Real change in the face of real brokenness.

I have been perplexed by the way that so many people continue to respond to the tragedies that we are seeing our world. I am not going to address these fallacies and lies here.

But as I’ve been grieving what has happened to Elijah and Ahmaud and Breonna and George and Rayshard and Jacob — and the reality that these horrific events are just the visibly explosive revelations of a much more insidious problem in our country. I’ve been trying to understand — to reconcile — not just the evil I see, but the response to this evil; particularly the response of White Christian Americans.

My heart is heavy but also perplexed.

So here are some thoughts on systemic racism that I have been mulling as I process, in hopes of seeing a way forward, take it for what it’s worth. It is not a fool proof or even completely cohesive plan to change the world. It is simply a flow of consciousness that has come from my own journey to undo racism in myself and my circle.

I’m still learning, and have a long way to go.

In its simplest form, a system is an entity which takes and input, processes that input, and delivers an output. So when we say systemic racism, we are basically saying that there is a system in America, and the ongoing output of this system is racism.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.”

American racism towards Black and brown people is based in the belief that there is inherent superiority in being White. This belief is a key input to the system. This input has been taken in for hundreds of years, in various forms and has produced and ever evolving output in the form of ideas, words, actions and policies.

But what is the process? Or asked another way, what are the support structures keeping this system in place?

I have found Dr. Eric Mason’s Gospel Justice Restoration and Reciprocity Cycle (awareness, acknowledgement, accountability, action) to be a very helpful framework in understanding a path to real change; but to understand how the system is stabilized we can look at the inverse of Dr. Mason’s cycle, and see some clear examples of existing support structures.

Lack of Awareness

In many cases, this starts with a lack of accurate and complete knowledge of history.

American History is not taught in its fullness and in many cases it is not taught accurately. Much of our perception and understanding of racism in our country is obfuscated by misrepresentations of the past.

In order to change this in my life, I have made it my goal to pursue a more accurate and robust understanding of our history, specifically as it relates to racism and its various forms through the years.

Lack of Acknowledgement

In most cases, this starts with a lack of awareness.

Without an understanding of where we came from, it becomes easy to dismiss claims of racism as having no substance. Covert racism has become so well masked that those who choose not to see it have the ability to do so. Instead of acknowledging, many in our country — and in the Church — redirect attention to secondary or tertiary issues.

The most recent volley includes accusations of Marxism, socialism, liberalism, hating white people, black on black crime, needing more facts, among other things (I would note that a more thorough understanding of history would reveal that most of these are not new by any mean).

In order to change this in my life, I am actively observing my thoughts and ideas and practicing self-awareness if and when my thoughts have any possible tie to racism or racial discrimination.

Lack of Accountability

In most cases, this starts with a lack of awareness and acknowledgement.

Without acknowledgement there is no room for accountability. If racism doesn’t exist why should anyone be held accountable? Or as many have recently espoused, “Why should I be apologizing for something I didn’t do? I wasn’t a slave owner!” Deflections like this serve to once again, redirect attention away from the true issue: racism (that is in both the system and people).

In order to change this in my life, I have started to more actively address when comments are made about Black people, that have a foundation in racial discrimination. This step includes more than just me, and frankly challenging friends and family is not comfortable — but that doesn’t matter. My comfort has to be ignored for the sake of making substantive change in myself and my circle.

Lack of Action

In most cases, this starts with a lack of awareness and acknowledgement and accountability.

Frankly, much discussion and thought and effort has gone this. I do not pretend to have a comprehensive understanding of the actions that you should take as an individual, or the participation that you should have with groups affecting change.

That said, I think the most actionable change that I can recommend, is the change that you can make in yourself, and in your circle. Start by pursuing awareness. As you learn and become aware, acknowledge history; acknowledge the system and acknowledge your participation in the system. As you do this, hold yourself and those around you accountable. Don’t let racism go uninterrupted around you.

Then take action. Do what you can do to affect change in your circle. Are you registered to vote? Are you educated on the candidate’s positions and plans? Are you willing to lay your party affiliation to the side and vote for individuals whose values align with what Leonce Crump has called, human flourishing?

Are you committed to learning a complete and accurate history of America? Are you willing to acknowledge the scars and the pain that racial discrimination has inflicted on Black Americans for hundreds of years? Are you willing to share this information with those around you — despite the inevitable push back that you will receive?

Join me and start by raising your own awareness. Learn facts and history. Stop redirecting. Move toward a place where you can acknowledge the problem, so that you can be part of the solution, because without an acknowledgment there is no possibility for accountability or action.