Disclaimer: The following is co-authored by myself and my friend Dan Mayk. This is not meant to be a comprehensive discussion on racism, nor are Dan or my experiences intended to be representative of the whole of our respective white or black counterparts. Dan’s voice is in bold font, mine is in regular.

Something felt off. As I sifted through the old wooden crate for onions, I sensed I was being watched. I ignored it and tossed another onion into the shopping bag. Yet, I kept sensing somebody was staring at me. So, I turned around to see a handful of people curiously looking at me. It wasn’t a look that bore any hostility, but a puzzled “What are you doing here? You’re not like us” look.

That was a first for me. Until that moment, I had never been in a situation where I was the ethnic minority. In rural Swaziland, white people are about as common as rain. They don’t come around very often. So, when the local people saw somebody like me, it caught their attention.

It’s a hard feeling to describe and one I’m not qualified to speak on from one quick and harmless experience. Yet it was a very real thing that shook my perspective.

The feeling of being watched is something with which I am all too familiar. Regardless of the store, I generally have at least one pair of eyes watching me as I roam around the aisles. I was confused the first time it happened, not understanding why it kept occurring. I went home and asked my mom what I did and why I was different from everyone else. This is where I first began to understand the racial issues that still plague America.

“The talk” is something only blacks kids receive. Usually, it happens sometime in elementary school. One of your parents sits down with you and tries to explain racial diversity in a way that you will understand. I was adopted into a white family and went to a very diverse school during first and second grade, so I had no idea about the problems of race relations. It wasn’t until third grade that I had my first encounter with racism.

My class was getting ready to take our standardized tests and we were all filling in our personal information on the back. As my teacher gave directions, we eventually came to the circle about nationality.

“Everyone – fill in the ‘White’ circle, except you Daniel. I will come deal with you at the end.”

Now this doesn’t sound like anything to be offended at, but as an eight-year-old kid I didn’t like being singled out so drastically. It really shook me up. That night when I got home, I cried because I didn’t know why I was different than everyone else or why it mattered so much.

Like I said, I’m not qualified to sit here and write anything about racism. As much as I can try and put myself in Dan’s shoes, the fact of the matter is I will never be black. I won’t experience things the same way he will and vice versa.

However, I’d be in serious error as a follower of Jesus Christ if I didn’t pursue a better understanding of his ethnic experience in our friendship. We should be able to talk about those differences in our lives. We should desire to learn about the each other’s joys, pains, and dreams. We should seek to bear one another’s burdens, especially across ethnic boundaries.

It’s easy to only interact with people that look like you, talk like you, think like you. It’s easy to limit yourself to shallow interactions with people of another ethnicity. But it’s Christ-like to go and pursue others with no favoritism. Just as Jesus did when He suffered and died for the sins of all people, extending an offer of forgiveness and salvation to His creation.

This is not just a commendable thing but a responsibility. A responsibility for all people, white and black alike, to take action. This can only be done through the power of Christ which produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Since the beginning of time there has been discrimination between different ethnic groups. The groups that were targeted have changed through time but, with every change, the targeting group stays together and looks to each other for comfort. If we want to change the narrative of “white vs black” we need to come together and ask Christ for His power to see people as His creation as He has called us too.

A lot has happened since that moment in third grade. More encounters have led to more processing. Specifically, the names of those murdered in unlawful police shootings strike a chord in my heart. These murders go to show that certain ideas about people who look like me persist despite the truth. This is just one of the examples within our country where we need prayer. As citizens of the United States we should be praying for our law enforcement, that they remain safe and that when they encounter situations such as these, they make the right choice and do not discriminate.

Racism isn’t its own condition, it is merely a byproduct of the sinful heart that is lodged inside of every person, no matter their color. Which brings us all to a level playing field. All are sinners, equally deserving of condemnation. Condemnation doesn’t see skin color. Yet when someone is reunited with God by receiving Jesus Christ by faith and giving their life over to Him, they become a child of God. Part of a family in which there are none of the separating factors that exist in our world.

This is why I’m joyfully able to call Dan my brother. Not as a mere term of endearment, but because we share the same Father. So, it makes his burdens my burdens. No matter how little I understand them.

Dan Mayk is a junior at Liberty University majoring in Digital Media.

 

The following scriptures were referenced in this post:

Genesis 1:27,28 – God created man and He made them in His image.

Galatians 3:28 – One in Christ.

James 2:8,9 – No favoritism.

Galatians 6:2 – Bear one another’s burdens.

Galatians 5:22-23 – Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.