Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr Day
Race is a loaded topic, isn’t it? I have to admit, this has been one of the more difficult blog posts for me to write. Race is a topic that’s easily swept under the rug. There are too many bad memories in our collective human history, too many racial injustices that are still happening around the globe. It’s easier to pretend those things aren’t happening, but as Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Injustice matters to God, and as His children, it should matter to us.
I’m Caucasian, of mixed European descent, and grew up in a small Midwestern town of mostly white people. Before I went to college, I thought the existence of Martin Luther King Jr Day and the passage of the Civil Rights Act meant that racism was defeated. I couldn’t imagine racial discrimination happening in today’s world.
I attended a college that was still predominantly white, but more diverse than my hometown. Through meeting people of many different races, I learned that racism still exists. All of my friends were able to tell me stories of being discriminated against, of feeling inferior because they weren’t white. I also learned about systemic racism, about the root causes behind why so many non-white races are still segregated in poor parts of inner cities. I began to take notice of how many affluent neighborhoods near my college consisted of almost all white people and how poorer neighborhoods in our nearby city consisted of almost all black people.
During college, I joined a multiethnic choir that sang exclusively black gospel music. Through that experience, I learned a lot about the African American community that I hadn’t encountered before. Every year, we sang at a Martin Luther King Jr Day celebration. While our classmates and roommates enjoyed a day off, we spent hours rehearsing, singing, and listening to speeches about racial reconciliation. At the time, I didn’t realize the impact of those events. To me, it was just another task in my busy life. Now that I am out of school, I am so grateful for the way God used those times to change my worldview.
When my husband and I were looking for a new church to join together, I told him that one of my primary concerns was to find a church that was multiethnic and multicultural. I had grown up in and attended too many churches that did not properly reflect the diversity of the body of Christ, and my experiences in college made it impossible for me to imagine attending a segregated church in our diverse area. Thanks be to God, we have found a great church with excellent preaching, caring leaders, and a diverse community. It reminds me quite a bit of the churches highlighted in this video from the 700 Club:
While we are making progress as a Church in racial reconciliation, there is still much work to be done. There are still many stereotypes that rage around the world about people of all colors, nationalities, and religions. As followers of Christ, we should be at the forefront of loving anyone and everyone, no matter how different they may seem to us.
Join with me in praying this prayer from our new book, A Time for Prayer:
LORD, we live in a diverse country with blends of many cultures, faiths, and values. I pray that the power of your Holy Spirit would move among us and tear down the barriers that divide us. May You breathe upon us and instill in us a desire for unity and agreement through a spirit of mutual respect and brotherly love. Forgive us for any discrimination or cynicism or cruelty or superior attitudes we may have harbored in our hearts. I ask You to help my own heart to be free to bring peace to others, to work together with others who don’t share my perspective, and to make a difference in the world. Help me, Father, to be a force for unity. Amen.
