God, Grace and Racism

Like most people in the United States, I was heartbroken when I learned about the slaying of nine members of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina.  I was overwhelmed by this event, especially due to it's significance within a history of violence against Black churches and Black people.  Living on the border, I have begun to fully realize, for the first time, the ways in which our society consistently marginalizes and abuses people of color.  On the border, this racism is embodied in unjust immigration policies, racial profiling, and the death, detainment, and deportation of mainly Latino migrants.  On the border and in our nation, this racism is embodied in the death and incarceration of countless young Black men, hate crimes, and unequal access to education, job opportunities, and healthcare for people of color.  Recently, these injustices have felt almost unbearable for me.  As a privileged White woman, I am not as aware of these inequities because I do not have to face them everyday.  I merely wake up to these injustices, ever time there is a large national events.

God's children at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, SC 

As an educated college student, I naively thought I was knowledgable about these issues as I had learned about institutionalized racism, slavery, and various forms of oppression in classes.  But it is very different when you are surrounded and immersed by issues of race.  These issues affect you differently when your friend tells to you about leaving a job because they were racist towards her.  These issues cut more deeply when you tell someone your roommate doesn't like hiking and they assume it's because she's Black.  You start to see patterns when your friend is denied a driver's license and a college education because of his immigration status.  It startles you when you realize you haven't had to learn about or protest this because you are White.  Our society usually caters to you with you having to do anything. PHRASING

Amidst these daunting, depressing thoughts and realizations, I have found strength in my YAV community, my church, and the Tucson activist circles.  The Sunday after the Charleston shooting, my pastor, Rev. Bart Smith of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, compared the gigantic monster of racism to Goliath from the story of David and Goliath.  We are David and we must be brave, patient, and purposeful as we throw little stones at the beast's head.  As Bart held up a small river rock, he reminded us that the monster of racism is not only external, it also resides in the deep, dark cavities of our heart.  We must work to cleanse ourselves of our own prejudices as well as working in community.

Recently, I listened to President Obama's eulogy for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, one of the pastors of Emanuel A.M.E. Church.  It gave me much hope, clarity, and peace.  I strongly recommend listening to his wise words.  I'd like to reflect of some of things he said.

"Clem was often asked why he chose to be a pastor and a public servant. But the person who asked probably didn’t know the history of AME Church.  As our brothers and sisters in the AME Church, we don’t make those distinctions. “Our calling,” Clem once said, “is not just within the walls of the congregation but the life and community in which our congregation resides.”

I deeply respect the AME Church for the longstanding commitment to fight for justice for all people.  During my YAV year, I have had the opportunity to worship in churches like Southside Presbyterian Church and St. Mark's Presbyterian Church who try to live out the gospel every day of the week, not just on Sunday morning.  They live out their faith by providing sanctuary for migrants, putting water out in the desert, visiting migrants in detention, and advocating for humane policies.

"We do not know whether the killer of Reverend Pinckney and eight others knew all of this history, but he surely sensed the meaning of his violent act. It was an act that drew on a long history of bombs and arson and shots fired at churches, not random but as a means of control, a way to terrorize and oppress, an act that he imagined would incite fear and recrimination, violence and suspicion, an act that he presumed would deepen divisions that trace back to our nation’s original sin.

Oh, but God works in mysterious ways.
God has different ideas.
He didn’t know he was being used by God.

Blinded by hatred, the alleged killer would not see the grace surrounding Reverend Pinckney and that Bible study group, the light of love that shown as they opened the church doors and invited a stranger to join in their prayer circle.

The alleged killer could have never anticipated the way the families of the fallen would respond when they saw him in court in the midst of unspeakable grief, with words of forgiveness.  [Video below]  He couldn’t imagine that."

When I learned about the shooting, the first thing I thought was, "Why? Why would God let this happen this to His people?"  Although I do not believe that Dylan Roof's actions were part of a divine  plan or necessary for people to come together, I do believe God works in mysterious ways. I was blown away when I heard the victim's families forgiving Roof, just days after he had murdered their loved ones.  God's grace and love are boundless and impossible to predict or define.

According to the Christian tradition, grace is not earned. Grace is not merited. It’s not something we deserve. Rather, grace is the free and benevolent favor of God.... By taking down that flag, we express God’s grace.

This has helped me understand my name, Grace, as an action.  We can embody God's grace through racial reconciliation, by loving our neighbors, advocating for our neighbors and fighting for a Kingdom-like world alongside our neighbors.

Below are some questions I am still pondering.  If you have any ideas or answers please let me know.

Why would God create a world where such horrible things happen?
How can we forgive people while still holding them accountable for their hurtful actions?
How can I, as an ally, express God's grace?