I could not even. The news was loud and people were running. I watched the chaos on Capitol Hill unfold with my kids and husband looking at the screen. We never watched the news, but my husband wanted to see the results of the Georgia election. We did not expect what we saw.
You see my husband is white, and if you didn’t know it, I’m black. Our four biracial kids have known no other way, but seeing each of our differing skin tones and celebrating all skins. They have heard about racism because of the year we’ve had. They have heard about the riots and protests because of the year we have had. And no matter your political view, yesterday was not ok. If you watched my stories on Instagram, you know exactly my feelings on this, and I am very vocal when it comes to racism and systematic injustice, privilege, and bigotry. I have brown babies that need my voice, and your voice. We need change to systems and laws and justice and equality for all. But unfortunately, yesterday, systems of oppression were showcased loud and clear as some whites stormed the Capitol Hill wreaking havoc, chaos, and despair.
Now let’s be clear, had this been people of color (look at last summer and riots and protests and videos of what happened to them), there would be people in body bags. Tons of people in body bags. But because those people looked like my husband and not me, they were allowed to live, express their freedoms without judgment or contempt. A luxury, my brownness is never afforded. My people are killed for holding their hands up, or at a traffic stop, or sleeping in their bed comfortably. My black (and even white) community are reeling from the inhumane ways we are treated, and unfortunately some white Christians, evangelicals, are not only silent, but complicit to the racism to the privilege. To the bigotry. And here we are. What do we do? In times of injustice, Jesus was never silent. In times of unfair treatment of others, Jesus was not silent. In times of racism, Jesus would not BE COMPLICIT. These are not the times to say, “Everything is not about race.” These are not the times to say, “The media is causing this chaos.” This is the time to speak up and do something even if it is PRAYING! Dear anti-racist friends, I love you, but we are tired. And we need your help! So here are my tips for things you can do:
PRAY yes! Pray for your heart. Pray for your community. Pray for your black friends who are hurting. Pray for your white friends who care but have no words to speak. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our country. Pray that things change! Pray for repentance and heart change. Pray for our kids who are seeing this crap. PRAY without ceasing.
Be open to tough conversations and correction! Sometimes we don’t see our own complicit “ness”. Check your heart. Ask God to help you to see when you are wrong. Don’t be afraid to have those tough conversations if needed.
Call it out. Call out the racist remarks, behaviors. Get uncomfortable.
Do the work. Do the work internally. Do the work externally by getting involved in your community. Read books. Listen to podcasts.
Donate to organizations that are doing the work. Support black businesses. Pour into people and offer encouragement, like, share, save things on social media to support the cause.
It’s not enough to be anti-racist. It’s not enough to be silent. It’s time to fight against injustice and fight for equality for all.
Until next time friends,
Shelly