How Does The Racism Of The Past Affect Me Today?

So much of the division that goes on in our society is related to race issues. This is not just a problem in the United States; it is an issue around the globe. Unfortunately America’s history is darkened by the days of slavery, the Civil War, and segregation. Today opinions on racism tend to drift to one side or the other… either we make too little of race issues and nearly ignore them, or we make them so important that it breeds hate and discord that only deepens the problem.  During Obama’s time in office, white rapper Andy Mineo said this in his song Uncomfortable:

“My own people owned people, but they don’t own that

They say racism dead, man our president is black

Two terms in the White House, that don’t mean jack

If we still believe our present ain’t affected by our past”

The unfortunate truth is a lot of white Americans don’t take into account the way that past racism has affected us today. We just sort of pretend that racism isn’t an issue anymore; slavery is in the past and you can’t blame us for what our ancestors did… True, racism isn’t as big of an issue as it was and we can’t change the past. However, we can’t ignore the fact that we are “affected by our past.”

Past Racism

When we objectively look at the society around us, we can see that many black Americans face difficulties that a lot of white Americans do not. Back in the 1950s and 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement, there was a progressive migration of white Americans who left urban communities to move to suburban and rural communities in order to keep things segregated. This migration is called the “White flight.” Today, this is why when you visit many large cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore, you see more black Americans in the city and more white Americans in the suburbs. When white Americans moved out, so did most of the money and influence.

Black Americans did not get the right to vote until 1965, so white Americans put individuals into office who catered to their needs to the neglect of the urban communities. Today we see a lot of inner city crime, poverty, poor education, degradation of family life, and a large number of other issues that place black Americans at a huge disadvantage in our society. Unfortunately these issues have given black Americans a negative stereotype and this has only fueled modern day prejudice.

Modern Protest

I once talked to my friend from India and I asked him if he knew who Martin Luther King Jr was. He told me that nearly all educated people in India knew, which is a testimony to what a great and influential man he was. He protested peacefully, but many today do not. Today there is the Black Lives Matter movement. Some in this movement are undoubtedly protesting violently, but not all are guilty of this. There is a lot of controversy about this movement as many people counter by saying “All Lives Matter.” All lives do indeed matter, but does saying “black lives matter” oppose that?

I once heard a pastor make an interesting comparison between the Black Lives Matter movement and cancer. We have different organizations that raise money to find cures for all sorts of diseases. Supporting the cause of finding a cure for cancer does not mean that you don’t believe all diseases matter. You are just focusing in on one disease to bring more awareness to the issue.  We should not assume that those who say “black lives matter” are necessarily against the fact that all lives matter. There may be some who hold that view, but most do not.  I also don’t think that saying “all lives matter” should be interpreted to mean that black lives don’t matter.

When done rightly, the Black Lives Matter movement can be the means to peaceful protest that highlights the issues faced by black Americans in a society that has been negatively impacted by the race issues of the past. When the protests are violent we should condemn the acts, but we should be careful about condemning the whole movement when many are just trying to highlight the issue with hopes of bringing about change.

Bad News & Good News

I believe that racism will never truly go away in our society.  We live in a broken and sinful world. People are selfish and look down on those who are different. I also believe that there will be a day when racism will finally end. In Revelation 7:9 John says “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”  When Jesus died and rose again, he gave people the opportunity to become children of God (John 1:12). He is creating a new people that consists of individuals from every nation, tribe, people, and language. The answer to racism in the world is Jesus, and I look forward to the day when he will return and racism will finally be dead.

I would love to get input from both black and white Americans, so please leave your thoughts in the comments below!