My journey learning more about racial tensions in America
How it started
Two years ago next month, I responded to a challenge tweeted out by rapper Lecrae. Lecrae’s work had caught my ear a few months before. I had always kind of liked him, sort of. I knew he was a Christian rapper, and I liked that his songs had a good beat and were appropriate to listen to in the car with Cash. That was about the extent of it, until the day that I discovered his mix tapes; Church Clothes volumes 1-3. It was a whole new world. He came out with a new album (All Things Work Together) that talked clearly about race in America, and how it felt growing up, and lots of more interesting, very personal lyrics. It was raw and real, and I was hooked. I downloaded his memoir and read it all in one sitting. When I saw a tweet challenging his followers to read The Warmth of Other Suns (and he was about the fourth person I’d heard recommend it) for Black History Month, I decided to go for it. It took me a lot longer than the month of February to finish it, but when I finally did, my perspective had shifted. It started a whole chain reaction of events that started with the books I read, and then spread to the media I consumed, and has now changed the way I think about a lot of things.
When I find a subject I’m interested in, I love to learn everything I can about it, and it seems like one book leads to another and another then another. That’s how it all started with me. I didn’t know anything about “white privilege” or “The New Jim Crow” when I started out, but I knew there was more to this race issue than saying that “I have friends that are black,” or I don’t use the “N” word or any kind of hate speech. I wanted to learn more, and find out everything I could.
My journey isn’t complete, as none of ours really are. To be honest, I’ve been a little nervous writing about any of this, being that I’m white, and historically we haven’t handled this issue too well. It didn’t feel right staying silent either. So here I offer my compromise: I want to share with you some of the books and movies that have helped me to understand a little better. This list is by no means exhaustive, it’s simply where I’ve started.
For my white friends that have found themselves saying (or thinking) that they just don’t understand why black people can’t get over it, or are still so angry…I really want to encourage you to read on. Some things can’t be fully explained through a Facebook comment, or a news headline. Sometimes you just need to hear someone’s stories.
Books
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson. This is the book I mentioned above. It’s not a quick read, but it’s a fascinating one. Wilkerson follows the larger story of the great migration of black families moving from the south to three key locations; California, Chicago, and New York. She follows three stories of individuals who migrated to each. It explores the consequences of leaving their home for strange lands, how it affected the individuals, as well as America as a whole. This book has stuck with me two years later, and is foundational.
Unashamed, by Lecrae. This isn’t a book specifically about race, but it still taught me so much. Quite simply, Lecrae talks about growing up as a black male, the things he encountered, and his conversion to Christianity. It’s not overly preachy, and I loved being able to see life through his eyes. If you really want to explore any culture or subculture outside of your own, I think reading an autobiography or memoir is 100% the way to go. Speaking of….
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. I started with the most famous of her memoirs, without even realizing she wrote many volumes. Reading this one led me to read her other 5 as well in The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (the part about Billie Holliday just broke my heart), but if you’re not feeling quite that ambitious, at least read this one.
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by Austin Channing Brown. If you only pick up one book off of this list; go with this one. Austin shares so beautifully the experience of being a black woman. She’s brave and angry and sad, and also hopeful. All the things. She doesn’t hold back, and I just love her honesty.
Born Bright: A Young Girl’s Journey from Nothing to Something in America, by C. Nicole Mason. This one is actually more about growing up in poverty in America, but her race is definitely tied into many of the stories. It’s interesting how the two are so often intertwined. It was a fascinating story, but also a deeper look at how hard it really is to pull yourself up by those famous bootstraps when you’re born into certain conditions.
Becoming by Michelle Obama. This is a “read” that I’m currently listening to on Audible during my commute. Again, not race-specific, but any memoir about a black woman growing up in America and becoming First Lady is gonna have those experiences peppered throughout. Another great example of how reading a memoir and walking around in someone else’s shoes for awhile can widen your world so much. She’s a wonderful storyteller, and her story has kept me captivated all the way.
Movies
I’m not a huge movie watcher at this point in my life (outside of kids movies), but these two that I caught on Netflix were worth mentioning.
13th (Netflix). This documentary was truly eye opening for me. It addresses an idea that seemed a little out there (to me), at first: The idea that the war on drugs was racially motivated. This was my first encounter with the concept of the “New Jim Crow,” a term to describe laws that were put into place that hinder people of color far more than others, without specifically mentioning them. It also made me sick to see the insane rate of incarcerated people in America, and the way the numbers shot so high in such a short period of time.
Imperial Dreams (Netflix). This is a fictional movie about a man who was recently released from prison. He has a little boy he’s trying to take care of, as the mother of the child is also in jail. It was a really great story, and along the same sort of theme as the book Born Bright. This time the main character made some mistakes, and is trying to be a good example to his little boy, and raise him right. He’s faced with obstacles every step of the way; things put into place to punish lawbreakers, but really keeps people from rehabilitation. It made me re-think about why certain laws are in place, and how we as a society need to do better. Not at giving handouts, but staying out of their way when someone is actually trying to do the right thing.
The only other thing I have to add is this: if you’re serious about breaking down color barriers and understanding other cultures, you need to be hanging with people who are different from you in real life. If you don’t have anyone you can reach out to, start by following people who are different from you on social media. Read books. Listen to podcasts. Check out blogs. Get out of your comfort zone. And it will be uncomfortable at times, I promise you that. Keep going. Because your world will be bigger, and your heart will be kinder, and it’s this kind of hard work that we were made for. Let’s do better for our kids.