An Unlikely Instructor
Recently, cell phone footage showing two black man arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks made major waves on social media and in the news. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/starbucks-ceo-apologizes-to-2-black-men-arrested/2018/04/15/f681607e-40ab-11e8-b2dc-b0a403e4720a_story.html?utm_term=.2dd8b40f285a) These two men were waiting on a colleague for a meeting then abruptly asked to leave, and later arrested by police. Officers were called just two minutes after the men entered the coffee shop. Just days later, news broke about a black 14-year-old young man, in a metro Detroit suburb, who was shot at simply for knocking on the door of a resident to ask for directions as he had missed his bus. (http://amp.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/black-teen-misses-bus-gets-shot-at-after-asking-for-directions-in-rochester-hills?__twitter_impression=true) Thankfully, this young man was not physically injured. These debacles comes on the heels of the Stephon Clark tragedy. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/21/police-shot-a-man-20-times-in-his-back-yard-thinking-he-had-a-gun-it-was-a-cellphone/?utm_term=.f31bba11a89b) Clark was killed in his grandmother’s backyard by Sacramento police while unarmed and only holding a cell phone on March 18. As much as we attempt to escape it, the realities of how black people are viewed by society and policed in America are still major issues in 2018.
Last July, I was pulled over by police, handcuffed and my vehicle towed and impounded because two white officers alleged I was attempting to purchase marijuana about two miles from my home. Of course, there was no evidence, no weed, no money exchange and no witnesses; their word against mine. I never will forget the tears, fear and confusion on my family’s face when I entered my home that day after this ordeal. Then, to make matters even more incredible, I had a warrant put out for my arrest because I had missed a court date regarding the arrest that I was never informed about. After multiple court appearances, close to $3000 in fees for my vehicle, bond, etc., and finding a lawyer pro bono (thank God) this matter was resolved. However, today, despite being completely innocent, my record is now marred. Thankfully, I avoided the 45 days in jail I was facing. I will never forget the pressure, anxiety, uncertainty and fear I felt living everyday and serving my church with legal proceedings hanging over my head. Why am I sharing this? What many believe is just several unfortunate and isolated incidents is a sad reality for men of color in America. I’m not seeking sympathy. I and people of color desire change. We want progress; not pity.
One silver lining to the Starbucks’ incident that I was encouraged by is the corporation's response to the arrest of the men in Philadelphia. The Lord Jesus once declared, “...the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” (Luke 16:8). Man, how right was The Lord? Oddly enough, I believe there is much we, The Church, can glean from how this coffee juggernaut handled this terribly unfortunate situation. I do not agree with everything Starbucks has done thus far, however their swift action, desire for restitution, and use of this incident as a teachable moment for their entire company are extremely evident.
Immediately after the video surfaced CEO Kevin Johnson publicly apologized and said their goal is to do "whatever we can to make things right" and promised "any necessary changes to our practices that would help prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again." Next, the following Monday on “Good Morning America” the CEO labeled the incident as "reprehensible" and later stressed he wanted to meet with the men to discuss "a constructive solution”.
"I've spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it," the CEO declared. Showing they are committed with more than words, the coffee enterprise will close 8,000 stores and corporate offices for “racial-bias education” seminars for their over 175,000 employees. Because of ONE INCIDENT in ONE STORE, Starbucks has immediately enacted company-wide change.
I am not naive enough to think Starbucks has ended racism/discrimination (of course much of this reaction was to save face publicly and quail outrage and protest) and there is much I would even add, but unfortunately their response is still better than how many churches I’ve observed have reacted to the racial tension in our country.
If the CEO of a coffee company (a middle aged white man) can respond swiftly and with grace and empathy, take the approach of becoming a listener and learner, vehemently denounce the offense, and seek restitution for offended parties, why then do so many pastors and churches desire people of color to just move on after generations of covert and overt discrimination continue to be the experience of too many minorities within The Church?
If the brain trust at Starbucks realizes that people in the majority have inherent blindspots and bias, yet desires to teach and train them how then can The Church not to do the same? We continually ignore America's practice of segregation. The Church seems to think it can achieve diverse churches and unity while many white Christians continue to circumvent taking the time and interest necessary to learn more about the daily experience of the people of color around them, and the lingering, rampant presence of prejudice and racism that gravely affects that people group.
You may not agree with everything I have said or with Starbucks' approach, but I sincerely hope we can agree that non-action is not an option. The Gospel that we cling to in Ephesians 2 spells out how the finished work of Christ reconciled us back to God and reconciled us to each other, making one new body in Christ. The segregated, divided church we have today is American, but not biblicial. We see in the New Testament Church that preferential treatment for The Hebrew widows was not accepted and was rectified in Acts 6. Paul openly confronted Peter for his racial bias in Galatians 2. In Acts 11, with The Antioch church, we witness something that was completely revolutionary in the first century: men of African decent leading along side Paul and Barnabas as equals in the church. Unity and diversity is not new to Jesus’ church historically, it was just forgotten before the church arrived on American shores.
Quick wins...
Knowledge is power
Read books (more than just theology) from people of color, watch documentaries, and talk to the previous generations about how we ended up still so confused, polarized and divided in 2018. Knowing the history, some of which is ugly and painful, will allow us to see how certain mindsets and systems of power developed to do so much harm.
Words matter
Spend much time learning the historical meaning and etymology of phrases we throw around casually every day. One of the main issues is that we are using the same words; but these words have different meanings to different people. Do you know the difference between the definition of racism and prejudice? Do you know the difference between chattel slavery and indentured servitude of The Bible?
Cross the lines
Intentionally engage, connect and befriend people who don’t look, think or vote like you. Have you ever attended a worship gathering outside of your context? Have you ever spent time among the people that you draw such definite conclusions about? “Desegregating” your life will cause a revolution in your thinking.
Make the switch
Strive to elevate and equip qualified people of color to make decisions and lead. Do not relegate them to strictly diversity or racial issues. Many view diversity alone as the win, but that is not enough. In many cases, that is just assimilation. It is not true unity if people in the majority continue to always lead.
TLC
To quote one of my favorite solo singers of all time, Otis Redding, “Try a little tenderness”. Literally, we are attempting to do something that we have never done well in this country. All of us need to wear The Gospel and exhibit the kindness, grace, love, and patience of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32