A question like this typically puts white Americans on edge or at least ill at ease. But these questions must be dealt with if we are ever to truly live up to the greatness espoused in our Constitution.
As we stand now, racism is like a stain imbedded in the American flag and makes a joke of the phrase, “all men are created equal.” And by no means am I suggesting all of America is racist or that all of white America is racist. I am saying there seems to be something deep in our culture or our history or perhaps our psyche that keeps this sickness thriving.
Eugene Akins III
In my recent book, Black Lives, White Lies; A Need for White Christians to Fight Racism in America, I suggest the battle against racism in this country is missing a vital ally. Much in the way the U.S. has supported the efforts of Ukraine to stand against Vladimir Putin, white Christians in America need to be invested in this war that is taking place on our own soil.
I have continued to delve into the problem of racism and have concluded the problem is likely more deep-seated than I originally believed. While the focus of my book is the suffering of African Americans at the hands of police (in the shadow of the George Floyd murder), a closer look reveals a definite pattern. African Americans may be the group with the most consistent ongoing struggle, but we are by no means alone.
“African Americans may be the group with the most consistent ongoing struggle, but we are by no means alone.”
We have seen a recent uptick in violence against Asians most likely related to the connection between China and the coronavirus. But Asians, particularly the Chinese, have a long history of being treated less than equal in America. Our recent history finds Japanese Americans forcibly relocated and incarcerated at internment camps during World War II. Some 120,000 people of Japanese descent, roughly two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, were confined after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
This was done by the United States government. But as far back as the 18th century, Asians already were targets of the U.S. government. The Naturalization Act of 1790 made Asians ineligible for citizenship. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers. There have been mass lynching of Asians much like that of African Americans.
Native Americans were the first to experience this treatment. Even though they likely were here at least a few hundred years before anyone else, they were driven off their land and treated as heathens. Again, the government had a hand in it.
Although Asians, Native Americans and African Americans are all people of color, color does not seem to be the only criterion for racism. The Irish, Polish, Italians and Jews all have had their time standing in the “bullseye.” Now we have the Muslims joining the party.
There is usually some rational thought, unrealistic as it might be: Native Americans and African Americans are just the wrong color, Muslims are terrorists and the other groups were the first replacements. Is it fear? Is it loss of power and control? Is it just a sick ignorance passed down from generation to generation, because we all know that no child comes out of the womb with these feelings.
Perhaps it’s a combination of all these things. One thing is certain: Racism is an embarrassment to this country and the things it stands for. Maybe the phrase should be, “the land of the free, if you are the right color,” or “Give us your tired, your poor, when it is convenient for us.”
“One thing is certain: Racism is an embarrassment to this country and the things it stands for.”
Were the words of the U.S. Constitution meant for all Americans or just a select group? Should people of color be filled with pride at the singing of the National Anthem or filled with anger? Why should marginalized groups pledge allegiance to a flag that doesn’t seem to stand for them?
Why? Because with all her faults and shortcomings, with all the work that needs to be done with racial justice and equality, this is still the greatest nation on earth, right now.
I say “right now” because I believe we are teetering on the edge of a seismic shift in our country and the definition of “America” may hang in the balance. Some are calling themselves “patriots” as if the rest of us are traitors. Some say there is too much government control, and some say there is not enough. We fight over whether to kill babies in the womb or to kill babies in the school room.
As a song once said, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” But the world needs a very special love. A love that originates from above. A Godly love. That love that is supposed to be the hallmark of Christians.
But Christians seem to be missing in action when it comes to the fight against racism. There are Christian groups that fight hunger, abortion, homelessness and abuse. There are even Christians fighting against the abuse of Christians in other countries. But I could not find any white group in the United States of America, Christian or secular, dedicated to attacking the forces of racial discrimination.
“I could not find any white group in the United States of America, Christian or secular, dedicated to attacking the forces of racial discrimination.”
One of the reasons racism persists in our country is that too many whites who agree that it is a horrific dehumanizing practice are silent about it. Is silence complicity?
Let’s face it, people of color have no real power in our society, and their cries for justice usually get drowned out by something deemed more important. George Floyd’s murder got upstaged by COVID and then Ukraine. Of course, both those events deserve the attention they received, but who is talking about unarmed African Americans being killed by police now?
I am not naïve enough to suggest we ever will be able to eradicate racism completely. I do suggest that if nothing changes, white Christians for the most part are going to disappoint our Lord for their lack of presence in this war.
Eugene G. Akins III is a podiatrist practicing in upstate New York for the past 25 years. He is a lifetime member and now a minister of the Church of God in Christ. He is the recent author of two books: Caught by the Collar and Black Lives White Lies: The Need for White Christians to Fight Racism in America.
Related articles:
‘We are Cain’: Owning up to the reality of racism in America | Opinion by Robert P. Jones
Racists don’t get to define racism | Opinion by Jakob Topper
You cannot follow Jesus and endorse racism. Period. | Opinion by Mark Wingfield