Author: Pat Liberty

This week I posted to my social media page and thanked people for sending good wishes on my birthday. This, in turn, sparked a whole new wave of good wishes– high school friends from whom I have not heard in years, friends present and those whom years and changing circumstance have distanced. I received phone calls and flowers and more. It was like being queen for a day!

It was not a particularly momentous birthday like a decade marker. I can still say I am in my early sixties. I guess that can be considered momentous. There is, however, more to it than that. Despite the creaky joints, gray hair and pounds that cluster around my waist as the years go on, a birthday matters. It is a reminder that I am growing older and that is a privilege denied to many. It is a reminder that I survived another year, and this year is a doozy of one to survive. It is a place holder in the journey of days, all of which combine to make a life. And as such, each passing year is to be celebrated.

I was also reminded that the day after my birthday was the fifth anniversary of the death of my mother following a courageous and lengthy battle with Multiple Sclerosis. I remember my sister having a heart to heart with my mother and telling her she could NOT die on my birthday. My mom managed to hang on until the next morning. Truth be told, I would have been fine with it. It speaks to me of some mysterious circle of life that would have changed me in a unique way, just as all birthdays do. In the way that grief goes, five years were just yesterday and at the same time, it has been forever. Grief has a strange sense of time. Again I remembered how many people came to pay their respects, sent flowers and cards. I was so grateful for those who cared for us in our sorrow and grief. I remember being pleasantly surprised by those I never imagined would come and disappointed by those I thought might show up and didn’t. Grief is like that too.

Mostly, this odd confluence of days reminds me that it is often the little things that bring the greatest comfort and joy. In these days of great challenge and utter weirdness, it is the little things that put the book mark in our days. A friend suggested it may be because people are spending more time at home now. Indeed, that may be part of it. When (and if) life gets back to normal, it’s a reminder of what we might hold on to, those little things that make such a difference in our life and the lives others. Getting back to normal often means being over committed, over busy and often times over-stressed. In the midst of such moments it is easy to think that our puny little gestures may not matter all that much.

News flash: they do matter.

They remind us that others matter to us and we matter to others, sometimes in ways we had never imagined or ways we have forgotten. The seemingly small gestures are gifts to the day and gifts to be treasured.

Being remembered on a birthday is simple enough but it means someone is thinking of us. In times of sorrow, receiving a card or a phone call is a reminder that we are held in the hearts of others when our own hearts are breaking.

Too often we wait to tell someone they matter and then time runs out. Too often our busyness eclipses the better angels of our nature that know that it’s the little things that really do matter. Maybe this is one lesson of the pandemic, albeit one that has come at a terrible cost. It’s the little things that matter.

Don’t wait to tell someone they matter. Don’t put off writing that note or card to let someone know you are thinking of them. Don’t neglect the opportunity to say thank you to an essential worker and tell them you appreciate them. As they no doubt get rations of garbage from far too many people, you can make someone’s day by just saying, “thank you.”

Don’t put off the little things that ultimately make up a life. They really are the big things.

When Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke up about the verbal abuse leveled at her by Representative Yoho (I think yo-yo might be more appropriate), she challenged another strand in the DNA of our country: sexism and patriarchy.

If you breathe while female, you know what it is to be paid less than a man for the same work and/or judged for your physical appearance. You know what it is like to deal with inappropriate touching and comments. You know what it is like to be called honey and sweetie and darling. If you take exception to any of the above you are called a feminazi, man hater, bitch etc.  (My late mother had the best come back to being called a bitch, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” It has served me well). If you take exception to any of the above you are told you are being overly sensitive or that no harm was meant. Somehow the inappropriate behavior of another is turned to be your fault. If you breathe while female, you can add your own examples of how sexism and patriarchy have affected you.

What these examples have in common is that they minimize women and challenge the power and authority women have in any given situation. Sexism and patriarchy are the umbrella terms. Insult and minimization are a consequence.  One’s intent has nothing to do it. So we must persist in calling men out (and sometimes women) and risk being called ______; fill in the blank.

We have learned that “all men are created equal” does not apply to people of color in our racist society. It also does not apply to women in our sexist society. In fact, it does not apply to any marginalized people in our culture.

There is a long theological history that matches social history through the years. Sexism and patriarchy have been encouraged by Christianity. The Christian Lectionary, a three year cycle of scripture used for worship, excludes many of the texts that use feminine images for God.  For example, God is described as a mother eagle in Deuteronomy 32: 11-12. In Hosea 13:8 God is again described as a mother eagle protecting her young. In Isaiah 66:13 God is a mother comforting her child. The pronouns used for Spirit are feminine in both Greek and Hebrew.

The predominance of male leadership in worship has taught us to overlook the women who clearly kept company with Jesus and had leadership positions in the early church. In Luke’s gospel women who kept company with Jesus include Mary Magdalene. (There is no historic evidence to support the notion that she was a prostitute. This is an example of what history has done to women in positions of leadership in the life of discipleship.) Joanna and Susanna are also mentioned as evangelists with Jesus. In addition, Jesus routinely challenged the social norms of his day by including women, many whose names are lost to the history that didn’t value women. Women were also the first witnesses to the resurrection, though the men to whom they brought the news did not believe them.

Women were also leaders in the early church. Women were ordained to positions of leadership. A number of women served as leaders of the house churches that sprang up in the cities of the Roman Empire. The list includes Priscilla, Chloe and Lydia. Paul gave instructions to the women deacons in his letter to Timothy.  In the second century, Clement of Alexandria wrote that the apostles were accompanied on their missionary journeys by women who were not marriage partners, but colleagues. By the fourth century, however, women were largely excluded from the church structure. A male hierarchy emerged during the patristic period that changed the course of Christianity and shaped social norms that institutionalize sexism, imbuing it with a convoluted “divine authority.” It followed through the centuries and prohibited the ordination of women. It was l980 before the Episcopal Church ordained women. My own tradition, the United Church of Christ, ordained Antoinette Brown in 1853. It was a momentous event in the life of the Christian church.

Social and religious patriarchy has traveled through history hand in hand, to the detriment of women. Patriarchy is an entire system that is recreated by male dominated structures and processes. It creates an environment that makes the bad behavior of men acceptable and blames women for holding them to a higher standard. The quasi-religious blessing on male- centered culture makes it especially difficult to challenge.

While women have made much progress toward equality in the last decades, both in society and in the church, it is clear there is more work to be done. No man should every get away with calling a woman a “f*cking bitch” and no woman should be chastised for holding that man accountable. The patriarchy lives and the voice of every woman is needed to continue to challenge and dismantle it.

This blog is a safe space. Comments that are on point and relevant are welcome; disrespectful, hateful and vulgar comments will be removed by the moderator.

Disclaimer as required by Facebook: This website is the sole property of the Rev. Patricia L. Liberty. She is the administrator and is solely responsible for its content. This website receives no remuneration from any individual or entity, foreign or domestic. This website charges no fee for any of its materials, and accepts no donations or advertisements.

Please bear with me this week as I do a little Bible study. Please don’t stop reading; I think this is really important.

In the last few weeks I have been seeing many Biblical references to the Parable of the Lost Sheep (found in Matthew 18:12-14 and Luke 15:3-7) and the Black Lives Matter (BLM). The upshot in both gospels is that a shepherd has 100 sheep, one of them gets lost and the shepherd leaves the 99 to go find the one. First, this is not what the parable is about. The parable is about how people are restored to right relationship with God. Second, it reinforces some unconscious and subconscious prejudices we bring to the text.

In Matthew’s version, the teaching attributed to Jesus begins with words about children. In biblical times, children were symbols of the most vulnerable ones in society. There are a lot of people, however, who do not know that, and a subtlety of the text is lost.

In Luke’s version, the teaching attributed to Jesus skips the vulnerable children and jumps right into the story. It ends with, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the 99 persons who need no repentance.”

For some, the BLM is the one sheep that is the response to the saying, “All Lives Matter.” The argument is that all people don’t matter until black lives matter the same as white lives. For example, the National Cathedral website says, “This week, the interpretation of the parable has shown that black people represent the sheep that Jesus urges us to go find. Here the ninety-nine sheep left behind represent ‘all lives matter.’ But Jesus says yes, but right now black lives matter. They are the one sheep and I am going to go bring them back.”

There are, however, some more troubling undercurrents. There is a subtle assumption that black people are lost. They are not. They do not need anyone to come and rescue them. In both versions the shepherd is going to be the knight in shining armor. Of course, you pictured a blond, blue haired white guy for the shepherd. Truth is, there were no white people in the bible. In Luke’s version, the addition of a line about who is righteous and who is a sinner reinforces the notion that black people are the sinners.

Using this text as a biblical framework for Black Lives Matters is flawed. The story line itself is not helpful. Further, there is a paternalism in the text that may be appropriate for shepherds and sheep, but not for the relationship between blacks and whites. Unconscious white paternalism is reinforced when this text is used.

There is another biblical story that is much better suited to the situation at hand. It is the parable of the widow and the unjust judge found in Luke 18:1-8. You can read it HERE. The upshot of the story is that the judge had no regard for anyone and ignored the widow. (In biblical times widows, along with children, were symbols of the most vulnerable members of society. Women were prohibited from working, and had no way to support themselves when their husbands died. They were the poorest of the poor.) The widow kept banging on the door and asking for what was rightfully hers. Eventually, because of the widow’s persistent asking, the judge finally grants her request.

Black people have been asking for 300 years. We are the unjust judge who has no regard and ignores the pleas of those who are in need of justice.  The Black Lives Matter movement is yet another attempt for people of color to get what is rightfully theirs: equal wages, housing and opportunity. It is way past time to give it to them.

Black Lives Matter joins other Black Social Movements including:

• Founding of the NAACP (1909-2012) W.E. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells founded it to try and use the courts to overturn Jim Crow Laws.
• The Harlem Renaissance (1917-1930) Langston Hughes founded this organization in Harlem and it spread into Europe. The goal was to challenge racism through literature, art and music.
• Brown vs. Board of Education (1945) Overturned “separate but equal.”
• Congress on Racial Equality (1942-1968) Led by James Farmer, the goal was desegregating Chicago schools. It later expanded to include other black social movements.
• The founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957-2012) Founded by Martin Luther King, Jr, the SCLC encouraged non-violent direct action with a religious emphasis.
• The March on Washington (August 28, 1962) Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
• Freedom Schools (1964) Ella Baker taught non-violent direct action.
• Mississippi Freedom Summer (1964)
• Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (April 1964) Challenged the white-only Democratic Party.
• The Civil Rights Act (July 2, 1964) Outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities as well as women.
• The Selma to Montgomery March (1965)
• The Voting Rights Act (August 6, 1965)
• The events of the Black Power Movement (1966-1972)
• Black Feminism (1973-present)
• Political Activism
• International Activism
• Black Lives Matter (2013-Present)

The voices of marginalized black and brown people have been asking for what is rightfully theirs for years. It is time to listen and change the social and political constructs that keep racism in place.

This blog is a safe space. Comments that are on point and relevant are welcome; disrespectful, hateful and vulgar comments will be removed by the moderator.

Disclaimer as required by Facebook: This website is the sole property of the Rev. Patricia L. Liberty. She is the administrator and is solely responsible for its content. This website receives no remuneration from any individual or entity, foreign or domestic. This website charges no fee for any of its materials, and accepts no donations or advertisements.

Please. Just. Stop. Please just stop saying “all lives matter” in response to Black Lives Matter. No one disputes the fact that all lives matter. It’s a no brainer. The Black Lives Matter movement is about lifting up a marginalized people to a place of equality with all others. It is a movement that has come of age and it needs to flourish. Three hundred years of systematic racism and oppression of people of color have found the fullness of time for this movement. It needs to stand.

Responding with “all lives matter” is a defensive position that diminishes the power of the movement and the people who are part of it. It reflects a level of not hearing the facts.

Facts:

• Our country is built on the systematic marginalizing of people of color. It began with the genocide of Native Americans when the Colonial period began. It continued through the time of slavery and continues to this day.
• Unarmed black men are at greater risk of death at the hands of police than any other single demographic.
• Parents of children of color, particularly male children, are given “the talk.” It’s not the talk about sex. It’s the talk about how not be killed by the police.
• In these days of Covid-19, people of color have disproportionately higher rates of infection. The main reason for this is that low-wage service workers are the backbone of keeping essential services available. As the economy continues to open, we will see increased infections among low wage workers.
• We need Black Lives Matter today and for years to come.
• White privilege is real, whether we realize it, accept it, or like it.

Black Lives Matter. Let it stand. Listen. Allow the truth of many movements throughout history that have tried to put forth the simple truth that black lives matter as much as white lives. We have yet to learn the lesson.

We see it in the viral videos that spew horrendous racist language at people with black and brown skin who are just living their lives. We see it in the fracas over the confederate flag at NASCAR. Now that the flag has been banned on the race tracks, it is flying in the race track parking lots over the RVs of fans.

Be the beginning of dismantling white privilege by standing in solidarity with people of color. Be part of the solution. Use your power to stand with those who have none.

Challenge racism when you hear it. Say things like, “I’m uncomfortable with that statement.” “I am trying to become more aware of how my privilege benefits me every day.” “No, I’m not calling you a racist; I am trying to offer a word that helps us come to terms with our white privilege.” Sure, it will upset people. Sure, it will be uncomfortable. We will not, however, make any progress in the conversation on race until we confront our privilege.

Black Lives Matter is a movement whose time has come. More than 7 million people participated in events around the United States. More than 4700 demonstrations have taken place to date. Black Lives Matter protests have sprung up around the world, showing that racism is not a uniquely American thing.

“We wouldn’t have to have Black Lives Matter if we didn’t have 300 years of black lives don’t matter.”  (Jane Elliot)

Poverty does not respect skin color, gender, mental or physical ability or one’s level of education. As the pandemic unfolds, more people are seeking SNAP benefits and assistance from food pantries for the first time.

That’s why the Poor People’s Campaign has been revived. It originated with Martin Luther King, Jr as a continuation of the civil rights movement. He was working with the Southern Christian Leadership Council to organize the movement when he was assassinated. The goal was economic justice for all.

Fifty years later the movement is getting a new lease on life. On June 20, 2020, two and a half million poor and marginalized people gathered in a virtual protest to reinvigorate and reimagine the movement. More than 300,000 sent the Moral Justice Jubilee Policy Platform to their legislators. I encourage you to do the same. You can download it here.

According to Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, “the goal of the Poor People’s Campaign is to shift the moral narrative in this country. And we know that shifting means shifting who holds the power.” The Poor People’s Campaign gathers those directly influenced by poverty to address the issues they know all too well and answer the issues that affect their lives. It is a grassroots movement that has the power to make substantive changes. A major platform of their work right now is working against voter suppression and encouraging people to exercise their right and responsibility to vote. It has the potential to change the political landscape in ways that make substantive change possible.

In response to the ongoing violence and murder of unarmed black men, the unrest is unearthing and merging with other systemic issues in our society. Systemic racial injustice is an umbrella under which limited access to health care, education, affordable housing and clean water are safely shielded.  As racism is protested more and more, these issues come to light.

It is estimated that 140 million people in the United States live in poverty or have significantly low income. This backdrop exists as millions of people of all skin colors are applying for unemployment. If we aren’t outraged, we are not paying attention.

The Poor People’s Campaign worked with the nation’s best economists to see how a living wage for all workers can be accomplished. The question of redistribution of wealth is a difficult one; those with privilege are reluctant to give it up. In the richest country in the world people are born into poverty, live their whole lives in poverty and die in poverty, not because there is a scarcity of resources, but because we have lacked the will to change this reality. That’s a whole other blog or two.

According to the Poor People’s Campaign, shifting funding from the border wall and canceling one military contract would fund expanded Medicaid in the 14 states that haven’t done so under the Affordable Care Act. Budgets are moral documents. They tell us where our priorities are and what is important to us. This is true in our own homes as well as in our nation.

Some of the other issues the Poor People’s Campaign raises as related to systemic injustice and racism include:

• Ongoing lack of potable water for Flint, Michigan
• Political corruption (really? Say it isn’t so…)
• Unlivable minimum wage
• Corporate drilling on Native American lands
• Deaths caused by lack of health insurance (and let’s not forget the administration is trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the midst of pandemic)

The Rev. Dr. William Barber, founder and president of Repairers of the Breach, speaks powerfully and prophetically to the need for a redistribution of power, goods and services in our society. He takes up the path of Jesus, who spoke more words about the plight of the poor, the corruption of the Roman Occupation and the collusion with religious leaders, than he did any other single subject.

The Poor People’s Moral Justice Jubilee Policy Platform speaks powerfully to the principles that form the foundation of their work:

• “Everybody in, nobody out. Everybody is deserving of our nation’s abundance.
• When you lift the bottom, everybody rises. Instead of “trickle down,” we start with the bottom up.
• Prioritize the leadership of the poor, low income and most impacted. Those who are on the frontlines of the crises must also be in the lead identifying their solutions.
• Debts that cannot be paid must be relieved. We demand freedom from servicing the debts we cannot pay.
• We need a moral revolution of values to repair the breach in our land. This platform abides by our deepest moral and Constitutional commitments to justice. Where harm has been done, it must be acknowledged and undone.”

While the platform builds on solid constitutional principles, it also builds on strong theological principles. In addition to Jesus advocating for the poor, this movement also puts forth the biblical commitment to Jubilee.  In the Old Testament, every fifty years, all debts were cancelled, lands seized in tax defaults were returned and everyone had a clean slate to start the next fifty years. It was not an invitation to reckless living, but rather an assurance that when life is hard beyond imagining there is a way to start over with a clean slate and hope for something better.

The poor of our land need Jubilee, a promise of something better that comes when we join hands and work for the redistribution of goods and services on a platform of compassion and justice.

Everything looks like a nail. It’s an apt analogy for yet another police shooting of an unarmed black man. In Atlanta, Georgia, Rayshard Brooks was shot by police outside a Wendy’s restaurant after falling asleep in his car due to intoxication.

When police tried to arrest him, he resisted. And who can blame him? He might have thought he was the next one to end up in a choke hold or with a police officer’s knee on his neck until he was dead. I can understand running from the police, especially if your brains are a little stewed on too much alcohol.

There are many things wrong with the shooting of this man. Granted, if Brooks went off randomly discharging a Taser at people just for laughs, it would have posed a problem. It’s far more likely he would have found some place to sleep it off.

The Taser posed a non-lethal threat. Responding with lethal force was overkill, pardon the pun. There was no danger of serious physical harm. The man was intoxicated, ran away and discharged the Taser backwards. The chances of doing physical harm were pretty low.

There were other options, even after Brooks grabbed the officer’s Taser. The other officer still had his Taser, why did he not use it? How hard can it be for two (presumably) sober police officers to overtake an inebriated man in a foot chase? Why were no other options offered? They could have offered a ride home, called a cab, contacted a family member or de-escalated the situation. All these options could have written a very different ending.

The police chief has stepped down and the officer has been fired. It’s a bit like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen. You can fire the whole damn department and Brooks is still dead. What is needed is a different paradigm for police intervention. Shoot now ask questions later is not a strategy that is working, especially if one has dark skin.

I have the greatest respect for law enforcement officers. I am grateful for what they do. The larger issue is that police are routinely asked to do things for which they are not adequately trained. They are put in harm’s way, having no idea what kind of situation they are walking into. Beyond that, they also are often dealing with people who have mental health issues, substance abuse issues and a host of other problems that are not the primary purview of law enforcement.  Yet, they are asked to intervene.

All of this doesn’t change the fact that black and brown skinned people are routinely profiled and have a greater chance of dying at the hands of law enforcement than those who are white. It’s just the way it is. There are geographic variables, but far too many people of color are killed by law enforcement, suggesting the systemic racism of our culture impacts police departments as well.

Another issue is the prevalence of a paramilitary paradigm in police training. According to an article in the Atlantic Monthly, Rosa Brooks noted that paramilitary training is a fairly recent development in the world of policing. You can read the entire article here.

In the Colonial period, policing was a communal responsibility. Ordinary citizens were routinely engaged and deputized for specific situations to keep the peace. According to Brooks, “By the mid-nineteenth century industrialization and rising income inequality and the growth of cities led to increases in personal and property crime. Policing ceased to be viewed as a community obligation and became instead the work of a permanent body of paid specialists.”

They were paramilitary from the beginning, using uniforms and military style rankings within the force. In more recent years surplus military equipment is made available to police forces. Interestingly, it is associated with decreased trust in law enforcement and increased police violence.

In some progressive police departments training now includes more skills in de-escalating situations, engaging other strategies before resorting to violence and prohibiting the use of certain restraint movements during an arrest. Sadly, such prohibitions do not always prevent the use of such techniques.

It may be that the greatest impetus to police reform is the invention of the cell phone video. More and more we are seeing the bad actions of a few police being widely exposed, which increases the calls for police reform. As in other situations, the actions of a few shape the opinion of the whole. The majority of police officers discharge their duties with respect and integrity. Many officers complete their entire policing career without ever discharging their weapon.

The need for honest reform, increased transparency and accountability, dealing with systemic racism and shifting the paradigm for police training is a monumental task. We who do not live the life of a police officer do not fully understand the role and responsibilities. This does not excuse us from calling for consistency, excellence and uniform treatment of all people, especially those with black and brown skin.

It is rare that Rhode Island makes the national news. As the smallest state in the union, lots of people think it is part of Massachusetts. Many people just have no idea where Rhode Island is located.

This past week, however, Rhode Island made several national news outlets when it’s iconic donut shop, Allie’s, stopped offering a courtesy discount to police and military personnel. Matt Drescher, owner of Allie’s donuts, made a decision to stop offering a complementary service provided as a courtesy. It was his decision to begin offering the discount and his decision to end it.

In a statement earlier last week, the donut shop owner said he wanted everyone to be treated equally and offering privilege to one group and not another did not treat all people equally. Since the announcement of the new policy, employees have received threats and many do not feel safe working there in the current backlash. Drescher is currently the only person working at the shop and is holding the positions of all employees open. Apparently his show of solidarity in the fight against police and military brutality is a little too much for some people.

In a widely released statement Drescher wrote, “We’re fed up. Until local police take action to solve problems with racism and injustice, Allie’s Donuts will choose to stand with the people of our great state.” The statement quickly went viral and received widespread support from Black Lives Matter activists as well as others. A line out the door was evident in the aftermath of the announcement. It seems there is as much support for the decision as against it.

What was most troubling was how the narrative quickly became a commentary about disrespecting the military, not honoring the sacrifice of military families and not supporting the police in their work. It was like a rebellion against God, mom and apple pie.

The same thing happened when Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem as a way of protesting policy brutality against unarmed black men. It’s repeated when people utter the mantra, “All lives matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter.”

There are several things wrong with these scenarios. In each of these situations the narrative is hijacked with a different narrative. First, the message of the protest ceases to be decided by those protesting. Second, privilege and the status quo are maintained. Third, by widening the point to all lives matter, the succinctness of Black Lives Matter is diluted.

Privilege always protects the dominant cultural voice for its own agenda and purpose.  It’s unfortunate that many people don’t realize they are being played.

It’s time to pay attention. When a narrative is hijacked with a different message, pay attention to what is being reinforced. Police and military are no more entitled to discounts than anyone else. Colin Kaepernick is free to use his notoriety to speak a message people don’t want to hear. Black lives matter amplifies the voice of a racist society that is too willing to keep the structures and systems of disenfranchisement firmly in place.

We need to stop taking the bait. We are perfectly good Americans when we stand with those who have less power and whose voices are systematically silenced in favor of the status quo. In fact, we are better Americans when we stop using our privilege to redefine the narrative in ways that stabilize the status quo. Systemic change begins when privilege is challenged.

No one deserves a donut discount. If you live in Rhode Island, go buy a donut or a dozen. Give them to people who need to hear the message. Petition the NFL to give Kaepernick a contract.  Challenge the retort of “All Lives Matter” for what it is—a nod to the status quo that needs to change.

The push back from last week’s blog on white privilege and racism was swift and in some cases, vitriolic. Bullshit was a common comment, as was inviting me to perform an anatomically impossible act. Vulgar GIFs were also common. Emoji responses were predominantly laughter, sprinkled with some anger and, gratefully, more than a few thumbs up. I wrote much of the negativity off as denial of the exact point I was trying to make. The fact that people are in denial about their privilege makes it no less real. It is part of what makes conversation on race so difficult. There is a deep seated assumption that being American means being white.

There were also some assumptions underlying the comments. Boot strap theology and the notion of rugged individuality were common.  Boot strap theology can be summed up by the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves.” It is the belief that everyone can raise themselves to a higher socio-economic standing with hard work and diligence. This combines with rugged individuality to reinforce the fallacy that successful people are self-made. The opposite is also true; if you are poor it is your own fault.

I discovered early on there was no point in arguing with these folks as they had no interest in another point of view. They were predominantly interested in belittling, judging and generally being rude. Some were quite good at it.

There was, however, another voice worth noting. These were people who took time to respond with something of their own truth; people who worked 2-3 jobs and were barely scraping by. These were people who never saw any privilege associated with their being white–people who lived in generational poverty. They defined privilege as opportunity that was not given to them, mostly education and employment.

I learned that my white privilege is not everyone’s privilege, my opportunities are not everyone’s opportunities and my educational access is not everyone’s educational access. It occurred to me that there is just as much anger in poor whites as in poor blacks. Giving more information to poor white people will not cause them to have a sudden epiphany. It will just piss them off.  Racism is not their issue, poverty is.

I learned something from my readers this week and I am both humbled and grateful. Seeking insight sent me off to my study and prayer closet. This is the fruit of that seeking and prayer. I may be way off, but that is a chance I am willing to take. I pretend no expertise in this area, just a series of observations about the last week’s blog post.

First, the privilege associated with being white diminishes with socio-economic status. It appeared that the poorer white people were the less privilege their whiteness afforded them. It speaks volumes to the economic inequities in our society. Poverty is no respecter of persons, skin color or gender, though women are more apt to experience greater income inequity than their poor male counterparts, regardless of ethnicity.

Second, there are disenfranchised people on both ends of the continuum of the ethnic divide. Poor whites and poor blacks feel they have no access to the means for upward mobility.

Third, there is an urgent need for reconciliation–true and deep reconciliation. This is a theological construct that is based in deep listening and understanding one another, without necessarily agreeing. It honors the differences in people’s experiences without judgement and seeks to build new relationships based on this new understanding. Both sides let go of their need to be right, their need to be self-righteous and their need to be the dominant voice, even if it is the voice of victimhood. Arguing about who has had it the worst is an exercise in frustration at best, deepening division at worst.

Learning to talk with one another and listen to one another are increasingly rare phenomena in our culture. Being right and being utterly convinced of the righteousness of a position makes conversation and insight impossible. As divisions in our culture grow deeper and more violent it makes the kind of conversation needed almost impossible. I have no idea what the answer is, but I feel sure that it has a strong root in a commitment to deep listening and reconciliation.

The pushback from last week’s blog on white privilege and racism was swift and in some cases, vitriolic. Bullshit was a common comment, as was inviting me to perform an anatomically impossible act. Vulgar GIFs were also common. Emoji responses were predominantly laughter, sprinkled with some anger and, gratefully, more than a few thumbs up. I wrote much of the negativity off as denial of the exact point I was trying to make. The fact that people are in denial about their privilege makes it no less real. It is part of what makes conversation on race so difficult. There is a deep seated assumption that being American means being white.

There were also some assumptions underlying the comments. Boot strap theology and the notion of rugged individuality were common.  Boot strap theology can be summed up by the phrase, “God helps those who help themselves.” It is the belief that everyone can raise themselves to a higher socio-economic standing with hard work and diligence. This combines with rugged individuality to reinforce the fallacy that successful people are self-made. The opposite is also true; if you are poor it is your own fault.

I discovered early on there was no point in arguing with these folks as they had no interest in another point of view. They were predominantly interested in belittling, judging and generally being rude. Some were quite good at it.

There was, however, another voice worth noting. These were people who took time to respond with something of their own truth; people who worked 2-3 jobs and were barely scraping by. These were people who never saw any privilege associated with their being white–people who lived in generational poverty. They defined privilege as opportunity that was not given to them, mostly education and employment.

I learned that my white privilege is not everyone’s privilege, my opportunities are not everyone’s opportunities and my educational access is not everyone’s educational access. It occurred to me that there is just as much anger in poor whites as in poor blacks. Giving more information to poor white people will not cause them to have a sudden epiphany. It will just piss them off.  Racism is not their issue, poverty is.

I learned something from my readers this week and I am both humbled and grateful. Seeking insight sent me off to my study and prayer closet. This is the fruit of that seeking and prayer. I may be way off, but that is a chance I am willing to take. I pretend no expertise in this area, just a series of observations about the last week’s blog post.

First, the privilege associated with being white diminishes with socio-economic status. It appeared that the poorer white people were the less privilege their whiteness afforded them. It speaks volumes to the economic inequities in our society. Poverty is no respecter of persons, skin color or gender, though women are more apt to experience greater income inequity than their poor male counterparts, regardless of ethnicity.

Second, there are disenfranchised people on both ends of the continuum of the ethnic divide. Poor whites and poor blacks feel they have no access to the means for upward mobility.

Third, there is an urgent need for reconciliation–true and deep reconciliation. This is a theological construct that is based in deep listening and understanding one another, without necessarily agreeing. It honors the differences in people’s experiences without judgement and seeks to build new relationships based on this new understanding. Both sides let go of their need to be right, their need to be self-righteous and their need to be the dominant voice, even if it is the voice of victimhood. Arguing about who has had it the worst is an exercise in frustration at best, deepening division at worst.

Learning to talk with one another and listen to one another are increasingly rare phenomena in our culture. Being right and being utterly convinced of the righteousness of a position makes conversation and insight impossible. As divisions in our culture grow deeper and more violent it makes the kind of conversation needed almost impossible. I have no idea what the answer is, but I feel sure that it has a strong root in a commitment to deep listening and reconciliation.