"As one pastor said, ”How cool would it be to live in a world where Zimmerman offers Trayvon a ride home to get him out of the rain that night?”"
How cool would that be?! This is the kind of stories I long to hear. This is the type of America most of us dream and try desperately to convince ourselves we are in, but we are not there yet. There is an obvious confusion that we are somehow in a post-racial America but the confusion is there because we are trying to live with a mindset that is post-racial but our present society is clearly not a post-racial society.
Why did George not give Trayvon a ride? Among many reasons...simply put: Because America is broken. Through out history, black people have cried out for, advocated for, and used their privilege to establish justice. To build a country where race is not just tolerated or accepted but valued. My greatest hope for our country is that we not only accept each other but that we pursue diversity and deep reconciliation because we see the truth: that a fully reconciled society is better than what we have now.
I've seen Christian college students who truly believe this and they know that for this kind of beauty to replace the evil they live in Jesus is needed. They believe "One(Jesus) died for all" and that we live for "him who died for us and was raised again" and this dependence on Jesus causes them to live in the belief that they have been given the ministry of reconciliation by Jesus himself. Do you believe this? Because reconciliation is hard. In our context it requires us, together, to look at the facts and deal with them. We have to look at the fact that:
- 6.5% white lawyers think there is ‘very much’ racial bias in the judicial system vs. 52.4% of black lawyers. (Feb. 1999; sample size: 1,002 ABA and NBA members)
- Among men, blacks (28.5%) are about six times more likely than whites (4.4%) to be admitted to prison during their life. (U.S. Department of Justice)
But this takes work. And it has always been the time to work. It is what the Church should be prepared to do. Moments like this remind us.
When "the verdict" was made known to me, I did not find myself instantly enraged. After processing why, I realized that there was a righteous anger that I've always carried with me. My life requires me to live with a righteous anger. As I strive to see more and more through God's eyes I see both great pain and great joy. The pain is the product of evil and is the source of my anger. The joy is the product of Jesus' saving and reconciling work which is the source of my hope. And striving for this hope takes work. Are you willing to work?
Then consider this:
My white friends and anyone who is confused/resistant to the black community's reaction, especially you who I consider friends. Read Matt Stauffer's blog post and heed his call for you to listen. This case is at the forefront right now but it goes along with the same issues that came up during the levy break in Louisiana, during the election of Obama, during the earthquake in Haiti, and in the way we've treat (what we call)illegal aliens. They all bring forward that which is right under the false skin of post-racial thinking...the need for reconciliation. They also provide a chance to listen and observe where we truly are so that you can form deeper bonds with those who don't look like you. You will never know the deepness of the pain but you can choose to be with us in it. The best way to do this is to listen and invite those who look like you to listen.
My people of color who are grieved and angry. Read Sean Watkins' blog. Soak this moment in. Let the powerlessness, rage and injustice of it all sink into your soul. We should be angry and impassioned to act. We must act with our whole lives. Be angry but don't sin. Don't let your friends of another race off the hook. Have loving but challenging conversations. Be authentic and maybe even yell a bit but don't break relationship. Our ethic is Jesus. His way is love. And love sometimes comes in the form of washing feet and sometimes in the form of flipping money tables. We have to be willing to walk with Jesus and others through it all.
Fear and ignorance were major components in Zimmerman's actions. We cannot imitate this. We must draw close to each other. Those who suffer, tell your stories. Those who do not, you must be willing to allow yourself to hear until those who suffer are heard and you who suffer not...begin to suffer with. When we do this, we begin to build the kingdom of God...a place where a black boy wearing a hoody is offered a ride, and that black boy can accept that ride and be safe.
Here are the blogs mentioned:
Tony Gaetwood: http://blackandwhiteobservations.blogspot.com/2013/07/373-words-verdict-and-appeal.html
Sean Watkins: http://smwatkins.com
Matt Stauffer: http://blog.mattstauffer.org/165/an-opportunity-for-grace-and-compassion
