ON RACISIM: Encountering people who are different than ourselves

THE FOLLOWING ARE REFLECTIONS ON RACISM INSPIRED BY RECENT EVENTS AT WARWICK HIGH SCHOOL IN LITITZ, PA

I’ve heard several different perspectives and interpretations on the recent racial incidents in the Lititz community and in particular at the Warwick high school.  Some of the students in Reality Check (after school high school conversation group) informed me that they felt the issue was very widespread and escalating.  They also seemed to feel ashamed and frustrated that their school would have this problem and the resulting media attention because they didn’t agree with the “redneck” perspective and many had friends who were the targets of racism.  The students didn’t want to talk about the issue at Reality Check because of their frustration that it actually happened. 

Another perspective presented to me was that of not taking any sides because both sides were wrong.  The particular student who articulated this perspective was adament that they themselves are not racists and that what happened was inappropriate.  However, they felt that the response on the part of the minority community was also inappropriate in that it was no different from that of the “rednecks”.  Apparently, instead of reporting the racial incidents some initial responses consisted of personally responding to the antagonists by antagonizing. 

This same student offered an explanation as to why these racial issues happened in the first place.  There are two subcultures emerging in the school.  One of the cultures consist of students (mostly minority) moving into the area from Lancaster or Philadelphia or some other urban context.  Their culture is not inappropriate or wrong but different and new and people/students in Lititz don’t understand it or know how to respond to it.  The other subculture is the “redneck” culture where students are identifying themselves with the ideals of the “white south” even though they’ve never lived in the south and don’t come from the south.  These students have moved into Lititz from more rural areas.     

One more perspective that I heard was that the issue isn’t racism but discipline issues.  At least some of the students in “redneck row” (the term for where students with flags park their cars in the school parking lot) have discipline issues that have not been adequately addressed by the system.  There are social and economic factors that have created the current climate that do not necessarily point to racism but to dysfunctional societal and family systems where the human need for belonging and meaning are not being met. 

In the midst of these swirling interpretations and perspectives on the recent events is the need to empathise with the particular groups so as to understand how they see the world and themselves so that we can better understand them.  If the gospel of Jesus Christ is calling into reality a Kingdom where there are no longer racial, social, and economic divisions but a celebration of the diversity of creation; the acceptance, respect and appreciation of the multitude of cultures, then it’s important to understand the position and perspective of the other.  Considering that most of the comments and perspectives that I’ve been hearing have come from students who are part of the mainstream Lititz culture (i.e. we’re all white) it would be healthy to ponder the “possible” perspective of those who are not white (in as much as it is possible to step into another person’s shoes though we’re called upon to try for the sake of community).  Racial issues aside, how does a person who is not white experience living in a town that is predominantly white?

Recently my wife, who is Vietnamese, and I took a trip to Vietnam.  On the way she remarked that for once she will be the one who “fits in” and I will be the one who “sticks out”.  We did not encounter Vietnam to be racists or to even harbor anti-American sentiments considering the war with America is recent history.  But, in spite of their hospitality and warmth there were moments when I was acutely aware of not being Vietnamese; I stuck out with my white skin, big nose, and big frame body (in perspective to the average male physic). 

Living in an area where most people do not share your heritage or race can make you feel like you don’t fit in your skin; that you don’t belong regardless of how people treat you.  But, when you throw racism into the mix then the feeling of not belonging is transformed into a threat where the slightest incident feel dangerous.  It’s important that we understand this as white people or we will fail to connect with minorities and create the possibility for healthy communities while also failing to reflect the way of Christ and the reality of God’s love for ALL people. 

HOW MIGHT WE RESPOND:  It’s important to be at peace with oneself and not respond to comments, that students or adults make, in a manner that is argumentative or destructive.  Recently, while several students were hanging out, one student made a passing comment that was meant as a joke that I felt was offensive.  I could tell from the feelings that were beginning to overwhelm me that I couldn’t just brush it off and my attitude was changing.  So I unobtrusively walked out of the room, since I wasn’t engaged in any conversation, and prayed a simple prayer to help me let go and then refocused my spirit and mind on Christ’s reality while willfully detaching myself from the comment and my response.  This allowed me to be open to another student and engage in a meaningful conversation on the “Saw” series of movies.  If I hadn’t practiced this ritual my inner reaction to the students “offensive” comment would have caused me to respond to the group as a whole in a negative way that would not have allowed space for reflection and conversation.  It’s important to not allow comments, ideas, or words in general to become attached to us and destroy the space and opportunity that the Holy Spirit creates for engaging students with the truth. 

Another response to issues such as racism is to create an atmosphere where students feel free to talk about their perspectives and experiences while wrestling with the issues.  This can happen in several different ways: 1.  Asking open questions that help students to relate their experiences and feelings while causing them to think.  Sometimes it’s best for us as Mentors and Pastors to say little but instead to direct and guide through the question.  2.  Group conversation on questions that surround the issues of racism and are important to the students (i.e. “where does evil come from?” or “why do some people feel threatened by others?”) without talking directly about racism unless the students bring it up.  This helps to keep the politics out of the conversation while enabling the students to examine themselves and their society. 

There are times, however, when our response to an incident must move beyond conversation to being counter-cultural.  Our response must be the radical opposite of the values portrayed in the incident that proclaims and embodies the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and the command to love our neighbors as ourselves.  It’s important to make sure our radical response is out of an understanding of what the Holy Spirit is doing and not being radical just to appease our conscience, bring glory to ourselves, or to have an outlet for our own frustrations.  The radical response calls for taking a close look at society and ourselves and asking “do we really follow what Jesus preached and lived or do we give lip service to it”?  It’s when we’re willing to allow Jesus to change and transform us and let go of the who and what we are that we’re able to radically respond to issues such as racism and embody an alternative perspective that can bring health and wholeness to a community. 

QUESTIONS FOR DIALOGUE:

1.  What is evil and where does it come from?

2.  How do we relate to people who are different from us?

3.  What are ways we can work towards understanding each other and build healthy communities that accept diverse cultures and perspectives?

4.  How do we respond to words and actions that are demeaning?

5.  How do we embody the reality that in Christ there is no longer division but a unity of people that respects diversity while building community?

by Rodney Martin