Are you outraged about the looting in Minnesota but not the murder
of a black man?
I am an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ for
three years. I am a person who comes from a diverse area in Illinois and now lives in a predominately white suburb in Wisconsin. I am a
child of a stay-at-home mom and dad who retired from Chrysler. I grew up with
none of the extras, but never went without the necessities. As a young married couple, my spouse and I had
some moments where we could not afford health insurance and struggled
financially. And I now sit behind this computer as a forty-year-old privileged white
woman with two teenage sons.
In my early twenties, not too long after graduating with a
bachelor’s degree in English from Aurora University, I sat on my first jury for
a case that involved a dispute between two young black men where one was shot.
The prosecutors on the case miserably failed in proving guilt. The jury all
agreed that we really had no idea what happened the day of the shooting.
However, the jury I was on wanted to convict the young black man because he had
run from the cops. They said running from the cops must have meant that he was guilty.
I remember recalling my criminal justice class that I had
taken as a required course. In that class I remember learning that African American
families do not teach their children to trust the cops. I was one of the
youngest people in the room and I shared that for a black man, running from the
cops is not a proof of any guilt. One other person brought up that the proof must
be beyond a reasonable doubt, and he did not think that there was enough proof.
I was so thankful for this other person that spoke up because I honestly cannot
say that I would have held my ground if I was the only one. I want to believe I
could have taken on the group by myself if I had to, but I honestly fear I may
have kept silent. It took us into the
late evening, but finally the two of us got everyone to say not guilty.
I think of that moment every time I know that I am required
to speak up against racism in America and that speaking up will have
consequences. It is not enough for me to talk about privilege, racism and the disparities
in the criminal justice system with my sons reminding them they have to use
their privilege if they find themselves in a police situation with their
friends of color. I must do more because my ordination vows require it.
Today I caught the end of a town hall hosted by the Boys and
Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson and Madison365 CEO Henry Sanders
discuss the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis with local police
officials and community leaders. They invited a black mother, Jacquelyn Hunt to
speak. As I listened to her, I began to cry, and I knew my tears meant that I
cannot listen without then acting of some kind.
Jacquelyn Hunt asked, “In the moment, at that moment, where
is the heart that heard that man say, ‘I can’t breathe.’” Where are our hearts,
White America? We have a deep deficit with compassion for others. I see you not
once showing your outrage over George Floyd, but speaking up about your anger
over the protests, rioting and looting. I see you using quotes about peaceful
protests from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and condemning the acts that
happened after peaceful, unarmed protesters were met with smoke bombs, tear gas
and flash grenades. I see you jumping to speak about right and wrong done to
property, but not the wrong done to a black man’s life.
As a white mother and pastor, it is my job to call out your
lack of compassion and racism. And as a white mother it is also not my job to
take the spotlight. I lift up the words of other black mother’s because I do
not know their pain. I lift up the words of Jacquelyn Hunt and ask you where
your heart is? I lift up the words of the Reverend Traci Blackmon, “In times like these. My mind always returns
to this African proverb: The child who is not embraced by the village will burn
it down just to feel its warmth.”
I am deeply disturbed and heart broken by our lack of compassion for human
life. As people we intensely struggle with grace and compassion for ourselves and
more so for others. But we are called by scripture to give the grace that we receive from God. Ephesians 4 verses 29-32: “Be on your guard against foul talk. Say
only what will build others up at that moment. Say only what will give grace to
your listeners. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all rage and anger, all harsh
words, slander and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one
another, compassionate and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in
Christ.”
White America it is now your job to check your racism and
have hearts of compassion for all the pain that this injustice has caused to
black America. Pain that you know absolutely nothing about.
