LIGHT a Candle Against Racism
Practical and spiritual tips to begin the fight against racism
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(Updated January, 2022)
Back in January of 2020, I wrote a story about the “permacloud” that was hanging over my little corner of the world in southwest Michigan. I mentioned the sadness we were all feeling due to the gloom and doom of...the weather.
In retrospect, it seems so shallow of me to complain about the weather!
I mentioned a few other causes of sadness too, including a “deadly virus,” but I never imagined that four months later nearly 400,000 people worldwide (100,000 Americans) would lose their life to that virus, and life as we knew it would come to a sudden halt.
Nor could I have pictured riots and protests from coast to coast in every major city in the wake of another unjust killing of a Black man.
That permacloud pales in comparison to the dark clouds that have followed.
I find myself wanting to do something, but asking, “What? What can I do?”
Once again, I find myself searching for the light. As a writer, I feel called to shed light and hope on situations that confound. But what should I do when I feel confounded myself?
As a person born into White privilege and with limited exposure to racial diversity, I find myself wanting to do something, but asking, “What? What can I do?”
I don’t have the answers. I’m not even sure what all of the questions are. But recent events have caused me more than ever before, to begin searching for both.
If I am in any way part of the problem, I need to find ways to become part of the solution instead. I’m going to start by taking my own earlier advice from the “permacloud days”, and look for the LIGHT. I believe the suggestions for getting through gloomy weather, with a little tweaking, can be refitted to our current situation.The light I bring may only be the flicker of a small candle, but even candlelight is capable of illuminating dark spaces and a flame can be passed on from one person to another.
Here’s how we can search for the L.I.G.H.T. Once again.
Listen to their voices.
For a time, there was a popular phrase on social media that said, “I’m muted. And listening.” It’s the starting place for many of us who want to help our Black brothers and sisters, but who have no idea where to begin. Let’s listen to their cries for justice, their sorrows, and their stories. Let’s open up our minds and look for new ways to understand the pain and suffering they have lived with for hundreds of years.
A great place to start is by listening to podcasts that educate about the evils of racism and inspire us toward good. Here are a some that I have found eye-opening and convicting:
This American Life: Talking While Black (Jan. 7, 2022)
TED Radio Hour: Confronting Racism (Mar. 29, 2019)
Unlocking Us with Brene' Brown: with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist (June 3, 2020)
Also, Joel Thompson’s “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” performed by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and a combined choir of young Black men is incredible. As I listened to these phrases, uttered by Black men before they were taken down by police, ending with “I can’t breathe” (the last words of Eric Garner and George Floyd), I was moved to tears. The parallel to the “Seven Last Words of Christ” and the undeserved loss of life was not lost on me. I challenge you to listen and look at the faces of those Black men without feeling something.
Immerse yourself in a book or article.
There are many. We can gain a better understanding of what it feels like to be on the other side of racial injustice after reading about it from the perspective of those who have lived it, both in the past and the present. Here are a few fictional novels and memoirs (which I find most engaging) from my Goodreads’ lists, along with the time periods the books are set in.
On my already “Read” list:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (present day)
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (1964)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (1962)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1933)
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (1791)
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (1990s)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (1920s through present day)
On my “Want to Read” list:
Becoming by Michelle Obama (Present day)
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (1980s)
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (1961)
If you’re short on time, many of these books have been made into excellent films. I have read and watched some of these with my young adult children. The conversation that follows never fails to encourage me, as I see the next generation caring more deeply about equality and social justice than I ever did at their age.
I admit, my upbringing was steeped in covert, and sometimes overt racial discrimination. Most of us don’t even realize the prejudice that still lies within. The only way we can begin to confront our errant thinking is by educating ourselves. For more “educational” reads, there is a long list of articles and essays at the “21-day Challenge” site (more on that later).
There are a plethora of non-fiction books that can open up our minds and hearts. One such read is White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. I’m slowly working my way through it in an effort to better understand the systemic issues of racism. Also on my “Want to Read” list are: Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving and Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latosha Morrison.
Go for a walk.
If we intend to improve racial relations, we first need to build those relationships. And in building any relationship, the first step is showing up. One way we can do that is through participating in peaceful protests and prayer walks.
My husband and I took part in the “Prayer for Unity, Walk for Justice” at the University of Notre Dame during in the summer of 2020 . Listening to prayers lifted up by the university’s Black and White leaders and walking across the campus to the Grotto together, in peaceful contemplation, was one small way we could show solidarity with the Black citizens of our community.
We can also “walk” to the polls and cast votes for leaders who stand for social justice and equality for all. We must do our research to find the candidates who will reach across the aisle, putting politics aside for the sake of peace in our streets and a better life for all Americans.
Hangout with a black friend.
For me, the first step will be to make more Black friends. It’s true, I live and work in a rural community that lacks diversity. But it’s embarrassing, even shameful, that throughout my life, of the many Black acquaintances I’ve made, I have hung onto only a very small handful of Black friends. If the diversity of my Facebook friends is any indication of my concern for and connection to racial minorities, then I am seriously lacking.
This isn’t going to “just happen” without some intentionality. If we want to make Black friends, we’ll need to reach out and look for opportunities to befriend people of color and to break down the barriers that have kept us apart in the past.
For ideas on how to do this, again, we must be open to learning. The church I belong to (the Christian Reformed Church of North America or CRCNA) provided a strong statement against racism that includes a long list of resources and ideas “for church leaders and congregations to spiritually discern and take actions to be anti-racist.”
Another good place to start is with the 21-day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge. This link is FULL of resources! The hope is that 21 days will instill a habit of thinking about racial injustice that will continue in our day-to-day lives.
Talk with God.
God has already spoken to us through his Word. The verse that came to mind as I participated in the prayer walk last week was Micah 6:8: But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. (The Message)
God wants to hear from us as well, and our prayers must begin with confession. For the sins of commission, but also, the sins of omission–those “things we have left undone.” For not being more generous with our time and financial resources to help those trapped in a cycle of poverty. For lacking the courage to admit racist thoughts or ideas that cloud our ability to view others as Jesus does. For not caring enough. For being silent. Complacent.
Pray that God gives us opportunities to show love to our Black brothers and sisters and to receive the love they have to give. Give thanks for the amazing diversity He created in the human race. And recognize we are all God’s children, created in His image.
The cloud of racism has hung over this country for far too long. We live in the shadows of hatred, injustice, bigotry, prejudice, and strife.
Until we bring our own failings into the light, change cannot happen. It starts with a flicker. But the flame will grow.
And one day, when the prayers of generation after generation of the oppressed are answered, the light will overcome the darkness. Are we ready to LIGHT our candles?
