Greetings to all in these sobering times of conflict and chaos.
Decades ago in my youth group days, I was in a group that met with a First Nations Chief to talk about racism. He asked each of us to tell him if we were racist and we all answered with a phrase like “I’m not racist, but…..” We all felt we were being open and honest and perhaps even proud of admitting where we had thoughts or acted in ways that were not fully free of shades of racism. At the end, the chief thanked us, then pointed out that nobody had asked if he was racist. We were confused and embarrassed, then asked the question; his answer was, “Yes, I am racist.” We were stunned; who would admit to being racist? Only bad people are racist, right? He then explained that he didn’t want to be racist and worked hard to correct his racist tendencies, but he would not deny the fact that it still had a hold on him in ways he may never escape. Our shock turned into respect for the Chief, then shame at our own lack of awareness and honesty.
That meeting instilled in me a deep desire to eradicate racism from my soul while triggering a higher level of awareness that it exists within most all of us. Given recent events, I wanted to share some tools and resources that are useful for those that want to grow to be less racist. I hope they are of value to you.