March 7, 1965, peaceful protests
organized by nonviolent activists in defiance of segregation and to support the
African-American’s constitutional right to vote began in Selma, Alabama. About
600 civilians made it about six blocks when law enforcement officials attacked
the unarmed crowd with clubs and tear gas. Amelia Boynton, who organized the
march, was beaten until she was unconscious. This event came to be known as
“Bloody Sunday.”
Fifty-five years later we have
made little progress. Peaceful protesters in D.C. were attacked with tear gas
on June 1, 2020, as they marched in hopes of bringing about justice for people
of color. How have we progressed so little? First, 55 years is not that long.
If you look at the history of America and its treatment of individuals
originating in Africa and the West Indies, 55 years equates to 0.03% of the
time since slaves first arrived in Jamestown in 1619. The majority of their
history has been lived in oppression—99.97% to be exact. Studies have shown
that the emotional costs of racism can and are transmitted through generations
(Hays & Erford, 2018). Considering this, how can you as an American of
European descent be surprised by our brothers’ and sisters’ of color reactions
to recent events?
It has been 55 years since Bloody
Sunday, and African Americans are still being harassed and silenced by the
majority of Euro-Americans. We don’t want to talk about racism because in our
ignorance we want to believe it does not exist. White privilege allows a white
person to believe such a lie. We want to sip our lattes in our hipster coffee
shops in the suburbs and believe what is happening in our country right now
only occurs in poverty stricken, urban areas of
the metropolis. We have black neighbors in our gated communities so we
assume all is right with the world. “See,” we arrogantly think, “if you work as
hard as I did you will have the same opportunities.” Wrong! Your black neighbor
had to work twice as hard to succeed. You believe in the “Myth of Meritocracy,”
which states all people regardless of ethnicity can succeed if they try (Hays
& Erford, 2018). It is so easy for a white person to believe in such a
myth. For you, the playing field is even. Wake up! Talk to your black neighbor
and ask him to tell you his story in all its ugly glory. You will discover just
how often he was silenced into submission and harassed all because of the extra
melanin in his skin.
People, it is time to stop,
listen, and do some deep soul-searching. Ask yourself where you have committed
microaggressions against people of color. What implicit biases do you hold that
you have been inadvertently acting on? Get involved with groups like OneRace
that work to improve racial relationships and stop the oppression of people of
color in this country.
I do want to say one thing. Not every person of color has the same experience. To say that they do is also a form of racism. However, many have suffered some form of racism, and injustice is injustice. I pray that some day our society can quit making judgments about people based on their skin color, their religion, their social economic status, or... the list goes on and on. Why can't we love all people as image bearers of a God who loves unconditionally? I do believe change is necessary and if enough of us peacefully but emphatically push for social justice, I believe it can happen. Maybe not in
my lifetime, but perhaps in my grandchildren’s.
Reference
Hays, D. G. & Erford, B. T.
(2018). Developing multicultural counseling competence: A systems approach (3rd
ed.). Pearson.
