MY VIEW on Race Relations in America

I recently had the opportunity to serve as a guest on a syndicated radio program, Another View (anotherviewradio.org), hosted by Barbara Hamm Lee, to discuss stress and how discrimination affects African Americans’ stress levels. The program, generally speaking, addresses issues from an African American perspective, bringing understanding, clarity, and open dialogue for people of all races, ethnicities or nationalities to chime in. Stress, being our topic, and me having written a book on reducing stress, Stress Indication Test: A Tool to Help Christians Reduce Stress, and a book geared to the African American Family, African American Family Life: It’s Time To Get It Back, and thirdly, being an advocate for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness-nami.org), this show was a fit.

The conversation was fast moving and engaging and I believe, on point, for its intention.  However, because of it being fast moving and a discussion, my thoughts were racing and things that I wanted to say were not stated. So, I figured I’d make some statements via my blogging, if you would hear me out and bear with my thoughts: )

The first thing that I do want to emphasize is, purchase my book, Stress Indication Test: A Tool to Help Christians Reduce Stress. Even though it is geared to Christians, it is a test to help you determine your level of stress. The recommendations can help everyone dealing with stress. If the recommendations are out of line with your belief system, then “chew the meat and spit out the bones.” As an aside, my mother would be proud that I got a cliché correct. She actually gave me a book of clichés because of my historical inability to quote them correctly.

I also want to clarify my stance regarding race relations. I am an African American woman who grew up in a predominantly African American community. It didn’t impact me that we were low income and that we lived in what was called a ghetto until sometime during and after High School. I was reared mostly by my mother, with a period of that time having a stepfather in the picture, both African American, intelligent, working people. The other parts of my story are not for this blog. I say all this to say, I did not grow up being taught either verbally or through modeling, to hate, dislike, or see white people as any different than me even though there were obvious differences in attitudes and life privileges.

Yes, I definitely saw racism and experienced prejudice over my 59 years of living in America. When I began applying to colleges, I needed a stamp to mail an application. So, not having a stamp with me in school, I asked my guidance counselor if he would loan me a stamp and I would pay him back the next day. He obliged telling me not to worry about paying him back because there was no way that I, a black girl with a baby, would make it to or through college anyway. This was my first very direct encounter against what I was primed that I could do!

Then attending college, initially the white girls would walk against the wall when they saw me and my friend coming so as not to risk touching us or us touching them. Eventually, as we reached out to them, they began to realize that we were people just like them and we began to get along. Other instances like being followed in department stores, etc., did not disrupt my ability to embrace a white person as a person even though I encountered (oftentimes oblivious) individual prejudiced white people on many occasions.  However, systemic/institutional racism I have always been well aware of and as a teen began learning ways to overcome the system and stand against it by black and white ladies of the Paterson YWCA. I have always loved people; all people. This is a family trait. We are blessed to see the person beyond the color, nationality, ethnicity, or attitude.

As an African American, as was mentioned on Another View, I learned, almost by osmosis, to interact in two different worlds successfully. However, not to be fake or phony, just to be me, and to help make the whites around me feel relatable or comfortable, and to be American.  When I became a Christian and began to learn and choose the Love of God and the way of God, I also chose not to have angst against anyone, regardless of color, ethnicity, attitudes, and the list can go on. Am I perfect at this? Not at all! Better, yes, and becoming better as I am intentional about it most days.  I work on choosing to love others as God has loved me. And, God is a Spirit (John 4:24). Jesus came to demonstrate God/godliness in the flesh (John 1) and probably was a Middle Easterner, but certainly a man of color. But what difference does that make to my soul or to your soul? He came to heal us all and to deliver us from the works of the devil! (Luke 4:18, Mark 2:17, 1 John 3:8)

Division, prejudice, hatred, violent acts (physical and micro-aggression), treating others as if they are “less than” and any ways in opposition to or unlike the way of God are evil and from the devil (who today most people, including some Christians, choose to ignore the existence of).  African Americans carrying any prejudice or hatred as a result of the plight that we have encountered from whites in American is against the way of God, too.

Forgiveness and repentance, open dialogue and discussions about the reality of racism in America, racial violence, stereotyping and profiling, are all a continued necessity for clarity and to bring some levels of resolve and healing to the souls of black and white people in America.

So, to bring this blog to a close, I am sad that after all these years considering the hardships that people endured through the civil rights movement and prior, and the advanced state of our world, that this is as big an issue as it is. However, I am glad to see blacks and whites attempting to engage to bring about healing. This is a big way to help lessen African American stress and White American fear. I stand along with other Christians who are not in denial or ignorance about this issue, in being true examples of God’s love, and of grace and truth to those around us. 

We as Jesus followers must keep our focus and choose to please God above our natural selves or according to this world we live in. We are Kingdom of God people. Jesus came saying “Repent, the Kingdom of God is here.” (Matthew 4:17, Matthew 3:2) Repent, in simplistic terms means, change your ways. Let’s help more people de-stress  and lessen fears by modeling for them and teaching them about the Kingdom of God in our daily, practical ways of living and interacting! It is a choice you make and it must be intentional.

Roz’s book Stress Indication Test: A Tool to Help Christians Reduce Stress, can be purchased at amazon.com or by contacting her directly through her email address rozbecauseofgrace@gmail.com.