of people. In fact, over the last six months of working w/really ‘good’ leaders, I’m convinced of one thing. 5/
The greatest danger of being a ‘good’ White person or someone who has spent most of life surrounded by/embedded in predominantly White communities (used 2 b my truth) is that you/they are completely unaware of how life/systems work differently (and not so well) for others. 6/
Especially for my bros & sisters in Christ, I want to challenge you to embrace empathy, instead of being critical of an academic perspective on addressing race (CRT). I’d feel differently if folks were critical of CRT but also willing to engage in some other way. 7/
I woke up this morning w/story of Moses in mind. He was raised in Pharaoh’ home, completely unaware of what was happening outside palace gates.. Like many educators & pastors, he was well-educated. Was he a “bad person“ for not being aware? And then he learned truth...8/
Once he learned truth, he felt compelled to act. If spring was ur 1st “encounter“ w/truth of US history, so be it. No condemnation here. However, “sorry“ alone is not enough. As ppl of faith, we know repentance is more than “sorry“. Repentance is a daily process. It’s work. 9/
Reconciliation in any relationship requires effort. It’s nvr easy, but results, in my experience, are worth work. We can keep running from this, or we can push in. This nation, generations to come, deserve more. BTW, I’m not asking any1 to do work I’m not also committed to. 10/
