"Racism is an American problem, not a southern issue."
The title of this post is a quote from Boo Tyson, who spoke this morning at staff chapel. Boo Tyson is the sister to Timothy Tyson, author of Blood Done Sign My Name - a personal story about race relations in North Carolina in 1970. Some quotes from the message by Boo Tyson:
What seemed to be the world gone mad (experiencing racial tension when she was young), was actually the world the way that it is.
Racism is an American problem, not a southern issue.
White supremacy has shaped us more than we would like to admit.
From her grandfather - "If God were small enough for me to figure out, then God would not be big enough for me to worship."
Good news is not enough, it takes work and sacrifice to make things happen.
These are just a few points of the message that spoke to me. I am aware that within the congregation which I serve and the friends with whom I am most often in contact there is little racial diversity. This is something that I self-consciously share. Boo called the staff to be intentional about experiencing, learning about, learning from and actively valuing other cultures. This is something to which I feel called in ministry and in my personal life. I will need to be active in seeking ways to live my faith in this area.