Houston, we have a problem.
*Please forgive me for the long and late post but this one was hard….professors please don’t count these few words toward my word count..haha”
Intro
In his book “Shame: how America’s past sins have polarized our country.” Steele makes a case that the issue of America’s past (namely racism) has diminished dramatically, if not altogether. Steele bases this on his trust that America has held up its end of the bargain since the civil rights movement of the 60s. Now minorities have the same opportunities as their counterparts; they just need to stop depending on the wrong political ideology.
My Personal Feelings
Now I will tell you before you even start diving into my post that I wrote this post and deleted it. I rewrote it and deleted it again. I prayed, rewrote it, and finally felt good enough to post it. I have tried to remove my experiences from this post, but I couldn’t shake the need to share a few of them briefly. I have seen and experienced firsthand the evils of racism. Though I wish it were as easy as pulling myself up by my bootstraps or following a particular political ideology, the issue of racism is much more nuanced than the author lets on. People may not be burning crosses or making me go to a “coloreds” only drinking fountain, but I have been judged plenty of times on my skin color instead of my character. I have vivid memories of having guns pulled on me for walking into a store in a sundown town (they still exist you can look them up). Or my baby being denied proper medical treatment because she was mixed, thank God I knew someone that sat on the hospital board. Or being arrested on the spot because I looked like someone they were looking for though I never matched the description, just the wrong place at the wrong time. Or being taken to jail on a whim only to spend time in jail, fight it for months in court, lose the case, and have them mysteriously drop the case and charges from my record because the cop that arrested me admitted to it being a setup. So, I vehemently disagree with this book though not in its entirety.
Where I Agree, loosely
Though I have issues with the book, he made some valid points that I agree with. Like when he discussed social programs that he lumps all together and calls “The Good,” In his book, he writes, “So the actual purpose of The Good became absolution for the American people and the government and not actual reform for minorities.[1]” I agree the social programs do seem to create a problem, but Steele and I do not come to the same conclusion as to why. Steele concludes that “Post-1960s welfare policies, the proliferation of “identity politics” and group preferences, and all the grandiose social interventions of the War on Poverty and the Great Society— all this was meant to redeem the nation from its bigoted past,[2]” I would suggest that these programs were never meant to redeem but that’s another post.
He also discusses that during an invitation to speak at a conference, he encourages an end to white guilt “When my turn came, I said that what I wanted most for America was an end to white guilt, or at least an ebbing of this guilt into insignificance.[3]” He then goes onto define white guilt as “a terror that has caused whites to act guiltily toward minorities even when they feel no actual guilt.[4]” As a black male who lives in both black culture and white culture (my wife is white), I would agree with this. It would be beneficial to have an “ebbing of this guilt into insignificance” so that we can have honest conversations about race with our white brothers and sisters without them fearing the idea of being considered racist. This is where I end my loose agreement with Steele.
My Reaction
I was angry and frustrated and thought it was arrogant and pretentious in certain places. It felt like Steele was diminishing the experience of minorities since the 60’s all because it would seem that since he came out of “real” racism, the racism of today is not real but contrived because of our dependence on failed political and social ideologies.
In his book, he leaves out a vital thought: the idea of restoring dignity to those who have been wronged. For hundreds of years, the dignity of minorities has been stripped, abused, trampled, robbed, and shattered. To assume that all is good now because of a few programs, a few years of separation from overt racism, and sound political ideologies are asinine.
Dignity is a God given gift for every human being. This vision of dignity can be seen at the beginning of the book of Genesis. It is there before anything was deformed, tainted, or infected with sin, that we catch a glimpse of God-given dignity and value for all people. Genesis 1:27 states, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” All humans were created in God’s image. God did not create humanity just like him in form because God has no physical body. Instead, humans are reflections of God’s glory. Author Jemar Tisby wrote, “…Christianity teaches that all people are made in the very image of God. We are God’s crowning creation, and each person is precious simply because they are human. Their physical appearance—including skin color—are a part of bearing God’s image and should be respected as such.[5]” For hundreds of years, the “imago dei” in minorities has been oppressed and suppressed through racism and until that dignity is restored we cannot expect true process.
[1] Steele, Shelby. Shame : How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, Basic Books, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, 64
[2] Steele, Shelby. Shame : How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, Basic Books, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, 7
[3] Steele, Shelby. Shame : How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, Basic Books, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, 7
[4] Steele, Shelby. Shame : How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, Basic Books, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, 7
[5] Tisby, Jemar. 2021. How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey toward Racial Justice. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
14 responses to “Houston, we have a problem.”
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Thank you for such an honest post. I’m glad you wrote it and posted it.
Your courage in sharing your experience in this post touches on the part of Steele that I do find compelling: honest conversation.
In the example Steele shared with the swim coach, I was struck by how I related but also how one-sided the conversation was. It is difficult to have conversations and truly, completely hear another person takes time and dialogue. That’s when people experience dignity.
What I am struggling with in Steele’s work is how we can restore human dignity on a macro level (to help the most people) and the genuine change that only happens on the micro level.
If you are comfortable sharing, how have you been able to maintain your dignity when facing blatant injustice?
Chad,
Thank you for your kind words! So growing up in the south it was par for the course. It stinks, but I just got used to it and, through that, learned how to find my voice and courage in the midst of racism. The way I maintain my dignity is to remind myself who I am in Christ but also who I am in my community. I stopped giving much weight to people outside that do not know me.
Chad,
I really appreciate your question in regards to restoring dignity on a macro level. This has been a huge part of my study around mission in the church and how our mission can actually strip the dignity of those we seek to serve. I would think this is part of the issue Steel had with government programs.
I agree with Daron the need to remember one’s identity in Christ and those the healing of one’s dignity becomes an individual journey.
I wonder if there is a macro way to heal the loss of dignity or if it is a process done over generations with honest conversation… I am not sure I have a great answer either I just think its a very important conversation to have.
Awesome post, Daron. I appreciate your honesty and I am grossly sickened by racism. Your experiences hurt my heart and I’m glad we had a discussion on this subject on my blog. I prayed on this and I also did my best to view all of these discussions with a different lens. After reading your post, I have to say, I probably would not hold a lot of my views had I experienced what you have. I don’t understand this dysfunctional world. I see racism as evil and part of the dark forces that do everything they can to bring us down, divide us, and kill our Spirits. We are all beautiful in God’s eyes and that is the lens I pray more people use on this subject. I love you, brother. Great post.
Michael,
I’m with you! I do not understand it either, and I wish for the life of me that it was nonexistent. What gives me hope is that we can actually have honest conversations about race and walk away loving one another. The conversation is meaningful, but also a place to have it in safety without being judged is just as important. If we can create more opportunities like this, maybe we can do something more about the ugliness of racism.
Daron, Thank you so much for your post and for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences. I so appreciate hearing your story and it was helpful to hear about areas where you completely disagree with Steele and areas where you “agree, loosely.” Your section on dignity and the need to go back to the book of Genesis to be reminded of how God intended people to be seen and valued, was powerful. Thank you. I’m glad for the chance to be learning from and alongside you and the other people in our cohort. Grateful for your words.
Thank you for your kind words Jenny!
Daron, your post is powerful; thanks for sharing your difficult personal experiences. I had to google “Sundown Towns.” That is horrible hearing such towns still exist in America. As seen elsewhere, efforts “restoring dignity” could have helped foster more peace and reconciliation. “the idea of restoring dignity to those who have been wronged.” Have there been any efforts in America for authentic reconciliation and forgiveness, such as the South African post-apartheid efforts? The quote by CS Lewis came to mind “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” Realistic dialogue on truth and reconciliation would so a much better justice to all and, hopefully, create a much better future.
Jean,
Great question. I believe their have been small pockets at attempted reconciliation, but here in the USA, people are generally afraid to speak about race honestly with one another. That needs to change if we ever hope to have true reconciliation.
Deron,
Thank you for your blog.
It sounds like you put a lot of thought and editing into it. I know you wanted to communicate your views well. Thank you for sharing from your personal experience. I am trying to wrap my mind around the time you spent in jail and how you needed to go to court over this.
When I read this, I stopped to think:
“In his book, he leaves out a vital thought: the idea of restoring dignity to those who have been wronged.”
I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this. I agree with Jenny and your references in Genesis.
I also would be interested in hearing your thoughts re. Mandela and Desmond Tutu and how they responded to racism.
Kristy,
Thanks for your questions. So my initial project when I started the program was racism in the evangelical church so I have a lot of resources and things about this topic. But I think dignity is crucial in restoration. When someone or a group of people are violated, in order to restore we must seek forgiveness and help restore the dignity that was stripped. This also plays into my thoughts about LGBTQIA+ but I’ll leave that for another post. 🙂
Concerning dignity, it is our entire self that reflects the image of God to the world. Humanity can never be totally like God because he is our creator but we have an auspicious opportunity to reflect his character. Knowing that we have this amazing gift of carrying God’s image and sharing in his characteristics (the ability for love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness) provides humans with a solid basis for our self-worth. Our worth is not based on achievements, popularity, financial gain, types of sin, who you love, who you marry or race. Instead, our value is derived from being made in God’s image. Because all humans bear God’s image and when we exclude a group of people for not being like us, we are rejecting an image of God in them.
Daron, I want to weep at your experiences even as I must acknowledge how I have contributed to such experiences in my own life. Thank you for sharing. I am not sure I have much to add to the other responses to your post other than to be an intercessor and come before you humbly on behalf of white people and say I am truly sorry for what you have (and continue to) experienced because of the color of your skin. You are a beautiful person and I am privileged to know you.
Thanks, Becca!
Daron, Thank you for being honest in your response. I struggled with my thoughts on this book as well. I am in a mixed racial marriage and have seen first hand the way racism in the south is very much a real and active thing. I have also seen the struggle with having conversations around race between friends who don’t know what to say or how to say it because they are afraid of doing something wrong and being thought of a racist. There must be some middle ground here between “real” racism and “white guilt”. I think your point to the importance of dignity and acknowledging humanity in each other is a huge part of how the healing begins.