How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice by Jemar Tisby

Author:Jemar Tisby [Tisby, Jemar]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2020-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Find Your Community or Make One

People often ask me how I persevere on the path of racial justice. With all the attacks and accusations, the half-steps and missteps, the slow progress and sometimes regress of the movement—how do we keep going? For me it has been my faith and my community.

For Black people and other people of color, it is imperative that you find a community of like-minded people who can affirm your dignity and encourage you on your journey. For Christians, this community should come through the local church. But such an affirming community is often difficult to find in predominantly white churches and denominations. It is time for many of us to go home to the Black church or other ethnic-specific fellowships. The sad truth is that as long as there is racism in the white church there will always be a need for churches comprised primarily of racial and ethnic minorities. It is not about re-segregating ourselves, it is about gaining the strength to persevere as a person of color in a society enthralled by white supremacy. Ethnic-specific spaces have long provided the strength, expression, awareness, and sensitivity Black people and other people of color need to keep going in the face of racist headwinds.

If you cannot find a local church that embraces your racially and ethnically embodied self, then find one elsewhere. My lifeline in times of racial turmoil has often been text message groups. I can connect with people in different states and time zones to vent, laugh, pray, and reflect. Social media has forums for private groups that can serve a similar function. Perhaps you can find such a group as you participate in activism and service. The point is that no one can fight racism alone. We need a community of people to help us on the way. If such a community is not readily available, then that is not a reason to abandon community but the impetus to creatively pursue it.

The ARC of Racial Justice compels us not to isolate ourselves in homogenous social networks but instead to pursue relationships with people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. This can be difficult and costly. It can be seen as a capitulation to a shallow form of reconciliation that places too much emphasis on personal relationships and too little emphasis on systemic and institutional racism. But on the journey of racial justice you will need co-workers and compatriots. Not giving up on the power of relationships offers a powerful testimony to the value of fighting racism and the unity such efforts bring.

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