The past few weeks have been very difficult for the world, between people fighting for justice and people not knowing whether to fight or stay silent. All in all, a small change has been made in our society, the Black Lives Matter movement has been acknowledged all over the world. And this is all because of the brutal murder of George Floyd by the American police, people have said, enough is enough.
Many have felt a vast majority of emotions including, upset, heartbroken, angry, sad and confused. I myself have felt all of these emotions over the past three weeks, but right now I am left feeling hopeful. Hopeful that there will be change for our people, hopeful that the next generation will not be victims of oppression, hopeful that our children will be able to stand against racism with knowledge that we didn’t have the privilege of gaining while growing up. A lot of people may comment and say that racism doesn’t exist in the UK or it isn’t that bad, but many would disagree because many of us have been victims of microaggressions and covert racism ourselves.
Although this problem has been here and happening to us, many of us, including myself have turned a blind eye to it or laughed it off. The past couple of weeks have made me change my thinking towards how I react to racism, how I support my black brothers and sisters and how I educate my son about these issues. I’ve also had to re-educate myself on the subject because if I want to be a catalyst to change and speak up about our issues, how can I do so without enough knowledge on the matter. This is also where my Christianity comes into play, anybody can fight for justice, anybody can be angry about police brutality and racism but how do we as Christians make a real difference, are we even doing enough? Should we be fighting for justice, or sitting back and letting God fight for us?
I'll let the bible answer for us. Micah 6:8.
‘The Lord has told us what is good. What He requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.’
'Do what is just.' What does that mean to you? To us at the Eden Ideal, it means to seek justice but to not forget love and kindness as we do so. So what can we do as Christians in a loving and peaceful way moving forward to make a real change in the world?
There is a unique opportunity right now to band together and stand for black people at this moment in time by doing a number of things.
We can start by supporting our black endeavours and businesses in any way we can, donating where possible, shopping whether it be online or in store, every small step makes a difference. It is also time the education system changes, we need more black educators in our schools, colleges and universities. Not only in our educational settings but also in different industries. We should be going into professions that shape the world so that we have the platform to reach our young people and teach them the right way, how to love and uphold each other, also showing them that they are more than capable of being more than just the colour of their skin.
Something also very important to me, is putting black history in the curriculum, not just slavery and colonialism but more on the entrepreneurs and black people who have made a difference in the world, there should be a balance so students have a better understanding that the world doesn’t look the way it does for no reason but to also remind them that there are opportunities for them.
Humanise black people, remind people that we have achieved a lot and we weren’t just slaves. As we educate our young children, it is also important that we re-educate ourselves and have positive representations in our communities, so by becoming school governors, joining the PTA (parent teacher association) and even becoming a magistrate and encouraging our family members to do the same. These are just some of the small steps that we can take to begin to make a change.
But what if you're white? You’re probably thinking, 'what can I possibly do?'
Firstly, we can all begin by educating ourselves, with the knowledge you now have, stand up for your black friends, colleagues or family members in some cases. Knowledge is power! Educate others around you, teach your children right from wrong. Use your white privilege because whether or not we like to believe it, white privilege exists. Honestly, all these actions mirror each other and if we all do our part we are bound to see real change.
While taking all these actions, it is vital that we don't forget the way Jesus would have done things, with love. But that's not to say we can't be hard and disciplined, even when approaching something with love, we can still challenge people without sinning. The church can play a huge part in catalyzing change also, and honestly, I believe we can have a major shift if all churches get involved in this. If the church were trying to live out this Eden Ideal, we could accomplish a lot. Church leaders have a responsibility to champion and uphold these causes because a lot of the church family will follow as they lead by example and this is why we should also be pushing these agendas with our church leaders, we all have a part to play in making a change. This is the time for all churches to work together,
this is the time for the church to show people it’s values as we fight for what is right!
As it says in Amos 5:23-24;
Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
It is time for us to rise together and make our world a better place because without justice, there already is no peace for the oppressed and vulnerable members of our communities.
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