In the past month, the conversation on racism has dominated our media, almost relegating Covid-19 to the past. You might ask why I am addressing this issue. It’s definitely not for political reasons. It’s also not to make a definitive statement on this topic as if I have the silver bullet. I don’t, and I too am constantly learning, questioning my assumptions and listening to different thinkers. My desire is to tackle this from the perspective of a pastor who is primarily responsible for the people in his church. It is my duty as your pastor to guide you in difficult and convoluted conversations around racism and to give you biblical, theological, and rational lens through which you ought to engage. That is my task as a shepherd teacher. What we need is thoughtful dialogue rather than divisive and politicized rhetoric that is not willing to listen to someone with a different opinion. I am not naive to think that this topic will pass with time, never to return again. There will certainly be another national surge on this conversation soon, and it will be more heated, divisive, and politicized than now. This is why we must be prepared to engage as Christians who are deeply concerned for the Gospel, justice, compassion, reconciliation, and especially, truth. I felt this time around that the church at large has been ill-equipped to converse on this massive issue, which is why I take this opportunity now to get us ready (at least, to the best of my ability).
I want to first say that I am trying to work out of what Trevin Wax calls “multi-directional leadership.” I am trying to see the dangers of both the left and the right extremes. I am critiquing both the extreme of believing that racism is irrelevant and the extreme of seeing everything as pertaining to racial injustice and systemic oppression. We need a much more nuanced approach to this debate and we must exercise wisdom in teasing out all the different factors and facets of the current debate on racism in America. By doing so, we can rightly uphold justice where it’s needed for the black community and also critique wrongful ideologies and politically manipulative moves that contradict our Christian worldview. Here is what Trevin wrote: “My aim is simply this: to remind church leaders that the noble fight against racial discrimination will not be won by being intellectually indiscriminate—adopting any proposal or advocating any voices who may share a common diagnosis but have radically different goals or worldviews. Multi-directional leadership requires discernment, carefully sifting what is biblical from what is not, so that our unified action stands out in a world filled not with love but with disdain.”
Also, I want to prime this conversation by saying that I am addressing a predominantly Asian-American congregation with few black Americans and no white/hispanic American. I am writing this for a specific context and people. Furthermore, I want to remind us that before we belong to a certain ethnic group or to a socially constructed race category, we must remember that we are Christians primarily in our identity. The primary axiom of our identity is Christ. Nothing comes before this. Hence, we must engage with this topic from our primary identity as Christians. There will certainly be places where we agree with the wider culture but there will certainly be points where we disagree because of our unique lens as Christians. Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” God calls us to holy discernment and not blindly following the philosophy of the world. I have seen too many Christians and even pastors blindly follow the agendas set by the secular voices. We must discern what is good and acceptable and perfect to our God according to the things of Christ.
The Problem of Racism
Every black person matters. Yes. Let’s state the obvious. For too long black Americans have experienced injustice and racial discrimination from enforced slavery to modern day forms of racial prejudice. It would be farfetched to deny this reality. One only needs a cursory glance at American history 101 in order to see the horrors of African slavery. Indeed, our nation has made major progress in big part due to the Civil Rights movement of 1960’s. However, to think that racial prejudice is no longer an issue in America would be too naive (but the opposite danger would be to say that we’ve made no progress and compare today with the times of Jim Crow). Still to this day, black Americans are disproportionately affected by poverty, poor education, high crime rate, abortion, racial prejudice in the legal system, high incarceration, etc. Now, there are many factors behind these phenomena (which I will address below), but it is safe to say racial prejudice is a major factor. And we must not forget the ripple effects of slavery and racial discrimination of the past on areas like wealth gap (although this is hard to measure to what degree). Here is one example of possible racial discrimination today: study shows that resumes with names that are generally associated with white individuals have a higher chance of being called back than resumes with names that are traditionally associated with black individuals. Another example, according to the USSC, “Black male offenders received sentences on average 19.1 percent longer than similarly situated White male offenders.” If a white male offender receives a 10 year sentence, a black male counterpart may receive roughly a 11.9 year sentence.
Black Americans have a particular experience of racial prejudice that is tied to their history. This is why we should be open to listening to the individual’s experience of pain and struggle. David French,a well-respected American attorney, wrote a humble and persuasive article titled, “American Racism: We’ve Got So Very Far to Go”. In this insightful piece, David French, writing specifically to the conservative constituents who dismiss racism as irrelevant, speaks about his own personal experience of adopting a child from Ethiopia. Having raised two biological daughters who are white, David experienced repeated unusual circumstances with his third adopted Ethiopian daughter that he did not experience with his first two. In one instance, “There was the white woman who demanded that Naomi—the only black girl in our neighborhood pool—point out her parents, in spite of the fact that she was clearly wearing the colored bracelet showing she was permitted to swim.” These repeated incidence allowed David to see the issue of racism from a different aisle of “seating”. David also respectfully points out that although the “hands up, don’t shoot” story of Michael Brown in Ferguson was completely a myth and the police officer actually did not shoot out of racial bigotry, it is very important to note that later investigation on the Ferguson Police Department showed that there was racially biased targeting of blacks for traffic tickets in order to raise more revenue.
As Christians, we should not shy away from an honest conversation on racial discrimination. We of all people should know the destructive power of sin that pervades every human heart. This is not only an American/white problem, it is a human/sin problem. Every human being is born with the parasite of sin that breeds in each of us both the capacity and the desire to elevate the self and to hate the other. Because of this, racism is an evil that is always a potential that is waiting to be actualized or a reality that already is in the human heart. Let’s quickly define personal racism. It is the propensity to discriminate against someone on the basis of his/her perceived race or particular physical trait like the color of one’s skin.
Furthermore, because sin marred not only the human heart but creation as a whole, there is bound to be systemic or structural problems within our society. Governments, companies, legal systems, educational programs, etc are all structures that make our society run as a whole. These man-made systems will always have some sort of problem from benign inefficiencies all the way to malicious, harmful laws that have damaging effects on certain people. American slavery for over 300 years was an economic system that benefitted white Americans over the destruction of African-American slaves.
As Christians, we need to recognize both patterns of hatred and discrimination in the personal and the systemic. In our specific context in the US, we should recognize the historical, social, economical, and legal problems that negatively impact black Americans.
The Problem of the Anti-Racism Movement
Let me make this clear from the start. Recognizing the sin of racial discrimination or any form of discrimination is a godly thing because we affirm the beauty of the image of God in every human being. However, this does not mean that we need to align ourselves with a certain social movement or even affirm the methods and ideologies that are employed by certain secular organizations. Rather, we need to do the hard work of seeking biblical justice and truth in a Christian manner and even be willing to critique social movements that do not honor God and distort truth for political agendas.
Anti-racism is a political movement to dismantle systems and structures of the society that are seen to cause disparity in the black community or other POC groups. Although there may be good things that arise from it, there are many dangerous aspects of anti-racism that we need to be aware of as Christians.
Systemic/Institutional Racism
We have all heard of this nebulous term “systemic racism” being widely used today. Let’s first define it. USA today defined it as, “A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity.” Let’s define it a little further. Systemic racism can refer to laws and legal policies that intentionally harm the black community. Examples would be slavery, Jim Crow, and redlining. This form of codified racism no longer exists today. The Civil Rights act banned this form. Systemic racism can also refer to systems that are inherently discriminatory and flawed such that even when there is no racist law or individuals who are racist, the system itself will still churn out racist results and disparities in outcome. The problem with this form of systemic racism is that it is much more difficult to define and measure. Anti-Racism is focused on fighting not simply personal racism but precisely this kind of systemic racism; hence, its aim is to overturn systems of society because it sees systems as the sole cause of racial disparities. There are many problems with this approach.
First, it assumes that any racial disparity of outcome is evidence of racial discrimination. This is plainly wrong. Thomas Sowell, one of the most respected black economists at Stanford University, has written scores on this issue. He argues that disparities of outcome are normal part of any society and one should not assume that differences in outcome such as wealth gap and education are indicative of injustice or racial discrimination. Simply put, the outcome does not necessitate the cause. To look at the outcome and conclude that X must be the factor is false logic. There may be a slew of multi-variated factors and even unknown factors that cause a certain outcome. Anyone with basic knowledge of data science or statistics can understand this.
Coleman Hughes, a black journalist for City-Journal, teases out this reality in this interview. If systemic racism or racial bias is the major or sole cause of racial disparities, then we should see the same outcome for different sub-groups of black colored people in America. However, study shows that this isn’t the case. Black Caribbean immigrants in the same city as black Americans had different outcomes in life, although they were subject to the same system. Coleman argues that there are cultural factors that are not inherently “racist” that affect the outcome at large. These black immigrants have different cultures than the traditional black Americans. Their spending habits are different and their focus on education are different. These are cultural differences that inevitably affect disparities in wealth and jobs. This analysis quickly debunks the myth that racial discrimination in systems is the sole or major cause of racial disparities. For example, if disparities in outcome are indicative of racism, then our Universities are racist because there is a huge percentage of Asian Americans in Ivy Leagues and UC’s even though Asians only make a small part of the population. Does this mean that Universities are racist against whites, blacks, and hispanics? No. This disparity is heavily due to the Asian culture of highly prizing higher education and prestigious schools. Another example, black NBA players make up the majority of NBA. Is NBA then systemically racist because of the disparity in the percentage of white players? We must be very careful in looking at the apparent disparities that the mainstream media portray and be slow to making conclusions about systems being unjust or rigged.
Second, we need to be very precise about what we are referring to when we say “systemic racism”. What system are you talking about? For one, some systems are not wrong even if they cause disparities. Neil Shenvi, a Christian apologist, points out in his blog that marriage and private property may perpetuate wealth disparity in different groups. So do we do away with these systems? (Not surprisingly, Black Lives Matter organization actually advocates to “disrupt” traditional marriage and capitalism.) I would say absolutely not. Furthermore, we have to ask “What about the particular system is racist?” Let’s take for example education in the black community. Many would say that the educational system is racist because of the comparatively low educational success for black Americans especially in the inner city. Thomas Sowell argues that this is not simply a problem of racism. Detroit school system has one of the highest funding per capita in the nation and yet they produce one of the lowest score results. Dr. Sowell believes that there is a problem with powerful school unions and Left policies that do not allow people to choose what schools they want to attend. Even if your school in your district is performing poorly, you are forced to attend that school instead of having the choice to go to a better school somewhere else. Unions are obviously working in the interest of the teachers and schools, and this absence of competition perpetuates low quality education. Interestingly, Charter schools in inner cities have shown to be immensely effective. The test scores of black Americans in Charter schools are comparable to the national average, and yet school unions and Democrat policies work to impede Charter schools from expanding because this would create competition for public schools especially in poor neighborhood. Is this an issue of a system that is inherently racist towards blacks? It’s not so simple. I think our approach need to be more comprehensive, both looking at the legacy of redlining and segregation in public schools in the past and assessing other non-racial factors that play a huge role.
We know that poverty has a big impact on education. But where does poverty in the black community come from? Some of it can be traced to the legacy of slavery. It’s hard to deny that. However, what about the issue of fatherlessness that has been plaguing the black community? Research shows time and time again that fatherless homes drive up poverty, low education, and crime. Currently, around less than 1/3 of black families in America are without fathers. Before 1960’s, only 25% of black families were without fathers. Now, roughly 75% of black babies are born out of wedlock. How is it that within a few decades the very fabric of the black community altered so dramatically? Dr Sowell and Larry Elder emphasize the destructive impact of the welfare program that started in the 1960’s under President Lyndon Johnson. In the effort to eradicate poverty in America, the government began giving welfare to families without fathers. This program incentivized single mothers to stay single and fathers to avoid responsibility. Coupled with the welfare state of the 60’s, the sexual revolution, the invention of contraception, and the legalization of abortion dramatically drove up the percentage of fatherless homes. Not surprisingly, poverty and crime in the black community also climbed drastically. Again, is poverty then solely caused by systemic racism? It’s not so simple.
As you can see, this is extremely convoluted. It is too reductionistic to say that the problem is solely systemic racism. In fact, such reductionistic thinking can lead to potentially calamitous solutions of trying to “dismantle” systems that can backfire like the welfare state. Don’t get me wrong, there are bad systems that need reform. However, this doesn’t mean that every or most system is bad and need to be overthrown. We need to be wary of making blanket statements and diagnosis about systemic issues.
Overlooking the Objective Facts
The other major problem with the Anti-Racism groups like the Black Lives Matter is that they will often times overlook the facts. This is the case with police racism. It is almost now a fact in the collective imagination of the public and mainstream media that police are systematically out to murder and shoot down black Americans. This is simply false. Of the roughly 44 million black Americans in the US, in 2020, only 9 unarmed blacks were killed (although the numbers may have gone up in the past month). Not only that, there are more white Americans killed by police every year than black Americans. Still, people will argue that blacks are disproportionately killed, but that may be due to higher police presence in black communities where crime is rampant. Black men only comprise about 4-6% of the American population and yet they are responsible for over 30% of homicide in the US. This is a factor that must be taken into account when assessing the stats. Furthermore, Roland Fryer, a black economist at Harvard University, did a national study on police use of force and he found a surprising result. Police were less likely to use deadly force against a black person than on a white. This completely debunks the public myth that police are intentionally looking to kill black people.
Why do we believe this myth? Because we see viral videos of police shooting against black people while videos of police killing white people remain largely unseen on social media. If we see videos of a shark attack every now and then, the public will easily believe that shark attack is an epidemic in America. Media is powerful in shaping the collective imagination of the culture. John McWhorter, a black linguistic professor at Columbia University, makes this very point in his article titled, “Racist Police Violence Reconsidered”. The public only knows a Trayvon Martin or Breonna Taylor but they’ve never heard of a Daniel Shaver or Andrew Thomas. We need to look at the facts. White people are killed in the same manner as the blacks. The data tell a different story than the narrative of the public media that black men are being hunted down by the police. McWhorter writes, “Police officers are too often overarmed, undertrained, and low on empathy. Some police officers are surely racist and act like it. But it does not follow that white cops routinely kill black people in tense situations out of racist animus.” Do we need police reform? Yes. For one, most people agree that Police Union has too much power, which leads to overprotection of misbehaving and simply bad police officers. But is the police systemically racist against blacks? Maybe certain police stations are, but to say that this is an epidemic on a national level is purely conjecture. The police are not the enemy. We need to look at facts and advocate for proper reform. Rather than demonizing the police, de-racialized and de-politicized conversations may really get us to the unity and solution we need.
There are many Christians calling for lament. Yes, lament is needed. Let us lament with our black brothers and sisters who have experienced racism. But Christians must also pursue truth. We must be cautious with the lies and exaggeration that mainstream media and political groups like BLM are putting out.
White Privilege
Another term widely used today is “white privilege”. This is just as nebulous and confusing as the term “systemic racism”. It often times refers to the privileges that white people have because of their whiteness. Yes, different groups have different privileges whether economic or social. But the blanket statement such as “all white people are privileged” is unhelpful and counterproductive. Which group of white people are you talking about, and which economic class are you referring to? A Bostonian can easily tell you the difference between an Irish and an Italian American. They have different immigration history and different social standing in the society. Just a generation or two ago, Irish Americans in Boston were very low on the social hierarchy. What about black Americans and other minority groups? Are we all simply un-privileged by the virtue of our being POC? If we live in America, that alone makes us in the top 3% of the global population. We are more privileged than the vast majority of the world. So which privileges are we going to call out and condemn and which ones are we going to shove under the rug?
The problem with the language of “white privilege” is that it uses the tactic of guilt and shame. It is one thing to own up to one’s privilege but it is completely another to shame someone of their privilege. Every white person is being called out and condemned for their whiteness, and they are being forced to repent and to ask for forgiveness for their whiteness and the privilege that comes with their skin color or lack of. There is nothing more toxic than this. Pastor Paul VanderKlay correctly assesses the danger of this kind of language in his video. He talks about the monstrosity of sin in our hearts and the pervasiveness of racism in every human soul. Trying to shame the sin of racism out of people will never work because it will simply move into the shadow where it will work in the darkness where we cannot see it. If you think that simply acknowledging your “white privilege” and virtue-signaling to the public on social media to show that one is not a racist because of the social pressure will solve the problem of racism, you are absolutely naive. Sin is more resilient and potent than we know. The external flagging of white privilege will only move the sin of racism into the shadows where we can no longer address them openly and honestly. What is needed is not shame and guilt but the safe space where people can talk about the inner hatred and discrimination that every human holds. That safe space can only happen when we are committed to no longer pointing the finger in judgment but to embracing each other in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for all sinners. Jesus died for racists too. Then, as Christians, we cannot hold racism as the unpardonable sin and the racist as the unforgivable sinner, but rather we must first recognize the racism in our own hearts and then extend the mercy to the other with the mercy we’ve received in Christ. Only this can actually heal relationships and deal with racism in the light rather than pushing sin into the shadows where it will only simmer and brew. Surely, there will be many racists who will never relent and never repent. But they are not for us to judge. God will. We are called to the way of the Gospel nonetheless.
Black Lives Matter as an Organization
Christians, be careful how we engage with secular social movements. “Black lives matter” can either be a statement or a movement. Every Christian should acknowledge that black lives matter as a sentiment and a truth claim. Absolutely. Every black person, regardless of their class or background, is made in the image of God. We need to work to elevate the dignity of black people where they have been unjustly treated.
Here’s the BUT. I say this cautiously knowing that there are good things coming out of BLM. But Black Lives Matter as an organization is not an organization that Christians should support monetarily or socially. (Ryan Bomberger, the founder of Radiance Foundation, wrote an article titled, “Top Ten Reasons Why I’ll Never Support #BlackLivesMatter Movement”. You can read for yourself the reasons why Ryan, a black Christian activist for unborn black lives, speaks out against BLM. One of his reasons is because BLM does not care about the lives of unborn black babies. BLM does not call out the destructive impact that Planned Parenthood is having on black communities or the fact that PP’s very founder was associated with the KKK.)
BLM is a political movement that was started by three female black Trans-Right activists who publicly stated that they are working out of a Marxist ideology. First of all, they see capitalism as an oppressive system that is diametrically against the thriving of the black community. (It will be good to remember that the last time capitalism was replaced with Marxist socialism, it ended with communist states that murdered millions of people in the 20th century.) Second, they only see the world in categories of the “oppressed” and the “oppressors”, and their goal is to dismantle what they perceive as oppressive systems. Unfortunately, the world cannot be reduced down to two group identities. Human beings and human society are far too complex for such primal distinctions. This will inevitably lead to further division in our society where people are associated with their group identity and their level of perceived oppression, and it will heighten victimhood mentality that negates any personal responsibility and even the category of personal “sin” in our culture.
BLM explicitly promotes the sexual liberation of LGBTQ+ and fights against any “oppressive” group that does not align with their sexual ethics. BLM heavily promotes transgenderism for the wider culture, and they seek to “disrupt” the traditional nuclear family and marriage institution because they see it as the product of “western patriarchal system”. According to their defined goals, although not explicitly stated, if pushed to its logical conclusion, Christianity is an oppressive group that too must be dismantled because it is the product of white patriarchy. Please take the time to read their statement of vision on their website. This is public information, and yet too many Christians have no idea what they are supporting.
Lastly, BLM only cares about certain black lives rather than all black lives. It is very interesting that BLM is vocal only on issues that are politically advantageous for them and that fit within their category of the “oppressed”. Outside of their political agendas, they are silent. There are major problems that the black community in America faces today, and police killing is not one of them. Some of them are crime, fatherlessness, and education. Yet, have you ever heard or seen BLM activists address these issues? The number one cause for death for a black person in America is homicide by another black person. This is fact. The most dangerous threat to a black person is not the police; it’s the rampant crime in black communities. What is BLM doing to solve the epidemic of black crime in Chicago where little children are murdered by senseless shooting? Not much. As stated before, less than 1/3 of black homes are without fathers, which has major repercussions for especially black males. However, BLM not only ignores this destructive reality but they want to perpetuate fatherlessness by “disrupting the western nuclear family structure”. Thirdly, education is perhaps one of the greatest empowerments for black children. Increasing the number of Charter schools in inner cities and allowing families to choose which public school to attend can have huge long-term transformative impact. Yet, rather than tackling these salient issues (crime, fatherlessness, education), BLM chooses the most political topic like “Defund the Police” and “Slavery Reparations” so that they can win political points and power to push out their own agendas. This is not a movement for all black lives. This is a movement for some black lives.
BLM is not like the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s that was founded on Christian values and birthed from the church. BLM was born out of a post-modern Marxist ideology that is seeking to promote black trans power. Even Martin Luther King Jr criticized and disagreed with Malcom X for his aggressive militant ideology. Not every organization that is speaking for black lives should be welcomed. We like Martin Luther King Jr must hold fast to our Christian identity as we address societal issues.
Few Suggestions for Christians
So where do we go from here? What’s the Christians response to the polarized issue of racial divide in our nation? Here are some suggestions. I recognize that I’m still working out my thoughts and so they are not complete and comprehensive. (They are not in any particular order of importance)
Please turn off your social media for your information. Please be selective in what mainstream news you drink from. I recommend thoughtful independent journals that are not politically driven. These independent outlets will have a much more nuanced take on the issue of racism that is based on facts and research. Be willing to listen to people who disagree with you and engage with the arguments of the other side. Christians of all people should be able to have charitable, humble, honest, Christ-exalting, people-loving, mercy-driven, justice-oriented, nuanced and balanced conversations.
Also, black thinkers are no monolith. There is such a wide array of accomplished black thinkers that if you take the time to listen to them, you can easily get a fuller picture than the one the mainstream media and BLM paint. I’ve already cited few of them in this essay. Here’s a short list that I’ve benefitted from: George Yancey, John McWhorter, Glenn Loury, Roland Fryer, Thomas Sowell, Coleman Hughes, Larry Elder, and many more. Here’s a roundtable conversation with many of the above thinkers.
Be very intentional in how you use certain terms that are loaded with meaning: “white privilege”, “systemic racism”, “BLM”, “anti-racism”. Define these terms and be specific in how you talk about them. I personally recommend that Christians do not use the slogan “Black Lives Matter” because of its association with a political and extreme-left ideological group. Instead say, “Every Black Person in the Image of God” or whatever other creative slogan you can come up with.
Micah 6:8, “He has told you O man what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” God calls us to do justice, mercy, and humility. All three are needed. Examine in your own heart, “Am I seeking them all or am I being selective?” Humility is in short supply these days. We need some more of that stuff.
Have charitable dialogue. If some vehemently disagree with you, ask them to calm down and be open for reasonable and respectful conversation. Ultimately, love your enemy. Love even those who call you a bigot because you disagreed with them. Seek both love and truth. Do not settle for anything less. Many Christians call for lament without diligently seeking truth. Lament and truth must happen in tandem.
In this divided and polarized age, have the posture of reconciliation. The goal of all this is to bridge chasms and to mend relationships. Jesus came, died, and rose again that we might be reconciled to God and then to one another. This is our driving purpose. Let it motivate you in how you engage and talk with one another. The point isn’t to win the argument. The point is to win the person.
Deal less with group identities and tribalistic associations. Deal more with individuals and real people you know personally. Bring neighborly humanity back into our conversations rather than distant generalizations of groups that strip us of compassion and cause further division. A white person should try to befriend a black person. A black person should try to befriend a white person. If you don’t have a close friend who is of a different ethnicity or race, that could be a potential problem.
Remember that our kingdom is not of this world. Our Kingdom is the one Christ is ushering in with his return. In this present world, as we wait for the fullness of the Kingdom of God to come, we should work to actualize God’s justice in our communities as much as possible but also recognize that full justice will not come until Jesus returns. This hopeful realism will protect us from secular organizations and politics/government that offer us extreme binary choices because of their belief that utopia is possible here on Earth. There is no perfect system. Human society will always be fraught with the messiness of sin. Hence, we need to have a much more nuanced and realistic look on our society that recognize the possibilities as well as the inevitables. Christians must not sell their souls and allegiance to a secular kingdom that promises utopia without Jesus. As the people of God’s Kingdom, we act for justice now but we also wait for justice to fully come with Christ’s return. Let’s be a people of the Kingdom that is “already but not yet”.
Let’s do the hard work of listening, loving, and caring for the marginalized people in our communities. Let’s bridge racial divisions where we see them in our surroundings. Finally, let us work out of the Gospel rather than blindly following the spirit of our age.
Really lastly, give this man a read. George Yancey is a black Sociologist who is a Christian. He has done extensive research and writing on racial reconciliation. His empirical research as well as his Christian values have shaped his profound and insightful solutions for lasting and healthy racial unity. His take is called, “Mutual Responsibility”. I find his analysis and solution most convincing. Most of our current debates and rhetoric push for zero-sum game, which will never actually bring reconciliation. He writes, “So how do we get past this barrier of mistrust? How do we find a solution that serves everyone, and not just our chosen group. It is both simple and devastatingly difficult; my solution is that we all have the responsibility to communicate and listen to one another. We have to work with each other to find win-win solutions instead of relying on win-lose scenarios. I need to hear from whites about the concerns and they have to listen to me about mine. Only then can we work towards fashioning solutions to the racialized problems in our society that can serve all of us well.”
