s in his position. I only think that Dr. White is not able to see Cone from a black stand point. Yes, everyone is equal. Yes, everyone is important. Everyone is loved by God regardless of race, gender, or economic standards. Why? God said so. That should be good enough. However because of life experience no two people are going to view life the same way. Your race does play a role in your world view. It is really easy to accept that when you do not feel the weight of oppression based on something you cannot change - perspectives people hold against you. White was correct when he said that many poor people in this country have elevated their economic status with nothing but their hardwork and the grace of God to help them. It could be argued that this how all success is made in America regardless if God is recognized in it. However the black experience in this country has been far different. I do not even have to go as far back as slavery to find a tenable example. My father (my parents above) is not nor has he ever had to live as a slave to another human being. My father was trained in the Navy during the 1950's to run steam powered engines of the large ocean-going ships that made up our national naval forces. When he got out of the Navy he tried to get a job with the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)company running the same kind of technology. They would not give it to him because of his race. How did he know it was because of his race? White men of his same age, rank, and experience levels were being hired right out of the military and there were no black people doing that kind of work at PG&E. When my dad could not get a "cushy" job like that he did other things to support his family: janitorial service, door-to-door salesman. Eventually, he was able to go to community college and get an education in carpentry. When he worked in private industry, racism again showed up. He and other non-whites had to do the hard strenuous dirty jobs like laying foundation and the kinds of work no one wanted. Then when the job was easier my father and his peers would be fired and skilled white people would take over (making more money).My father, through the grace of God, has endured much...survived much just as I am sure James White's father did. My dad is old enough to be his father. I have a brother that is older than James White (not by much). The question is do white people have more advantages over black people based on nothing but what color their skin is. Even today there is racism. Not like it was. I have never had to deal with all the crap my father has. (I doubt I would have made it). My father grew up in south Georgia and he was the one of the first black people to be allowed to go to the 12 grade in the county he lived in. Prior to that, black kids had to stop in the 11th grade. My father was also one of the first black people to serve in the Navy after President Truman commanded the desegregation of the military. The Navy was the first to comply. I did not hear James White agree or disagree that there is still racism in society today. I would say that there is. James Cone and Jeremiah Wright, like my Father, have experienced a racism that I am not all that certain that I can relate to or survive. In their day, a black man did not have to be doing anything and they could be lynched and-or tarred and feathered in broad daylight and the authorities would
do nothing. James Cone responds with anger and resentment. I understand that but twisting the gospel into something it is not is not the answer. Funny thing is that my generation is way more angry about it than my father and his generation are. My fathers response: Be the man God has called him to be - love God first and foremost and protect his family (see us on the right - children and grandchildren) and do good to others no matter what color they are, trusting God to make up for what he cannot do, following Jesus where Jesus leads him. I prefer my father's response because it is biblical and it has worked during his whole 75 years. It is what God is calling us to no matter your race, gender, or economic status. White people are not the cause of our problems. The problem is sin. Jesus is the only Cure.
I recall my first racist encounter. It was the summer of 1970 I believe. In San Jose California. I doubt it was later than 1972, but the later the worst I suppose. The amusment park workers loaded the kiddies on train which traveled the park's perimeter. The kiddies were loaded into train cars by skin color.
ReplyDeleteI overheard the young girl being retold to load them by color. She had misunderstood and loaded by attire color. She really looked shocked when she was told to load them on my skin color.
I recall the confusion on her young white face. She may have been 17 years old at the most as I recall.
Race is odd, not too many years ago it became clearer to me what it meant for those white that took part in the freedom train. And one must admit that at least some whites did die as they added their efforts to pursuade the South otherwise.
There are many white people that see people first, not color. It seems reasonable to assume that as many as half don't bother with color nearly as much as Blacks think they do.
It can be difficult to identify which half you are dealing with.
I agree with you. You are making much the same point I did. I do think that a majority of white people do not think of race as much as we black people think they do because it does not have a consistent negative effect on their lives like it does on black people. We see it in television, history, radio, the workplace, and in almost every facet of life. Your race is not a major part of your identity for most white people because it does not contrast that of the culture currently in power.
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