Why Break My Political Silence Now?

Exactly a week ago, an interesting phenomenon started happening to me. Ok, maybe it’s not that interesting. People get insomnia all the time. Earlier one of my friends had (in good faith and because she’s a great person) shared a ridiculous statement on Facebook about how Christians who won’t affirm Black Lives Matter aren’t necessarily racist, they are more likely just selfish and make everything about themselves. For years I have avoided political arguments on Facebook because they never seem to go well and I hate the idea of burning my bridges with people I love because of a communication medium that is ripe for dehumanization. I tend to agree with Walter Strickland (himself a controversial figure who I sometimes disagree with but who is also a very kind person) who on his Facebook made this statement:
“You are not a social media handle. Don't feel pressure to post and repost everything to show that you care. Advocate locally, be incarnate, do the work in your community, church, etc. Let's get it done today.”

But it’s hard to see your well-meaning friends fall prey to intimidation tactics and online bullying that seeks to erode constitutional rights like freedom of speech and freedom of association. I have no problem with people saying, “I learned some shocking things about American history that I was previously unaware of and I’d like to share them with you.” “People of good will” (a phrase we used to use a lot in this country) are usually open to learning new things provided they aren’t preceded with an introduction that blames them for (literally) all the world’s ills. But I haven’t seen many posts like that. I’ve seen a lot of “Silence is complicity,” “Wake up people,” “Check your privilege,” and a lot of projecting guilty consciences onto others.

But that wasn’t enough to get me to speak up. I was on vacation with my family this past week, and the last thing I wanted to do was bother with Facebook. I wanted to enjoy my time with my brothers and my niece and nephew. I wanted to sleep in after being up late hanging out (I am a night owl and I hate to wake up early). But I woke up in the wee hours of Sunday morning unable to sleep and with an essay running through my head. I decided to get up and “get it out” on the computer hoping I could get a few more hours in afterward. I posted it on Facebook, wondering if I had made a huge mistake that I would spend the next few days regretting. “Good, I got that out of my system,” I thought. Then I went back to bed and slept in. But then it happened again the next night and again, and I really value my sleep. I had a couple nights off but here I am again, hoping I can get this out and then catch a few more hours before church.

I love talking about race. Most people don’t. It’s a sensitive subject, but an important one. Racism exists. Inequality exists. I am very interested in working against that, as I always have been. My views on race have always informed my political opinions and I resent when Republicans are accused of being racist because we believe that more government intrusion is bad for people of all races. 

There are many factors that have exacerbated racial tensions over the years, and race relations is an extremely complicated subject. When I went into college, I was naive about and very interested in race relations. I decided to write a paper in one of my freshman political science classes on race and the death penalty. I wanted to know why this area of criminal justice was so against black people. What I found was a much more complicated picture than what I had expected. I have continued to try to deepen my understanding of these important societal issues for the last fifteen years.

My aim in speaking about race is always to be as truthful and loving as possible. Politicians like Rand Paul and Tim Scott, who are currently working in Washington on these issues, serve as a beacon of hope for me. My prayer is that God will look down on us, broken people made in His image, and bring us together in peace, unity, and understanding. Goodnight.