Black Lives Matter

Perspectives from people of color on the fight for justice in our nation.

“I think the biggest thing I wanna say to my fellow young Black men and women is not to feel like they have to take on this fight alone and especially not constantly. A lot of times (outside of the news cycle), Black people are expected to be strong no matter what we face and no matter how hard it is, and these past two weeks are no different. I want to remind y’all that you do not have to carry this weight every minute of every day. It’s important to unplug and recharge for the sake of self preservation and mental health. It’s okay to let others pick up the slack while we’re healing.”

I’m going to get real honest for a second. I am tired y’all. I am tired of fighting for change. I am tired of being angry at the world for how it treats people who look like me. I am tired of the church not playing its part in racial reconciliation. I am mentally and physically exhausted. One thing that I have been holding onto honestly since corona started is Hebrews 10:23. “Let us hold onto hope unswervingly, for He who promised is faithful.” God has not left me. God has not abandoned me. Even in the midst of sadness, anxiety, anger, pain, and hurt, God is beside me carrying the heavy burden. That gives me hope. He is showing me what my part looks like in the fight for justice. Just last week I posted a video on Facebook and Instagram asking people to come out to our local mall and intercede about what is going on in the world. I figured maybe 5 or 6 people would show up, but to my surprise, there were 25 people. Christians, non-Christians, black, white, everyone coming together to pray for a better future for our children, justice for Breonna Taylor, reconciliation in the church, peace, and change. I already know that the Lord wants us to do this again and I’m excited to see how He continues to Move. 

What I want white people to know is that right now is a time to sit, listen, repent, pray, and then do something. In that order. Sit in the pain that we as black people have to face within this society each and every day. Don’t just try and jump and fix the problem, but repent first. That simply means to turn away from the prejudiced thoughts and ideas that aren’t from God and turn towards the path of seeking justice for people that don’t look like you. You’re probably tired of hearing this, but truly educate yourself. Follow more black men and women on your social media and listen to what they are saying. Read a book about the oppression of black people and how that still affects us today (highly recommend reading Be The Bridge by Latasha Morrison). Diversify your friend group (not because you want to be able to say that you’re friends with people that don’t look like you but actually because you want the people you surround yourself with to represent the kingdom of heaven). Learn new things. Be intentional. Change your views. Love your neighbor well. This is what Jesus did and what He calls us to do. You may not have created the problem personally, but you can solve it.

The past few weeks for me have been crazy, heartbreaking, and overwhelming. At the same time I have experienced joy and hope in a new way. I think that’s the power of conviction. When you are cut to the heart, really cut to the heart. You experience pain, you are extended grace, provided peace (peace that God is in control not that there won’t be conflict), and your faith drives action. I want people to know that God isn’t impressed by actions if they aren’t rooted in faith. I have faith because I know that God has more truth for us to discover and He aches for justice. In the same way, God isn’t impressed by faith if it isn’t followed by action guided by the Holy Spirit. That’s the power of God in us. When we are met with truth, we have no choice but to have a heart change because our faith drives action. So don’t negate prayer, but don’t negate action. Faith does. If you say you don’t want to be silent, but then don’t take real actions towards racial reconciliation then you are being silent. Today I pray for all of us to have a holy discontent. One that looks like on our knees secret place prayer, hard conversations at our dinner tables, reflection on white privilege, studying systemic racism, supporting and cultivating solutions, and a daily desire to meet truth with truth.

One thing I believe we could all do a better job of today is listening and making an effort to understand each other. Listening to someone else share their story is the easiest and, oftentimes, the most effective way to show someone love. Doing so would not only allow us to understand each other better, but it would empower us to de-escalate the tension that plagues our communities today. When people ask me for my thoughts about racism, and the way we respond to it nowadays, this concept is the first thing that comes to mind. When the idea of there being a racism problem in America is brought up, many people respond as if they’ve been personally attacked. These people often go to great lengths in efforts to prove that America doesn’t actually have any problems related to race. Many people will even use statistics to try to prove that people of color don’t actually experience unfairness in their lives. People like this, often without realizing it, make racism a political issue when in reality, it is a human issue. In summation, this is the argument I consistently hear in regards to racism in America today:

‘Our nation doesn’t actually have a racism or discrimination problem and black people don’t actually struggle with these things on the regular. Instances of racism are isolated events. The only reason people think there is a race problem is because the media (or liberals) tell them there is a problem in order to push their own Agenda and control them.’

Allow me explain why this school of thought is problematic and false. I am not mad at the people who say these things because I realize the fact that those people simply don’t know. They. Don’t. Know. They don’t know the things people of color face every day. They don’t know the precautions I take even when doing something as simple as choosing what clothes to wear each day, or what shoes to buy, or how to carry merchandise I’ve just paid for because I’m constantly aware of the way my skin color impacts even the most trivial activities. They don’t know what it’s like to be treated differently at a job interview than everyone else. They often point to statistics in order to prove that there isn’t a racism problem in America today, but that doesn’t work because there aren’t statistics for the majority of ways people experience racism. I can attest to that from my own life. Nobody was keeping track of the many times waiters have said rough things to me (often without noticing) when I have dinner at a restaurant with someone who doesn’t look like me. Nobody was keeping track of how many times I came home freshman year and found terrible things written on my dorm room door. Nobody was keeping track of how many times people called me the word (yes, that word) during soccer games because they wanted me to lose my temper, lash out and get myself kicked out of the match. Nobody is keeping track of how many times people have expressed how “I’m not like the others” or that “I’m not really black” because I can play an instrument, or because I speak the same way they do, or because of the school I go to, or because I don’t use curse words when I talk. Nobody is keeping track of the majority of ways people experience racism. So how can you point to your statistics and fact in order to tell me that racism doesn’t exist? When something is a pervasive and reoccurring issue in your life that requires your constant attention every day, and then people, many of which are friends and people you care about, tell you that problem of yours doesn’t actually exist and the only reason you think it does is because other people are telling you how to think, it hurts in a way I can’t really describe. We aren’t asking for people to make some large sacrifice or give free handouts because of our struggle: people simply want others to acknowledge the fact that there are unique problems some of us face. That way we could move forward and try to be better. Somehow, that seems to be too much to ask. What would it cost someone to simply admit to someone else that their problems exist?  At what point did we start demanding documented proof before we listened to people’s stories and tried to understand them? That’s not how friendship works. That’s not how love works.

I’m not suggesting that we should view black people, like myself, as victims. I know that if I work hard I can still achieve things in this life, and that having a victim mentality does more harm than it does good. All I’m saying is that we should stop telling people that what they have experienced isn’t real. When you do that, it hurts people, it shows people you don’t care about them, and it causes more division and tension. So when we hear someone talk about what they have experienced, why not sit back for a moment and listen to them speak before we pass judgement and assume we know their story better than they do? When we hear someone say something we don’t agree with, why not allow them to tell their story so we can get a grasp on why they think the way they do? Loving our neighbors is the model Christ laid out for us and doing so is the first step in creating unity, decreasing tensions, treating people better, and making this nation a better place. Caring about people enough to hear their stories and try to understand them would greatly help us with race issues, and with so many issues. I’m ready to start. Are you with me?

This has been one of the craziest seasons of my life- just being real, it’s been very very hard for a plethora of reasons. With the news of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd back to back to back, it was like 3 slaps in the face. For the black community it was three reopenings of the same wound that is the systematic oppression of and hatred, racism, and violence towards African Americans that has changed forms but not stopped for 400 years. However, I’ve learned a lot in this season and the Lord has still been SO faithful. 2020 was supposed to be the year of “vision” and I truly am seeing people’s true colors and where they stand in our fight against injustice and oppression. I’ve spent so much of my time having important conversations and educating people and sharing resources. The Lord has taught me so much including the power and importance of forgiveness and not harboring harsh resentment or bitterness against the people who are constantly intentionally committing such vile, evil, disgusting acts of hatred against my people (and have been doing so for 400 years), as well as the people that I know that are actively and intentionally not speaking out against injustice although I need them to. This is a lesson that’s been very prominent in my life and something that I had to deal with last year as well with forgiving the murderer of my childhood best friend. Not forgiving is a seed planted on the soil of rancor, allowing chains to wrap around our hearts and squeeze the life out of us, augmenting our pain and not taking us anywhere. As painful and difficult as this season has been I’ve asked the Lord to help me fix my eyes on Matthew 6:14  (if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.) and to help me use my anger and hurt constructively instead of destructively.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that, Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

On the other hand, however, the Lord has showed me time and time and time again in this season his heart for justice (Isaiah, Proverbs, Psalms, Amos, and the Gospels etc…) and intolerance of injustice and the importance of Holy anger against injustice (Matthew 21 when Jesus flips over tables). I believe it’s time to flip some tables, and to seek justice and defend the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17). This fight feels all too familiar, from Trayvon Martin to Eric Garner, from Sandra Bland to Philando Castile and all the in-between, the fight for black lives and justice and equality is something that’s always been a reality for us, it’s just now coming to more light and media coverage. It’s a 400 year old fight. As Will Smith said “racism isn’t getting worse, it’s getting filmed,” but I’m hopeful for this go round. This go round feels different, from protests in Australia  to those in Accra, Ghana to China (40+ countries) and all 50 states, to leaders in the church like Steven Furtick and Christine Caine speaking out, I believe that this go round will be different. I believe our generation has what it takes to abolish these evil practices once and for all. It’ll be a long, hard fight- it’s not gonna happen overnight but I’m hopeful. I think social media is on our side, it’s a very helpful tool. We need leaders to rise up and we need continued organization. I believe in us. However, when I see a new video of another officer abusing protestors or killing more innocent African Americans or ignorant resistance to the movement, it does make me frustrated and discouraged,  and makes me wonder and question whether the petitions and resources I’m sending and sharing and conversations I’m having are really making a difference in this big broken world. However, that’s when I fix my eyes on the cross and find my purpose and drive in Christ, and I fix my eyes on Galatians 6:9 (So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us) and I refuse to give up.

Black Lives Matter- not meaning that others don’t, but rather that we live in a society and country and have a judicial system that all have continually said otherwise for so long. This specific group is being and has been persecuted and has been treated like our lives are expendable and don’t matter for far too long. That’s the purpose behind the statement and movement. This specific house in the neighborhood is on fire and we need all the help we can get to put it out. You wouldn’t then send the fire truck to hose down all the other houses in the neighborhood because “all houses matter.” We need to take care of the hurting part of the society, which right now is the African American community, just like Jesus left the 99 for the 1 sheep and just like the father in the story of the prodigal son was standing there with a #ProdigalSonsMatter sign, while his older son bitterly complained that #AllSonsMatter, the focus needs to be where the brokenness is. 

Let’s BE the change we want to see in the world and kill racism, loving all people and treating them with the kindness, dignity, value, and respect they deserve as image bearers of God.

Remembering to breathe has been something I constantly need to keep reminding myself to do in this extremely frustrating and devastating time when my country, it’s leaders, and it’s justice & police systems fail time and time again to acknowledge the issues stemming from systemic racism, prejudice, and ignorance, plaguing their own inner-structures. The problems currently coming to light about police brutality and the blatant ignorance and racism toward black people in America have been problems for a long time and will continue to be problems if we don’t do something now to fight for change. This has been a time of immense pain for me and for all black men, women, and children to see the violence and discrimination acted out against them by the police, the justice system, and peers with no repercussions or accountability. Fighting for this to finally change is a long and difficult road, but it is one that can be fought through recognizing and seeing these issues without sugar coating them, having open and difficult conversations with friends and family about those issues, and doing what you can to give your money to organizations and business working towards change.

I remember a time in my life where I used to believe that racism didn’t exist in this country. That MLK and Rosa Parks had single-handedly fought the race war and desegregation had ended all of our problems. Well, at least that’s what they taught us in school. Even though I was a person of color, most of my childhood I believed that racism was the least of my problems. I was raised in a biracial household, my father being white and my mother being black and that was all I knew. I simply grew up knowing that interracial love was possible and never quite saw the racial injustices that were occurring in this country.

It wasn’t until I got older that I started to notice the undertones of racism surfacing. I will never remember the summer entering ninth grade. I had attended a running camp that summer and out of the 200 or more runners that attended, I was the only black person. I felt like the biggest sore thumb in the crowd. Even though I had a good time at camp, I remember it being a difficult week. I felt like I tried to make friends the entire time but because I didn’t look like everyone else no one really gave me a chance. The hardest part was knowing I was just like them but because of the color of my skin, people made assumptions about me before they ever got to know me.

From there forward I began to have that feeling a lot. That year, I started high school at a predominantly white school where all the schools I had attended previously were predominately black. It was during this time that I realized that a lot white people saw people of color in a different light. They automatically assumed that if black people were loud, they were ghetto. If black people listened to rap, they were thugs. If black people got angry, they should be feared because they would become violent. Did I believe that the kids at my school were straight racists? No, they were simply ignorant to the struggles of colored people and to the white privilege they possessed. It was the ignorance that hurt the most. That their ignorance could make me feel so isolated and even less than at times, and they were totally oblivious. 

I think everyone can agree that 2020 has been a rough year for everyone. But the more I look at recent events and the large support for the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s given me a little spark of hope. Finally, the ignorance that has caused me so much pain in the past is being addressed. I know the world won’t be fixed overnight, but now people are becoming more aware about how white privilege and systemic racism affects people like me everyday. And in that alone, change doesn’t seem unattainable anymore. Racism isn’t the issue, it’s the ignorance that’s the problem. It is ignorance that allows racist policies to continue, that is the issue. If we truly want change we must assess how our ignorance is contributing to the problem, then be the change we want to see in the world.

These past two weeks or so have consisted of some of the most mentally draining days of my life. Watching a black man like me die at the hands of corrupt police officers for the millionth time still hurts as much as all the others. To see people like me degraded, abused, and murdered over and over and over and over and over without any hope of it ending rips me to my core. It hurts and I’m sick of it. Alton Sterling. Tamir Rice. Amaud Arbery. Sandra Bland. Philando Castile. Eric Garner. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. And so many more black individuals that have died at the hands of racist people in a racist system that has zero regard for people like me. Thinking I could be next just because of the color of my skin is extremely frightening. Can’t we all just get along?

My life matters. I am loved by the Creator just as much as anyone else. The fact that black people have to keep on reminding people over and over of that truth is appalling. 

So how do we stop this? How do we put an end to police brutality? How do we solve the issues and ugly symptoms of systemic racism in America? Well, we’ll never find it in a leader, or in a movement. It’s a heart issue. Until we allow the healing, redemptive power of Jesus to invade our lives and societies, racism will exist. Strong, caring leaders combined with the reach and empowering nature of the black lives matter movement definitely raises awareness and wakes people up to the issues that plague our country, but a human wake up call can’t compare to the supernatural power of God. 

Lastly, I would like to thank all the white people that have reached out to me in support; all of that means more than you all will ever know. I have taken all the texts and intentional social media posts to heart; I definitely take note of who seems to care about all of these racial issues during these times and who doesn’t. I have also had many great conversations with white people asking about systemic racism and racial tensions in America. While draining, they help me educate my white friends about issues they will never understand because they aren’t black. Many of you will never understand, but thank you for standing up for me.