This was written by a professor at Oklahoma Baptist University. It touched me.
Privilege
What is it?
“a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.”
— New Oxford American Dictionary
Based upon what I have seen and heard from the time I was a wee little boy to my middle-aged self, individuals placed on my path have endeavored to preach this gospel:
Whites are privileged.
Blacks are not.
Iterations of the above philosophy have taken various shapes and sizes depending on the country or community I’d find myself.
Haiti ~ “You sing like a ‘blanc’ (a white person).”
“Our country is so _____ (fill in your preferred adjective) because of white Europeans and Americans.”
Dominican Republic ~ “You, black Haitians, stink; go back where you came from.”
Israel ~ “Stop talking. Who are you to say anything about the Palestinian issue? In the US, you don’t even have a voice as a black person.”
Frankfurt, Germany ~ (Person takes one look at me on the train and gets as far from me as possible for fear I’d do . . . what exactly?)
Canada ~ “Lou, don’t you dare wait for the cab outside in the middle of the night! I don’t want the local police to think you shouldn’t be here.”
United States ~ “Why do you insist on performing ‘white music’?”
“White communities have all the power and money. What do you expect?”
“I like you, Lou. You’re an Oreo. You’re the whitest black person I know.”
“You’re such an Oreo. Do you hate your own people?”
“I see you. I hear you. I know I’m privileged and you’re not. I fear for you. Your plight will not change unless I do something for you.”
—————————————
Hmmm.
I truly, truly appreciate the motivation behind stating the circumstances of this lamentable world. One can even say without the determination of many influencers from the past to fight tooth and nail, to pillage and burn, and even to kill white supremacists, a person of my hue couldn’t possibly dream of being where I am. But where exactly IS that?
A place where I am lauded when my words are trendy.
A place where I am rejected when my words defy the status quo.
Sigh!
What a fickle summit to have reached!
See, hate has existed ever since the forbidden fruit of ‘privilege’ was taken by our forbears. Not being thankful and responsible for all they had in the Creator, Eve and Adam exchanged the bona fide privilege they already had for the counterfeit ‘privilege’ — the low hanging fruit of instant gratification the crafty serpent was dangling before their blurry eyes.
————————————-
Any time, every time I give in to the mindset of ‘them vs me’ or ‘us vs them’, my heart suffers.
I am a fixer by birth. I see injustice and I want to make it right. And since God has given me a pen to use, I’m at times tempted to hurl words onto my screen that hurt, kick, scream, vilify . . . and then what? Those very words would become shards that puncture and tear and grind and leave my own heart a hemorrhaging mess.
I understand others are so outraged by perceived age-long disparities they feel they must respond in ways I simply am not called to embrace. These words of mine are not intended to shame, blame, or demean others. Knowing my identity, I am invited to respond in a manner befitting the grace Christ has lavished upon me.
I am Lou.
I am human.
I am a man imbued with the imago Dei. When people see me, whether they like what they see or not, my calling is to reflect, to image forth the resplendent beauty of the Creator in Whose likeness I was fearfully and wonderfully made.
I am no more, no less special than Jack or Jill, Juan or Juanita, Jun or Ji-Eun, Jahmal or Jameelah.
I am Lou.
I am alive.
I am a human with functioning lungs and nostrils. When I inhale and exhale, whether others tolerate it or not, my purpose is to surrender my all to the will of the Breather in Whom I live, and move, and have my being.
I am Lou.
I am physically finite.
I am a person journeying on borrowed time, with an expiration date unknown to me. When I face a new day or season, whether others celebrate it or not, my mission is to fill my moments and minutes with the Wisdom that comes from the only wise God, the One in Whose book all the days ordained for me were written.
I am Lou.
I am privileged.
I can breathe well enough to mourn the horrific end of George Floyd, the most recent drop in an overflowing bucket of deaths. The tally is colossal and salty tears fill my eyes as I ponder the hardened hearts behind these immense losses.
Friends, picture this:
If I were to die today due to a heinous crime deemed racially charged, it will NOT be because of ‘white privilege’ often seen as “an invisible package of unearned assets” or “the freedom to move, buy, work, play, and speak freely” among other perceived rights.
If I am murdered today by someone who sees me as inferior because of the melanin content in my skin, it will be because my earthly journey has reached its appointed end—untimely, unwanted, and unwarranted though it may seem to those left behind.
Today, I am still present in your midst. No weapon, no right, no immunity, no privilege formed against me has any sway unless the Lord Himself allows it. That means, there’s still thinking, living, writing, growing, singing, working, moving, teaching, reading, playing, gardening, and speaking for me to do in grace and in truth because, thankfully, “my times are in His hands.”
Grace and truth tell me both you and I are privileged to be able to breathe because the Creator’s breath is in our lungs. And as the song goes,
“It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only.”
For me to praise Him, I have to see all of you as my equals. You and I both have learned to hate, each in our own way. Today, let’s forgive. Let’s build together realizing the pillars we need are truth and accountability (yes)
denounce evil
seek justice
demand equity
speak with passion
but combined with boatloads of grace
we all matter
we all need love
we all have breath in our lungs
we all need Christ’s transformation
If you feel unseen, there’s a God who sees.
If you feel unheard, there’s an Ear who hears.
If you feel unloved, there’s a Heart who loves all.
Come to Him!
You are privileged to have Him as Father and Friend.
Reply With Quote
