I see injustice, should I remain quiet?
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 NIV
This was the question posed and the Scripture reference that came with a request to write a devotional piece for the Made to Flourish Network last fall. Here is a link to the full post that I republished in February of this year.
Now, we are in a painful cultural moment as the trauma of black and brown bodies being brutalized, violated and murdered in our streets has hit a point of outrage and protest.
As it should.
And there are questions that it has raised for those of us who are white and care deeply about race, equity and the Kingdom in our country.
One of the big questions, on which there are conflicting answers, is should white people be speaking up right now, or standing aside to create the space for the black voices that must be heard and responded to with real answers?
So far, I have not spoken. I am learning, I am listening, I have posted some things on social media in support of my brothers and sisters of color. I am pained and outraged by what I see, but I have not spoken.
In today’s Pittsburgh Post Gazette, there was an article that convinced me that it is no longer ok for me to remain silent. Here is the quote that compelled to action from The Rev. Brian Edmonds of Macedonia Church in the Hill District:
“To my white brothers and sisters, I need you all … to help change the narrative. We need to you to be more than just physically here. We need you to be in the spaces where we are not,” speaking out on racial justice in corridors of power, “so that we won’t experience trauma on top of trauma.”
Reverend Edmonds, I don’t know you but I hear you. And I answer.
As a white Christian, a follower of Jesus, the brown skinned messiah who called us to care for the most vulnerable, the oppressed, the marginalized, I have no choice but to answer. The instruction from Isaiah is most useful here again:
We must Learn- that means listening with empathetic ears
We must Defend- that means we must speak up for those who have no voice or power
We must take up the Cause of the Fatherless and plead the Case of the Widow
We must SEEK JUSTICE
This requires anyone who has power, because of their (white) skin color, their position of authority, their office, to SPEAK OUT. But to speak from a place of humility and courage.
This is our collective calling. My own pastor, Terry Timm, preached this today in a brilliant sermon The Ministry of Reconciliation: To Pray, To be Present and To Participate.
And here is what I know from experience, you may pay a cost. I did. Speak out anyway. Participation is not optional.
Two years ago I spoke up for equity around race and gender. I spoke for myself as a woman and created space for a dear black sister to speak as well. We shared our experiences (not to be compared, please don’t read that) but because living and working as a (white) woman in a paternalistic Christian culture yields one kind of pain. Living as a black woman in the same culture which is also largely white yields a whole different kind of pain, of trauma. My sister called it “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome”. For her, and many others, it is exhausting and is constantly re-traumatizing.
“trauma on top of trauma.”
I did this at an event I curated for a largely white audience. I got skewered.
I was accused of being a Marxist on the path to Socialism. I am neither a Marxist or Socialist.
I was accused of being ‘outside a biblical world view’. I adhere to a deeply biblical orthodoxy, while admittedly not a scholar.
I was told I was drawing from Critical Race Theory. At the time, I had no idea what that was, but will tell you now I do not believe in CRT. Exchanging one oppressed people group for another is not what I understand to be biblically grounded. That said, we might learn some things from CRT in this moment that would be useful. (This piece on CRT written for the Anglican Compass by Esau McCaulley a few weeks ago is helpful.)
And I would do it all again, WILL do it all again. Because I must and so must you.
So go to work, to learn and listen. The resources available are abundant right now. You can start with the NYT bestseller list this week.
Speak up, speak out. Leverage your cultural power to give voice to those who have less than you do, especially in rooms where they are not present or represented.
And be ready. It may be costly. For as Bonhoeffer also said,
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”
For those of us who hold power, simply because of our skin color, now is the time to steward that power. What place do you occupy that you could speak up on behalf of others in more effectively? What risk can you take?We all need to take responsibility. Are you ready? Now is the time for speaking up and taking action. Let’s go to work.