Our President has just signed four executive orders on racial equity. AWESOME. Many are celebrating and I’m sure that many others are complaining or even fuming. Quite honestly, this is not the time for either.
Having the right policies and creating the legal infrastructure to promote racial equity is great. It is a necessary piece to the solution that many of us seek. But, it is not THE solution. We each have a role to play in achieving a greater society. Looking to the government or to someone else to “make things better” is futile. Things don’t just get better, we, the people, have to make them better. You believe in racial equity? Then pass it on. Spread it. Share it with your family members, your friends and colleagues. Let us encourage, persuade, or even challenge them to show love and to do good towards people of color.
Racism and attitudes of white supremacy live because they have a nice warm home in which to take shelter. A home that is nice, dry and warm. It has plenty of groceries and amenities for a long comfortable stay. It is my job and yours to actively DISMANTLE that shelter. Not just with our ideas or thoughts, but with action. When family members make racially derogatory comments in front of us and they go unchecked, we participate in making that house a little more comfortable. When our colleagues or associates make derogatory or ignorant comments about someone, solely based on their ethnicity or “race” and we laugh (or are silent), we participate in making that house a little more comfortable. When business owners or hiring staff automatically dismiss or make negative judgments about an applicant solely based on racial/ethnic attributes and we say nothing, we participate……you know the rest.
Amongst the many obligations of agape love, You and I have a God-given obligation toward justice. Justice, too, is an attribute of our heavenly Father. We cannot ignore this just because it is uncomfortable or hard. Newsflash: Followers of Christ do uncomfortable and hard things. It’s called taking up our cross. Taking up our cross happens every time we choose to deny ourselves to follow Him. You can do this (all things through Christ).
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…
blackandwhiteandshadesofgreen 