Before 2020 many of us didn’t know the names George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. But we do now. And the list is getting longer. 

We have woken up to horrific news story after news story. Our country is in trauma. Together, we are hurt. We need counselors, not competitors. We need doctors, not opponents. 

But this didn’t start in 2020. Racism and evil is not new, but in recent years, the way we are being exposed to systemic racism is. 

“The violence is not new, it’s the cameras that are new.” Ta-Nehisi Coates 

The thing is, we can’t ignore our wounds. The murder of George Floyd ripped the scab from our nation’s wound and we are bleeding. We are bleeding from 400 years of the theft of human dignity from our Black brothers and sisters. 

We can’t expect the solution to be easy. 

We can’t expect the solution to be quick.    

“Racism is not getting worse, it’s getting filmed.” Will Smith

As our children and grandchildren look back on this era of history they might ask: What did you do? When they see the highlight reel of the twenty-twentys. When they see the protests, the riots, the memorials, the tributes, the books, the blogs, the art. 

What will you tell them you saw? 

What will you tell them you did? 

What will you tell them you learned?

As individuals, we don’t need to be the solution, but we all need to be a part of it.

We are living in the consequences of our ancestors. We are living in a lineage, a family legacy, the good or bad, of what others have left behind. And friends, some of that is very bad. 

To my white brothers and sisters, I challenge you with this: What is your next step? What is your active way to participate?

Let’s not expect the answer to be easy. 

Let’s not expect the answer to be quick. 

Let’s not expect the answer to be comfortable. 

We all don’t need to find the answer, but we all need to participate. 

In many ways, 2020 brought us a new normal. The way we discuss race is one of them. With so many involved in this conversation, we could be at a cultural renaissance concerning how we approach race. Let the doors open, pull up more seats to the table, and let’s talk. 

Listen

We’ve heard this a lot over the past few weeks, but I’d like to add how we listen. Let’s work on listening with a posture of open hands, not a posture of defense. A posture where the motivation is understanding someone else, not to protect our pride, decrease our guilt, or shed our shame. 

Lament

As believers, now it is the time to lament. Lamenting in a prayerful response to the truth of suffering around us. I love this quote by Bryan Loritts: “Solutions can often times become a hand sanitizer of sorts for a guilty conscience.” Instead of only jumping to action, let us all recognize our emotions and bring them to God. 

Learn 

If you haven’t read a book about race, now is the time to join the national conversation. Along with books, there are podcasts, sermons, documentaries, and Instagram accounts. Taking advantage of these popularized resources gives us a shared language to continue the conversation. 

Look Around

Think about your home, workplace, and community. Do you influence decisions in your workplace? Do you decide where to spend money for your household? Are you a parent? Are you creating art, words, or music? It’s likely somewhere you are already a decision maker or culture influencer. This is where you begin making a difference. 

May we all move forward by doing our part to listen, lament, and learn. May we discern when the right time is to press in and the right time to rest. We don’t need to be the solution, but we all need to be a part of it. We all don’t need to find the answer, but we all need to be searching for it.

As we listen, let us do it with a posture of open hands.

As we lament, let us bring all of ourselves to our Father.

As we learn together, let us have grace for each other.

As we move ahead, let us have the courage to make brave decisions and change our thinking.

Tending to a 400-year-old wound of the theft of human dignity from our Black brothers and sisters will not be a simple fix. The path ahead won’t be easy, quick, or comfortable. And let’s not let that stop us.