Five Card Draw, Races Wild
I had an interesting conversation with a parent this morning during my planning hour. Last night, I went down my parent contact list trying to make sure all of my students' contact numbers are correct. Some are, some aren't, some I don't know. I got a call back from the grandmother (primary caretaker) of one of my white students. About five minutes into the conversation, she asked me, "Are you a white teacher?" Didn't click at first, but when I said yes, she said, "Well tell him that he may have to go to school with those n*****s, but he doesn't have to act like them!" After school I pulled him aside and repeated the message (censored version), reminded him that I totally disagree with her statement, but I understand her sentiment -- that she wants him to do well in school and not play around.
In regular ed 8th grade at SHCMS, we have five white students out of 77 currently on the roster. My high school was a similar case without quite as much disparity, I think we had a dozen out of 58 who graduated. Still, every white student at Coushatta High School had at least one class in four years where they were the only white person. It wasn't a guarantee, but it was still highly likely. Of that dozen, maybe half went to college, and only two of us have finished off so far. In my case, it was the marching band (among other instances). At our height of 60-something members who went to district festival, we had three white students; my senior year, I was the only one. During our breaks, we even acted like a minority by all hanging out together. White people who didn't hang out with that group were viewed somewhat as traitors and outsiders, although occasionally we'd have one or two black people hang out in our group.
So, out of all of the white students who were in my grade during four years at CHS, two of us ended up with a four year degree (both taking more than four years). Now, all of us who made it through that had a unique perspective, as do the white kids in St. Helena. I'd say 80% of the white people in America never have the experience of being the only white person in a group of more than three people, as 80% of black people will never be in the majority in mainstream society. If this opportunity is taken properly, those white students who have this unique opportunity will be able to sympathize with black co-workers and subordinates when/if ever they get into a position of influence in the working world.
As for me, I had black friends growing up and we operated like there was nothing strange...just happened to have a different skin color & hair type, mostly because that's how it was, and that's how my parents raised me. When I got to middle school, I was on the one bus that was mostly black kids, and we swore they were taking over. It was only when I pulled out the yearbook to prove my point that I was proven horribly wrong! Turns out that at this school of 300, there were only 30 black students. When I came to college, I found myself under the leadership of two mighty men of God, Zack & Julius, who happened to be African-American. When I joined the Guard, I found myself on a crew with four other airmen, a chief and the first sergeant, and turns out I was the only white guy; I honestly think nobody else noticed. And the examples go on.
It's hard to make absolute rulings when the lines get blurry. I have a student that i know has a white father, but he's listed as black; another student in the same class appears black, but is on the roster as white. In all actuality, aren't they both? or are they neither? Coming from a white mindset, the child of an interracial couple still turns out black because they are darker than the white parent, and for so long that was ingrained in the American mindset as "tainting" whiteness. But if you think about it from the other side, a child of mixed races is lighter than the darker parent, and the same principle applies in reverse.
Nevertheless, though the lines may blur, they still exist...somewhere. In the South, it generally turns out that there are two groups: black and not black. Since asians and hispanics are so sparse in mainstream southern culture, they generally assimilate into the white culture, hence the "not black" category. This is seen most prevalent in our churches. It's nothing to have an asian or hispanic person in a white church, but it's something when they have even one black member, and the case is the same in black churches when one white person shows up; only difference is, there are far fewer hispanics and asians in black churches.
This leads me to believe there is a linear spectrum of white and black churches, with God's purpose to be balanced right in the middle. I drew up this chart to give you a picture (not to scale).
Now, to clarify, regions 1 & 5 are so named because they take so much pride in their race that it becomes awkward for an outsider to be there. To the black churches' credit and the white churches' debt, I have never felt awkward in any black church I've visited, nor have I ever been discouraged by a black brother in Christ. On the flip side, I did get snubbed in a Methodist church (a church I was baptized in 19 years before!) when I showed up with blue hair.
Regions 2 & 4 are churches that have the right attitude about race and are very loving and accepting when the opportunity presents itself, but for the most part it just doesn't present itself.
Region 3 is exactly where God wants the church to be -- not only to accept people of both races, but for them to be involved, somewhat in proportion to the population of the area. These churches, whether the senior pastor is black or white, whether they have a rock band or a gospel choir or a stodgy organ and hymn book, are truly in God's will. This is the case not because they see their church as a white or a black church, but as the body of Christ and that race is really only as important as our culture has told us it is.
So what does that mean for the rest of us? For those in Region 3, keep on trucking; 2 & 4, actively reach out to everyone, in spite of their race; for regions 1 & 5, you may be doing plenty of other things right, but it's time to repent because you're in danger of hindering someone from hearing the Gospel.
Lastly, going back to the pre-set white mindset, white churches have to stop looking at helping black people as an obligation of the wealthy. This, as I have witnessed, tends to make more people cynical about the people they're helping than sympathetic. Being charitable becomes a chore for those with means instead of a blessing upon the giver, and while it may appear holy on the outside, in reality it is wretched, as a religious action without even a taste of the heart of God in it.
[thanks for sticking around all the way through this, ya'll. I'm long-winded tonight, having not blogged in forever]
In regular ed 8th grade at SHCMS, we have five white students out of 77 currently on the roster. My high school was a similar case without quite as much disparity, I think we had a dozen out of 58 who graduated. Still, every white student at Coushatta High School had at least one class in four years where they were the only white person. It wasn't a guarantee, but it was still highly likely. Of that dozen, maybe half went to college, and only two of us have finished off so far. In my case, it was the marching band (among other instances). At our height of 60-something members who went to district festival, we had three white students; my senior year, I was the only one. During our breaks, we even acted like a minority by all hanging out together. White people who didn't hang out with that group were viewed somewhat as traitors and outsiders, although occasionally we'd have one or two black people hang out in our group.
So, out of all of the white students who were in my grade during four years at CHS, two of us ended up with a four year degree (both taking more than four years). Now, all of us who made it through that had a unique perspective, as do the white kids in St. Helena. I'd say 80% of the white people in America never have the experience of being the only white person in a group of more than three people, as 80% of black people will never be in the majority in mainstream society. If this opportunity is taken properly, those white students who have this unique opportunity will be able to sympathize with black co-workers and subordinates when/if ever they get into a position of influence in the working world.
As for me, I had black friends growing up and we operated like there was nothing strange...just happened to have a different skin color & hair type, mostly because that's how it was, and that's how my parents raised me. When I got to middle school, I was on the one bus that was mostly black kids, and we swore they were taking over. It was only when I pulled out the yearbook to prove my point that I was proven horribly wrong! Turns out that at this school of 300, there were only 30 black students. When I came to college, I found myself under the leadership of two mighty men of God, Zack & Julius, who happened to be African-American. When I joined the Guard, I found myself on a crew with four other airmen, a chief and the first sergeant, and turns out I was the only white guy; I honestly think nobody else noticed. And the examples go on.
It's hard to make absolute rulings when the lines get blurry. I have a student that i know has a white father, but he's listed as black; another student in the same class appears black, but is on the roster as white. In all actuality, aren't they both? or are they neither? Coming from a white mindset, the child of an interracial couple still turns out black because they are darker than the white parent, and for so long that was ingrained in the American mindset as "tainting" whiteness. But if you think about it from the other side, a child of mixed races is lighter than the darker parent, and the same principle applies in reverse.
Nevertheless, though the lines may blur, they still exist...somewhere. In the South, it generally turns out that there are two groups: black and not black. Since asians and hispanics are so sparse in mainstream southern culture, they generally assimilate into the white culture, hence the "not black" category. This is seen most prevalent in our churches. It's nothing to have an asian or hispanic person in a white church, but it's something when they have even one black member, and the case is the same in black churches when one white person shows up; only difference is, there are far fewer hispanics and asians in black churches.
This leads me to believe there is a linear spectrum of white and black churches, with God's purpose to be balanced right in the middle. I drew up this chart to give you a picture (not to scale).
Now, to clarify, regions 1 & 5 are so named because they take so much pride in their race that it becomes awkward for an outsider to be there. To the black churches' credit and the white churches' debt, I have never felt awkward in any black church I've visited, nor have I ever been discouraged by a black brother in Christ. On the flip side, I did get snubbed in a Methodist church (a church I was baptized in 19 years before!) when I showed up with blue hair.
Regions 2 & 4 are churches that have the right attitude about race and are very loving and accepting when the opportunity presents itself, but for the most part it just doesn't present itself.
Region 3 is exactly where God wants the church to be -- not only to accept people of both races, but for them to be involved, somewhat in proportion to the population of the area. These churches, whether the senior pastor is black or white, whether they have a rock band or a gospel choir or a stodgy organ and hymn book, are truly in God's will. This is the case not because they see their church as a white or a black church, but as the body of Christ and that race is really only as important as our culture has told us it is.
So what does that mean for the rest of us? For those in Region 3, keep on trucking; 2 & 4, actively reach out to everyone, in spite of their race; for regions 1 & 5, you may be doing plenty of other things right, but it's time to repent because you're in danger of hindering someone from hearing the Gospel.
Lastly, going back to the pre-set white mindset, white churches have to stop looking at helping black people as an obligation of the wealthy. This, as I have witnessed, tends to make more people cynical about the people they're helping than sympathetic. Being charitable becomes a chore for those with means instead of a blessing upon the giver, and while it may appear holy on the outside, in reality it is wretched, as a religious action without even a taste of the heart of God in it.
[thanks for sticking around all the way through this, ya'll. I'm long-winded tonight, having not blogged in forever]