Having a black friend or making cookies for a black person (a.k.a. “love”) is not going to end systemic racism and systemic injustice. Systemic problems require system solutions. I asked my friend Joseph Harris (his “Boiling Points” poem is featured here) for some wisdom from an African American perspective on systemic solutions to racism. Below […]
Ignorance to Racism: Geraldo Rivera’s Comments on LeBron’s “I Can’t Breathe” Shirt
I’m not sure if Geraldo Rivera doesn’t know, doesn’t want to know, or simply doesn’t care. In a Fox News “Race in America” discussion, Rivera made the statement regarding the “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt LeBron James recently wore in pregame warmups: “I wondered to myself,” Rivera said, “what if LeBron James instead had a shirt, […]
Come to Tuesday Town Hall Meeting in Support of Racial Justice
The Lansing Clergy Forum is issuing a call to action in Lansing about lethal force, racial injustice and the justice system. The Forum has called for a Town Hall Meeting Tuesday December 9th at 6:00pm at Union Missionary Baptist Church (500 S Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Lansing, MI 48915). I will be attending and […]
Love is not the Answer to America’s Race Problem
The sociological research book Divided by Faith by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith shows how white evangelical Christians see the solution to America’s race problem coming at an individual level, not a systemic or legislative level (p.115, “Let’s Be Friends” chapter). The predominant thought is that if everyone became a Christian, the race problem would […]
Why the (White) Church Needs to Care About Eric Garner’s Death
Eric Garner, an unarmed African-American man, was choked to death by white police officers in New York City on July 17th. Yesterday a grand jury decided that no criminal charges would be brought against Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who choked Garner to death. Garner was suspected of selling untaxed cigarettes. What is so unique […]
Black Voices on Ferguson: Saints TE Ben Watson, Rapper Bizzle, Pastor Tyler St. Clair
Benjamin Watson, Tight End for the New Orleans Saints: From Ben Watson’s Facebook page: ( http://tinyurl.com/oo9szxv ) “At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my […]