Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The End of Race Politics
Background
People have divided themselves and others into groups for millennia. Ancient tribal and clan structures allowed families to share resources and protect one another from harm. As knowledge of agricultural practices took root, nomadic lifestyles were replaced with settlements. Social hierarchies formed organically and were based on wealth,
land ownership, and labor. A major consequence of this was the human invention of indentured servitude and slavery. Mostly extinct from the mid-14th century, contract and forced labor picked up again in the 16th century when the “Discovery of America, and of the Western and Eastern coasts of Africa, gave occasion to the revival of it”[1] as noted in John Wesley’s book, Thoughts Upon Slavery. Natural human groupings that later led to the unnatural subjugation of people are deeply intertwined, and while the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, society still perpetuates the sin of what has transformed into modern-day racism.
For this assignment, I considered The End of Race Politics by Coleman Hughes, arguing that America should have colorblind policies.
The Author’s Views
Coleman Hughes is a 28-year-old Black author whose controversial writings have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more. He also testified before the U.S. Congress in 2019 against race reparations, and last March, was metaphorically skewered on the daytime talk show, The View by host Sunny Hostin, as she hammered against his argument for a colorblind America.
Hughes acknowledges that, as humans, we see race. It is unavoidable, so we should always be aware of our biases
formed from our lived experiences. But he says, “We should do our very best to treat people without regard to race.” [2] In Dr. Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, Hughes concurs that it’s better to consider one’s character and the deeper qualities of being human over skin color.
In the book, Not So Black and White, author Kenan Malik talks about identity politics and how “Today, we think about race primarily in terms of skin color or the continent of origin”[3] (black, white, Asian, and so on). However, 19th-century leaders had different ways of grouping people, such as Black, White, Asian, laborers, and farmhands. Yes, “19th-century thinkers looked upon the working class as a racial group.”[4] This thought caused me to look up current groupings categories utilized by the U.S. Census Bureau: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Middle Eastern or Northern African, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and White. Stepping back into the 18th century, we would have found categories such as “free white females,” “slaves,” and “all other free persons.”[5]
My Views and Conclusion
There is so much more to be said about this topic, but alas, it is time to wrap things up. Hughes argues that “Colorblindness is the wisest principle by which to govern our fragile experiment in multi-ethnic democracy.” [6] He loosely argues that a social class system is a better gauge of accurately describing the population because poverty and wealth touch all racial and ethnic groups. While I agree, I still lean toward a Biblical view that emphasizes unity among believers.
Galatians 3:28 says, “In Christ, there is no division based on ethnicity, class, or gender.”[7] Ephesians 4:3 encourages maintaining unity in the Spirit. In the New Testament, James 2:1-4 warns against favoritism and discrimination based upon wealth and that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of social status.
What a beautiful image! Yet, the reality is that those who are disenfranchised and need the most support are categorized into a variety of racial and ethnic groups. Still, there are flaws even in that system, and as the world advances into dimensions beyond simple racial and ethnic categories, it will become increasingly difficult to accurately categorize any one group, which is why leaders in the future will need to find a new path.
I’ll close with a quote from Derrick Bell, a legendary figure and the first African American tenured by Harvard Law School, who said, “Facing the inconvenient truth that America may suffer from an incurable, potentially fatal disease helps to clarify what we’re up against.”[8] As much as I would love to think that we all should aim for a Christian Kingdom approach, I know other faith systems would disagree. How we navigate toward the middle will require God to blend our human strengths and deficits into a new story that reveals His glory – something we cannot see in our current state.
[1] Wesley, John. Thoughts Upon Slavery. Classic. Vol. XI. The Works of John Wesley. London: Lettel Books, 1773. P.3
[2] Hughes, Coleman. “ABC News: The View.” The View. Last modified 2024. Accessed October 30, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwEq38aL9M.
[3] Malik, Kenan. Not so Black and White: A History of Race from White Supremacy to Identity Politics. London: Hurst & Company, 2023. P. 4.
[4] Ibid. p.5
[5] Karklis, Laris, and Emily Badger. “Every Term the Census Has Used to Describe Americas Racial Amd Ethnic Groups since 1790.” Washington Post, November 4, 2015.
[6] Hughes, Coleman. The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America. New York: Thesis, 2024. P.xvii
[7] “Bible Gateway Passage: Galatians 3:28 – New International Version.” Bible Gateway. Accessed October 30, 2024. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203%3A28&version=NIV.
About the Author
Jennifer Eckert
Fundraising director, people connector, believer in second chances, fights poverty, supports justice reform, lives a life integrated with Matthew 25.15 responses to “Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The End of Race Politics”
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Well said Jennifer. Racism and the history of it is such a challenging topic to dive into. So many times people have tried to have me focus simply on the racial challenges of Somali here in MN but it is a topic that carries so much weight that I tried to not go too deep into it. How might this topic pertain to your NPO? I see you quote Wesley here and wonder if racism is a factor that you are exploring.
The problem of racial bias and its impact is hard to avoid when addressing matters related to incarceration, but my goal is to stay focused on an NPO prototype that is colorblind.
Jennifer, thank you for this post. I know you have done a lot of reading and deeply explored racism. In your discovery, what is a practical application Christian leaders can do to advocate for unity in a world that is not yet colorblind and does not hold to Kingdom values?
I have rarely heard this done, but Christian churches can coordinate plans for their pastors to be “itinerant” for a Sunday or perhaps for an entire month. This can be a very eye-opening experience for everyone, especially if they serve temporarily in a very different type of church (a different denomination) or in a different ethnic community. I would love to see more of this “welcoming one another into our houses of worship.”
Jennifer,
First, sorry this is fresh on my mind because I lectured on Arab Americans Monday night. According to the US Census Bureau, the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) classification on the 2020 census was strictly a write in option under the White racial category. Interestingly the new FAFSA form now asks an ethnicity question that also includes European Countries. This almost seems like we are going backwards and makes me think of the Identity Trap book from Spring Semester. I think there is value in understanding and preserving our cultural heritage but why the seemingly sudden interest in tracking it and as you said “as the world advances into dimensions beyond simple racial and ethnic categories, it will become increasingly difficult to accurately categorize any one group.” I don’t think I could tell you all the various European countries my descendants were from.
Let me ask you a question that all the students in my Cultural and Human Diversity must answer. Growing up, what were you taught about race and ethnicity in your family and community including your church?
That’s a wonderful question, Jeff. I’m glad you asked your students and me. I was raised by a single mother in a low-middle-class white community, while my public school district was approximately 50% Caucasian and about 30% Black. I was taught that race didn’t matter, yet at times, it did come up on both sides, and discrimination was seen, felt, and experienced.
I did not attend church until my 40s, so faith was not a factor, but kindness was always a leading quality. Acceptance was high on the radar because you could always feel or sense when you were welcomed. Sometimes, it was a sideways look of distrust, while other times, there were soft words of an open heart.
My mother was a child of the 50s and 60s when the racial divide was significant. She talks openly about having to rewire her childhood training with new beliefs that “we all bleed red.” For her, the Oklahoma City Bombing was a significant event that helped erase narrow beliefs, followed by a second experience when a childhood friend’s father experienced a heart attack and died in his driveway across the street. My mother was first on the scene to help him. Since then, she has been a staunch advocate for reconciliation of anyone “different.”
Thanks for wrestling with this, Jennifer. In some ways, I agree with the author. However, God created us all, loves the diversity of humanity and is redeeming every tribe, tongue and nation. You could argue that God sees colour, and he loves it! Perhaps in elevating the positive aspects of each people group, and honouring the image of God in each people group, we might address some of these problems. How might the church celebrate and honour what God loves?
I appreciated the courage of this young author to propose a different perspective about race; however, I disagreed that class systems should replace it. My argument is that God loves all his children and, to your point, loves the colors they are.
Honestly, I don’t have an answer to your million-dollar question. My surface response says to invite different groups of people to church, but that isn’t practical or sustainable in a system of neighborhood churches; however, I am familiar with churches that provide transportation for people living in transition homes after prison. I wish I had a better answer. I think we’d all advocate for it. Simply loving people as Jesus loves them doesn’t seem to resonate enough to move people into action in most cases.
Graham – I just remembered a beautiful experience that my UMC church had two years ago when we celebrated Ramadan with the local Turkish community. The “why didn’t we think of that” moment came when they humbly brought all the food AND their Turkish community members to our church. All of our members were invited to attend (about 35 did), but I called it a “Ramadan Road Show.” It was fabulous. My dear friend, Muhammad, offered us a ppt. overview of Ramadan, and we all got a free book about it. I can’t imagine what it cost them to do this same experience at multiple Christian churches, but they did it. It was monumental and writing this response prompted me to call Muhammad. He and his family have been to my house numerous times, and we always offer Halal food in those times.
Thanks for this helpful post Jennifer! How has the text shaped who you are becoming as a leader and the vocation God has called you to?
God calls me to push the envelope and lean into different. For example, I am currently organizing a ministry fundraiser that will be held in December. The audience is the local Black community, and the location is a mother-daughter Black-owned restaurant with soul food. My heart is authentic in bringing more partners into the ministry that I’m employed with, especially given the significant impact that incarceration has on Oklahoma’s Black community.
In the seven years I worked at a local food bank, and two years at my current job, we have never held a fundraiser in the Black community. I am looking forward to this first-ever opportunity to engage.
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for your post. Your passion for people who are disenfranchised is encouraging and yet brings out the sad reality that we are not where we need to be yet. Do you have any thoughts on what can move our neighborhood closer to God’s vision of race and community?
Hi friend, forgive me, but I am going to paste a response I just posted to Graham because he asked a question similar to yours. I had an “oh, I forgot to mention” moment, which is why it is framed as such.
Graham – I just remembered a beautiful experience that my UMC church had two years ago when we celebrated Ramadan with the local Turkish community. The “why didn’t we think of that” moment came when they humbly brought all the food AND their Turkish community members to our church. All our members were invited to attend (about 35 did), but I called it a “Ramadan Road Show.” It was fabulous. My dear friend, Muhammad, offered us a ppt. overview of Ramadan, and we all got a free book about it. I can’t imagine what it cost them to do this same experience at multiple Christian churches, but they did it. It was monumental, and writing this response prompted me to call Muhammad. He and his family have been to my house numerous times, and we always offer Halal food in those times.
Hey Jennifer, sorry to give you one more comment to reply to, but you picked a good topic.
As I was reading your post, I kept thinking about “The Identity Trap” that we read last year. It sounds like Hughes would have agreed with much of what Mounk wrote. What do you think about that? And how do you respond, say, to the people on The View giving Hughes a hard time?
You are right on point about the correlation with Mounk’s work in The Identity Trap. In fact, Coleman often references his work. One of Mounk’s statements reads, “A key goal of politics is to create a world in which we collectively realize that the things we share across identity lines are more important than the things that divide us.” I couldn’t agree more. As far as Coleman’s reception on the View, I see that as a natural result of his introduction of a new idea that counters the normal message of racism. He is saying that classism is a better way to group people accurately (I agree), but the author stops there. I want to go on and say that we need to work to overcome classism, sexism, racism, and all the other isms that hold us back from being fully in alignment with God’s Kingdom. All those “isms” also hold us back from being fully in relationship with each other. Bless you, friend.