Two months ago I attended an Anti-Racism training, presented by Oakland Peace Center's phenomenal Sandhya Jha. Going into it, my definition of the subject was limited to the obvious: outwardly rude thoughts, remarks, and actions based on another person's skin color. I had thought that if each individual would eliminate such behavior, we could defeat racism. My definition was missing something.
The topic of race and biology came up during the training. I hadn't really thought about it beforehand, but I learned that race has no taxonomic significance (all humans belong to the same Homo sapiens species); however, nobody can claim that it is not "real." Race may have no genetic basis, but we as a people have made it real, have categorized ourselves into groups based on this otherwise benign quality. We began to discuss how it is a significant portion of one's identity within our society. I was startled when Sandhya read a quote by James Baldwin, "What passes for identity in America is a series of myths about one's ancestors." Who gets to invent these myths? The answer has been glaring me in the face, banking on me remaining ignorant of its influence. It's those in power. And I had discovered what I was missing before.
We cannot even define racism without recognizing this overwhelming factor because the two are so deeply intertwined. Sandhya led us to uncover a more accurate definition of racism: race prejudice plus the misuse of power by systems and institutions. When we made this connection as a group, I started to feel my heart rate increase. White folks in this country (and other western nations) have and continue to be in power, the majority group, the wielders of wealth and influence, whether we are acutely aware of it or unknowingly complicit. Our society is plagued with institutionalized racism.
I became angry thinking, why isn't this more common knowledge, more widely spoken about? It is an insufferable paradox for members of the majority group to deny racism's existence even as we live our lives benefiting from the rewards it showers upon us. Jesus stood with the marginalized, and gave warnings against the wealthy, powerful, and those that would oppress others. As I let this notion soak in, I felt a sense of shame for how easy I have it being an educated, white, physically-able, middle-class male. If life were a video game, I would be playing on "easy mode" and would have a clear edge over other players.
Two months have passed since the seminar. I learned a great deal about prejudice, power, and institutionalized racism that day. In fact, it's still sinking in as time goes on and I become aware of more and more examples of systemic oppression targeting minority communities, such as racialized mass incarceration. It's clear to me now that I did not attend a one-and-done session, but rather set off on a continuous journey of understanding.
Yours in embodying Jesus' way,
Sean Patrick Coady
Associate Director