Among all of the new catchphrases we have to try to understand and deal with, systemic racism is at the top of the list. What I have been able to understand is that it is the underlying racism that is in all American systems that favor whites above all other races. They are quick to say that whites may truly believe they are not racist, but they are part of the system that is racist. The word in the media, liberal and conservative, is that if you are white you are racist.
This atmosphere makes whites and blacks uneasy with each other. I, being white, have no argument, according to this philosophy, that says, “I am not racist”. So how do we react towards someone in our workplace that believes you are racist because you are white? Or how should the black person react to the white person who feels that they are under attack and they can’t change their skin so they are condemned as racist?
What is a racist? I believe it is someone who looks at a group of people of one skin color and judges them all in general. Condoning their prejudice.
How do we deal with this issue where we work? First off we must only speak in love. If you can not speak in love, keep your mouth shut! Of course, I am speaking to the Christian employee. If you are a Christian, you should be able to do this with the help of the Holy Spirit in you. If your goal is to prove you are not a racist or that your co-worker is, you will be arguing until the end of time.
The only answer I can give when accused of being a racist is a question. What have I done or said that has led you to believe that I, as an individual, am a racist? If they can not answer, then move on. If they have an answer, repent.
Either way, the only way to beat racism is “forgiveness”. Jesus taught, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15, NASB) If we don’t forgive each other’s ancestors for what they did to the other’s ancestors, we will not be forgiven. We must forgive those who have discriminated against us. You may be thinking that I am white so therefore what do I know about being the victim of racism?
During the early 80s, I took my mother to the food stamp office to try and get help. She was in a wheelchair from being hit by a drunk driver and had both knees crushed. When her time came up she was told that she had to be permanently disabled to receive help. Meanwhile, black ladies with many children walked out with multiple books of stamps. “Walked out”. It did not look good since most of the caseworkers were black females. What did we do, forgive them?
In school, I was harassed by black students quite a few times. I do not know what I did to deserve such attention but what did I do, I forgave them.
In many jobs that I have had where the supervisors were black, I was discriminated against in many ways. More work assigned, little training on the job caused me to look bad and sometimes let go. What did I do, I forgave them and went on with life.
My wife worked with an all-black labor force on a job. They treated her badly, punched two tires on her car, and ran her off. We forgave them.
I may understand a little about being judged by my color and treated accordingly.
So the answer to the problem, until we learn to forgive:
Blacks forgive the nation for slavery.
Southerners forgive Northerners.
Native Americans forgive the nation for its sin toward them.
Japanese forgive the government for putting their families in internment camps during WW2.
The Irish forgive the Italians and versa-versa. You get the picture.
Managers, if you have this problem in your workplace, pray, seek God on how to relate this to your underlings. Employees, you can set the stage of reconciliation for generations to come.
