White Privilege and Racism, and What We can Do

For a long time I have remained silent on the issue of racism and white privilege in America.  But I refuse to remain silent, as I believe that the church needs to be at the forefront of social activism and reform.  The United States needs social reform.  The United States needs Jesus.  The church needs to be the hands and feet of God in this country and around the world.  Yes, there are problems abroad, but it has become increasingly evident that if we do not fight for social reform here in the US, our military, aid, and foreign policy will have no business or ability to begin regulating other countries' affairs, internal or international.

First, I'll begin by telling a little bit about myself.  The fact is, I know what it's like to be a minority.  When I turned 12, my family moved to Singapore and I was put into a school at which for many years I was the only white male in my entire class.  My best friends from 7th grade through 12th grade were people of Asian descent.  In some ways, "white privilege" still did exist, especially in American circles within Singapore, but more often I was looked at differently and spoken to differently because of the color of my skin.  Some educated Singaporeans and others simply viewed me as a stupid, loud American.  Still others assumed that I was rich and had no interest in their culture, food or customs.  Very few actually took the time to get to know me in a meaningful way and find out that despite my white skin, long nose and brown, curly hair, I was more like them than they had ever imagined, and I desired to learn everything about them— their slang, culture, games, language, customs and holidays.

This upbringing led me to have an acute fascination with culture, context, language and basic anthropology of different people groups.  This has helped me to understand not only the Singaporean culture I was a part of, but also begin to embrace the people and cultures of the surrounding Southeast Asian countries and beyond.  My friends and acquaintances through basketball and other activities broadened my cultural sensitivity and outlook to include people from almost every country in the world.  I thank God for the chance to have been exposed to an interact with people of so many different cultures.  This has formed the way that I interact with people who are not like me here in the US, because basically NOBODY here is like me or has had the same upbringing as I've had.

So, you might ask, what does this have to do with "white privilege" and racism in the United States.  Because of my background, I've been able to better understand the issues that face both me and my black brothers and sisters in Christ, and has given me a desire to understand and build meaningful relationships with them.  These relationships have helped me expand my own view regarding this issue.  This has led me to realize a few things.

1.  I am at an advantage over my black brothers and sisters here in the US because of my skin color.

Yeah, I said it.  Not JUST because of my upbringing, not JUST because of the (mostly) financially stable life that I lived, and not JUST because I have two loving, educated parents, one of whom has a Ph.D.   My white skin gives me unfair advantages in the workplace, when buying cars and when simply walking down the street.

Many times I have been walking out and about in Chicago and NOT been stopped by police officers, simply because I am white.  One time my roommate and I were hanging out in a rough part of Chicago in the middle of the night talking about life and eating Subway on the steps of an old abandoned cathedral.  A police patrol was driving by and spotted us sitting on the steps.   Coming to an abrupt halt, the policeman rolled down his window and with concern told us that this was a "rough part of town" and that we should leave.  I have not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that the police officer wouldn't have said the same thing had we been two African American males.  And unfortunately, I've heard too many stories of police brutality from my own trusted friends to believe that there is not a problem in either police policy or application of that policy.

I understand that policemen don't have an easy job, but I also know that it is unacceptable for someone in a position of power to abuse that power and take advantage of a situation knowing that they will not be punished for their actions.

2.  The American church as a whole has been too content to sit back and allow racial division to sink its ugly teeth into the way that we worship our creator... the creator of all nations, peoples, tribes and languages.

When was the last time that your church had a joint event or outreach with another church that was not homogenous to yours?  Awhile?  Never?

Now, when was the last time that your preacher criticized another church body or expression because of the way that they did worship or their service?

Last Sunday? The past month? Year?  SURELY not never.

This kind of teaching from the pulpit unconsciously plants seeds of an egotistic we-them mentality in our minds and does not promote orthodoxy or correct teaching.  Instead, it promotes disunity.

One of the posters up around my campus begs the question "why is Sunday the most segregated day of the week?"  My first reaction to that poster was that diversity in church is appreciated and needed to begin to fully encompass the nature of God's revelation to us, something no single church building could ever hope to achieve.  But the separation is evident— not only in music, preaching, and liturgy, but also outside the church.  Why are we slow to unite as one and enjoy the solidarity of the full expression of God's church?  Will we never experience even a part of this until Jesus comes back?

3.  Governmental policy change will not fix this issue.

The governmental system that we have today is unfortunately largely controlled by corporate interests and wealthy (primarily) white males.  These individuals and corporations do not have a great care or understanding of these issues.  Even if meaningful policies, willfully crafted and selflessly sacrificial in nature were to be passed (Yeah, right. . . red lining, gentrification and an unfair judicial system are the results of governmental policy), if regular citizens were not committed to making a difference, the policies would have no meaning.



So, how can we fix this issue?

In short, we can't.  This issue, much as the other issues that the world faces today are heart issues and sin issues.  The Bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things.  My heart deceived me into believing that if I refused to talk about or acknowledge the existence and prevalence of my own white privilege and advantage, and the inferred disadvantage of other black citizens, then it would simply disappear.  That is a lie.  But there are many practical things that we can do to help begin to solve the problem.

1.  Be intentional about having genuine, humble, inquiring discourse with people of ALL races, classes, creeds and religions.  This is not easy to do.  This does not happen on accident. 

"Intentional" is a Christian "buzzword," but it accurately describes what we have to do in order to be informed and to enact social change.  I have no doubt that had I not been a part of local ministries in and around Chicago ministering to and alongside predominantly African Americans that I would have had a different opinion on both the racial tensions taking place here on my own campus, and in Baltimore, Saint Louis, New York, Chicago and around the U.S.

I know for a fact that MOST of the issues that we face today would be greatly reduced, if not eradicated if white people took the time to hear, understand and empathize with the pain of their black brothers and sisters.
2.  Have the humility to realize when you are given or are giving preferential treatment to someone because they are of the same race or background as you.  This goes for all people.  Violence, hatred and seditiousness are not to originate or be propagated by Jesus' holy bride, the Church.  These issues will not be fixed by increasing dividing lines or racial separation, but by a mutual respect and appreciation for the cultural diversity that exists between God's children.

3.  PRAY
If these issues don't break your heart, pray that God will give you the heart and understanding to realize why they should?  Pray.  If your heart is broken for the inequality, for the tens of thousands of black aborted babies, and if you cry for the mothers and families of Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and thousands of others who have been killed by police officers, and the HUNDREDS of thousands killed by murder, much of which could have been drastically reduced if true care were put into legislature that did not systematically oppress and undervalue minority life.  Pray.  If you're incensed and ready to FIGHT and KILL for action and reform, pray that your anger would be righteous and directed into making a change for the better.  Pray.

*disclaimer:  I know that I have spoken about most of these issues in black and white terms (pardon the unintended pun), but I am aware that people of MANY different races and ethnicities are present and unrepresented in the United States discourse regarding racism and social justice.  For the sake of brevity and the limited understanding I have of the breadth of this issue, I have focused my exposition on the relationship between black and white people.

Ten Laughable Lifting Misconceptions (That I Have Personally Heard/Experienced)

When it comes to hobbies, it's natural that we find a niche of people we are comfortable with who have similar interests and become friends with them.  It's also natural for stigmas to arise around these friend groups, as with any organized activity.  If you're in the math club, you may hear math jokes and be expected to ace every text and exam thrown your way.  If you play violin, people will expect you to be refined, elegant and conservative (all generalizations, so just bear with me.)  Despite these stereotypes sometimes being true, often they are not.  So without further ado, I present 10 things that I have heard with my own ears from people either talking about or to me as it relates to going to the gym.

1.  Misconception: "You wear tight fitting clothing because it shows off your muscles."
The truth is:  I have probably gained ten pounds in the last four months and between the amount of dirty clothes in my hamper, food that I've been buying because I eat at least four meals a day, and how expensive Tic-Tacs are in Chicago gas stations, I can't really afford to overhaul my whole wardrobe every time a T-shirt becomes too small.

2.  Misconception:  "Once you lift for awhile you won't be sore anymore after you workout."
The truth is:  When I woke up this morning it took me a solid ten minutes to get out of bed, and I had to take the elevator because I'd probably sit down and have a mid-flight crisis if I tried to take the stairs.  Also, if you poke me in the chest after chest day we're not friends anymore. (just kidding, but give me a few minutes while I hold back my tears.)

5.  Misconception:  "Shaker bottles are only for protein shakes or pre-workout or steroids or something"
The truth is:  My shaker bottle is also my water bottle, my coffee mug, my tambourine and the cup I use to water the plant in my room (thanks for the plant, Mom.)  If you ask me in class if I'm drinking a protein shake, the answer is probably no.

4.  Misconception:  "I don't drink protein (or take X suppliment) because it's cheating and if I were to lift, I wouldn't want to be a cheater."
The truth is:  You are probably too lazy to get in the gym in the first place— and that's probably just an excuse.  If you're lifting enough weights and doing it correctly, you'll realize that having good nutrition is essential to actually building muscle and not becoming fatigued!  I have always thought of it like trying to hunt deer with a couple of pebbles and a Nerf gun. . .  You can kind of do it, I guess, but you're just making it unnecessarily difficult and unhealthy for yourself.

5.  Misconception:  "Saying 'Do you even lift, bro' is funny and original, especially after I obviously just lifted."
The truth is:  That comment/question was a little bit funny the first 50 times I heard it.  But after the 99999th time I got a little worn out towards it.  I can take sarcasm, but if you want to dish it, be ready to get some back. ;)

6. Misconception:  "Creatine is an awful and dangerous supplement and if you take it, you'll get bloated and ruin your liver/ creatine is basically steroids."The truth is:  Creatine is THE MOST researched and widely accepted, safest and cheapest supplement on the market.  Not only does it occur naturally in the body and is used in different forms to transport water, nutrients and phosphates to the muscles, but if you have a steak you're eating creatine!  Most of the hate on creatine is because of lack of knowledge, but seriously. . .  Do some homework on it before you believe what aunt Gertrude said at the family reunion two years ago while she was probably a bit tipsy.

7.  Misconception:  "I think that hearing about your uncle/ friend/ dog's cousin's original owner back when he lived in Massachusetts's 35 year old secret training methods will help me."
The truth is:  I have done my research and know very well what works and doesn't work.  If I wanted to work my chest out every day for 2 months straight, I would start by kissing all of my joints and muscular balance goodbye and setting up an appointment to the doctor's office.

8.  Misconception:  "Once you stop lifting weights, all of your muscle will just turn into fat anyway."
The truth is:  I barely even want to address this one because it's just absurd.  Generally, people get more out of shape as they age anyway, and attributing fat gain to training muscles is bogus!  Not only does muscle not "turn into" fat, lifting weights properly improves bone density, posture, cardiovascular/cardiorespiratory systems, and metabolism.

9.  Misconception:  "I don't detect the sarcasm in your voice when you ask me 'Do you like, go to the gym every day?'"
The truth is:  I do try to go to the gym every day, but for the same reason that you watch Netflix and eat chips for 2 hours before bed every night— I like doing it.  If you'd like to call my hobby an addiction, that's fine by me, but check to make sure you're not spending an hour or so a day watching your favorite TV show before you're so quick to point the finger.

10.  Misconception:  "Lifting makes you angry and hormonal and 'Alpha' and aggressive."
If you know me, you know that I genuinely try to like every person that I meet and at least give them a chance, and more often than not quite a few chances before I make judgement calls about their character.  If this is the view that you have of people that lift weights, I guess that's fine, but I hope that I've at least cleared up some misconceptions about us gym rats!

If you need me I'll be wearing a shirt that's too small, drinking Arnold Palmer out of my shaker bottle and asking everyone entering the library if they even lift.

Until next time!
Josh