RACISM, WRITING, AND HOW DO WE RESPOND?
This isn’t
a post I’d imagined writing. If I’m honest, I’m feeling my way with it, so
please make allowances if I’m clumsy.
Like many,
I was horrified by the brutal murder of George Floyd by a member of an
organisation that is meant ‘To Protect and Serve’. The rippling protests have rightly
highlighted racism in the UK too. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering what
my role is in all this.
I grew up
in multi-racial London in a ‘rainbow church’ (named because we had members from
every continent except Antarctica), had Caribbean schoolfriends (learning never
to get Montserrat mixed up with Jamaica), cringed at the abuse shouted from
cars if one of my black friends walked me home from youth club.
I thought my
upbringing made me more non racist than most. But even if that’s true, I’m
beginning to think that ‘not being racist’ isn’t enough, that, especially for
those of us who follow a God Who stands up for the oppressed, we need to be anti
racist.
I don’t
have the answers to all the ills of our society. (And I don’t think it matters
what degree of ill there is, for ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God’). But I’ve been thinking, reading, and praying these past few weeks and
offer these tentative conclusions:
1.
I’m
not as well educated about British and Black history or the experience of being
Black in modern society as I could be.
2.
Being
white gives me far more privilege than I ever thought (see Peggy McIntosh’s White
Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack https://nationalseedproject.org/Key-SEED-Texts/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack).
3.
Racism
isn’t just about individual acts but also systems that put people of colour automatically
at a disadvantage. These need to be challenged.
The place
to start is in learning, listening, and questioning my own assumptions. I commend
the following resources to you:
· Anita Ojeda’s wise
post How to Handle the Current Controversies Surrounding Racism https://anitaojeda.com/how-to-handle-the-current-controversies-surrounding-racism/
· www.bethebridge.com, a Christian organisation
‘working to empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity, and
reconciliation’. There’s a book and educational resources.
· Media outlets have published
various book recommendations. Check out Britain’s first black female history
professor, Olivette Otele’s list: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-anti-racism-books-everybody-should-read-from-malcolm-x-to-candice-carty-williams-blt92tfqj.
Or suggestions from Woman Alive Book Club members https://www.facebook.com/groups/womanalivebookclub/.
I’ve picked
a few to start with:
1.
Black
and British by David Olusoga
2.
How
to Argue with a Racist by Adam Rutherford
3.
The
Complete Poetry of Maya Angelou
I’m also conscientiously
following more people of colour on Twitter in order to widen my worldview. It’s
a little thing maybe but it’s a step forward.
And I’m
trying to call out racism when I hear it instead of staying silent to avoid
conflict. This is hard, especially when loved ones express hurtful views. I’m bearing
in mind what we have in common first and considering the fear that must be
behind some of the remarks. And then speaking up, trying to balance truth with
love.
I feel it’s
the least we can do as Christian writers – to use the talent God has given us
for justice. We can consider the characters we put in our novels, be unafraid to
question in our blogs, write to our MPs for change, take positive action in
what we share on social media.
But I want
to end with a question:
How can we
address racism as an Association of Christian Writers?
Actually,
that question leads to several more:
How
ethnically diverse are we as an Association? And if we don’t reflect the mix
that is Christian writers in the UK, what can we do to change this? How can we
as an Association amplify the voices of our BAME brothers and sisters in the
writing world?
I would
love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this. And let’s take this forward,
beyond when the news moves on.
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Timely words, Liz. much to ponder.
ReplyDeleteThank you Aggie. I hope this can prove the beginning of a lasting change for good
DeleteLiz, this is such a timely post. I've been asking myself the very same questions. Thank you for your suggestions, tips and insights from your own life. I grew up on the outskirts of London, again in a multicultural society and never thought about the colour of anyone's skin. You're right. We do need to challenge more. You've made me think and I thank you for it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruth. I'm very much feeling my way forward. I hope we can move forward individually and as an organisation
DeleteGood post, Liz. There's a lot of food for thought there. Whenever I see or hear anything discriminatory or prejudice against anyone, I always wonder what part of "love your neighbour
ReplyDeleteas yourself" Christians find so difficult to understand. Yes, we need to do something even if only pray. I believe it is our duty to educate the next generation. My son, 10 years old at the time, could not get his head around racism. Just because they have different coloured skin? He kept repeating over and over again, mouth agog. Yes, son, I know it doesn't make sense but yes, this is something good people must fight against.
Sadly, I think perhaps people come back to the command to love our neighbours with that age old 'But who is my neighbour?' as an excuse. I certainly know those who think racism is a purely American problem and therefore something we don't need to get involved in.
DeleteBut you are so right Nikki that we need to start, continue, and end our response in prayer.
I must get hold of the poetry of Maya Angelou. I thought one of the very best interviews with the Society of Authors was that featuring the poet Lemn Sissay, wonderfully different. Currently writing up the devotions and thoughts of an Ethiopian lady we have supported for years. It was really exciting to learn that Lemn Sissay was also Ethiopian. Thanks for your thoughts here, Liz.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Lemn Sissay is amazing! And do read Maya Angelou - her words are like rich chocolate for the soul. Or for a younger voice, check out George the Poet - rhythmic, intelligent, articulate.
DeletePoetry can reach places prose can't always get to.
Coming back to your post, let me say how encouraged I am to read these words. I would love to start a Zoom book group so we can begin to learn what we do not know.
ReplyDelete