Listening Before Speaking: White People and Race

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

--James 1:19 NRSV

I need to put these words of wisdom from the Letter of James on my computer, my phone and maybe put it on masking tape to cover my mouth.   Ever since social media became a thing, I have struggled with the temptation to mouth off, vent my spleen and comment/post/tweet before taking time to think.  I struggle with reacting rather than thoughtfully responding.  Recent weeks’ news of the killings of black men in America makes this task even more difficult.  I, along with everyone else, am emotional and prone to speaking before listening.

This past Sunday I preached on racism in America.  I tried to spend time in prayerful reflection before giving it, but whenever a preacher touches on a painful and difficult subject like racism in America the potential pitfalls are great.  I tried to express my fear and anger as the father of two young black men, and to confess my failures as a white man to understand black people’s experience of racism in America.  The discussions I've had with church folks since my sermon on Sunday covered a range of topics, but a recurring question was how do we as white people engage in conversations with black people without causing harm?  We want to make things better when it comes to race, but we fear being judged or criticized for our lack of awareness of what it means to be black in America.  These fears keep us from doing anything of substance.

I have these same fears, and certainly when I have had such discussions I have often revealed my own ignorance.

The more I learn about racism in America the more I learn the history and worldview I have been given from childhood must be unlearned.  The more I learn; the less I know.  I’m no expert on racism in America, but I believe God’s love for black people means white Christians must love them too—enough to risk overcoming our fears of talking about racism in America.

Before we as white Christians talk, however, we must first listen.  We must do our homework and begin to understand what we are actually talking about.  We must be “quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”  Before we can have difficult conversations with our black friends, coworkers, neighbors and yes, relatives (if we even know any black people to even have such conversations}, we must listen, learn and hold off on our anger. 

The good news is there are lots of ways white people can learn about the black experience of racism in America on our own.  The following list is by no means an exhaustive list, just a few resources I have found helpful.  A quick google search can provide you exhaustive lists of similar items to explore (many of which are available in forms like blogs, articles, TED Talks, videos and more).

Let’s do our part to love our black brothers and sisters by doing all we can do to listen to their voices and educate ourselves before we speak and before we become angry and defensive.  As we do so, let us trust that above all God is gracious and loving to us whatever mistakes we make. 

Grace and Peace,

Chase

Books

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism   by Robin DiAngelo

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness  by Austin Channing Brown

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Documentaries

13^th

I am Not Your Negro

Films

Just Mercy

Fruitvale Station

The Hate U Give

Selma

Kansas City Specific

Some of My Best Friends are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America by Tanner Colby (see the chapter on Kansas City and J.C. Nichols)

Racism in Kansas City: A Short History by G.S. Griffin

Articles

"The Case for Reparations" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

"Ahmaud, Breonna, Christian, George and The Talk Every Black Boy Receives" by Timothy Peoples

There is an endless amount of online resources for learning about racism in America and unlearning what we as white people were taught about our nation and culture.  One good place to start is a recent article at medium.com “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice” by Corinne Shutack