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An Open Letter To Black People (or 'African Americans'): A Sincere Call To Racial Harmony

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An Open Letter To Black People (or 'African Americans')

A Sincere Call To Racial Harmony

By "A white person who cares about you"

Before starting this letter, dear friend, please recognize that I use the word "black" because it is in common use at present. Some may prefer the term "African-American", person of color, or some other expression. Personally I prefer "pigmentally gifted", as it has a positive connotation. But whatever terminology is used, please observe that there is no offense intended. To make things easier, I'll use the shorthand BP for black person or black people and WP for white person or white people in my letter. Again I intend no offense, but should there be any, I sincerely beg your pardon and ask you to look past the perceived (but absolutely not intended) slight. Please don't let terminology get in the way of what, I believe, is an important message. Thank you for your understanding and God bless you.

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Dear "pigmentally gifted" brothers and sisters in Christ,

I would like to say to you here what I imagine many white people would like to say to you. I can't speak for everyone, but I imagine I speak for many. This letter is written in charity and absolutely no offense is intended. Regardless of skin color, we are all God's children, and we are all dear to God. God Himself made us the color He made us. Why should we not embrace our skin color, whatever it is, because it is given to us by God? If a person is against someone because of the color of their skin, are they not against God who gave them that skin color? Do we criticize a bird or fish for their color or cherish them as coming to us from the hands of God in that color? So why not people too? Because it is true. Our skin color is not of our own making, it is from God. And all things from God are good. Black is good, white is good (and of course brown, yellow, red... too).

I next want to tell you I care about you very much. The Lord God requires me to love you, and I want to love you, and I do love you. I am genuinely sorry if you have suffered from racism. Maybe no one has ever told you this before so I will say it again: I am sorry for your suffering. Your skin color is beautiful and you have a beautiful soul made in God's image. You should never be made to feel bad about your skin color. Any who do such things are ignorant and foolish, just as someone would be if they criticized a fish or a bird for being the beautiful color God made them.

All of this being the case, I implore you to understand that all white people are NOT oppressors or white supremacists, despite the contrary viewpoint certain race-baiters assert. While they loudly scream "racism" regardless of evidence, you may be saddened to know that WP may have to live in constant fear of untrue racism charges, even if the WP in question has nothing but love for BP. It is difficult for innocent WP to have such an inequitable, life-altering threat hanging over our heads with nothing we can do about it. Such allegations should only be made when they are demonstrably true, and not as a way to insult someone or to end a discussion. Regrettably, race-baiters will not have it so.

Think for a moment though, if everything WP do or say is offensive like some black activists claim, we can never get along. It would be impossible. Do you really want to live that way? Will that really bring you or your children happiness? Will it be good for your souls? Don't you want for BP & WP to live together in harmony?

Victimization of BP occurs when black leaders tell BP they are "always" victims of WP, that every act, behavior, or word of WP is "racist". How can BP possibly live at peace with, or trust, WP when such thoughts are put in the heads of BP? It's a terrible thing for both parties. And it is not fair to either.

But what about slavery? Even white Americans today find slavery to be abhorrent, yet throughout history slavery was the "norm" - not just for BP. It was America that ultimately ENDED slavery (although it does still exist in certain places outside the U.S.). By the way, this was accomplished with much white bloodshed. Our history in this regard is a record to be proud of! Many white people gave up their lives to secure the freedom of black people. In fact, I remember reading in the news a few months ago an article which mentioned only a small percentage of the slaves came to the United States and it calculated that more white lives were lost in the American Civil War fighting for blacks' freedom than all black slaves ever brought to the United States. Think about that for a moment.

And also remember that BP sold their fellow BP into slavery. Where is the ire towards those BP? Likewise, it is true that all WP who ever held black slaves in this country died a long time ago. The offensive bondage is not the fault of anyone still living. So why are we still being blamed? Many of our families came here long after slavery was abolished, others fought against slavery. And those who didn't have since died. Do you consider yourself responsible for things your long-deceased ancestors did? Would it be fair for us to hold their sins against you? So why is it fair to hold ancestors' sins against WP? Plus, you may be interested to know that descendents of black slaves in the United States may enjoy the "highest standard of living" of BP anywhere in the world. So what originally was harmful to BP eventually resulted in the endowment of their descendants with "unsurpassed" benefits. Shouldn't that help towards getting over the injustice?

It may come as news to you, but WP have also experienced maltreatment in our past. We have been treated poorly (even killed!) based on our age or appearance, country of origin, or Catholic religion, for example. As a WP, I can personally assure you that white people regularly suffer unfair, unpleasant discriminatory treatment. People may not like WP because of our weight, height, age, hairstyle, appearance, manner of speech, disability, etc. People of color may not like us for the color of our skin (even if we have nothing but love for them). There are all manner of 'isms' that affect white people (weightism, heightism, ageism, etc.). It stinks. But if a certain individual or group of individuals don't like you, so what? Some people will always not like us for some reason, regardless of our skin color. And again, so what? That is not our problem, but theirs.

The problem I see is that BP may be led to think this is something unusual they experience. Everything bad that happens to them is because they are black. Yet it is not true. Bad things happen to those with white skin too. Automatically blaming all negative things that happen on racism has the detrimental effect of giving persons a "ready-made" excuse, even a crutch. It can make BP see racism everywhere, even when it doesn't exist. It is not healthy. It is not fair. It is not truthful. In reality, every time something bad happens, it is NOT racism. Bad things happen to all of us, and chances are perhaps fairly low that bad treatment in our age is racially motivated. If one is "pre-disposed" to consider every perceived slight to arise from racism, how can this do anything but harm racial relations? How can it ever foster peace? How can it be good for one's mental outlook? It is rather a burden put on BP that I wish I could take away. Everything bad that happens to BP is NOT because they are black. Bad things happen to all of us. Please reflect on this truth.

And should a crime be committed against a BP, you must know that not all WP are guilty, just as if a BP commits a crime against a WP, not all BP are guilty. And if we are honest about statistics, it is far more likely for WP to be victims of crime at the hands of BP than vice versa. If you don't believe me, I implore you to look it up for yourself. Personally, I have loved ones who are victims of crimes at the hands of BP. But how can it be said that all BP are guilty for those crimes? So why is it that when a WP commits a crime against a BP, all WP are guilty? I don't blame other BP for the crimes committed against my loved ones, so why do some BP blame me for others' crimes against them that I had nothing to do with and do not support?

I would also like you to know that some WP may "walk on eggshells" to try to avoid offending BP. As I am sensitive to the fact that BP may take certain normal ("innocent") actions of mine as a slight, I try to avoid giving offense. I don't do this around WP, but I do it out of charity to try to avoid offending BP. I care about you and don't want to cause you distress.

Which brings me to another point. Just because you think you've encountered racism, this doesn't absolutely positively mean that you have. It is easy to be misunderstood, especially when people look through the "discrimination colored" lenses advocated by certain black activists. A person judging some action or word "racist" might actually be wrong, as you cannot read people's thoughts or hearts, or maybe the context was missed. I once believed someone I knew was mad at me. In fact I was quite certain of it, and you could *not* have made me believe otherwise. I eventually asked them about it and received the surprising response that they could "never" be mad at me! I learned a valuable lesson that day: what we think is true (even if we are entirely certain of our thoughts!) may not actually be reflective of reality. We can be mistaken, even if we are thoroughly convinced otherwise.

And what about systemic racism? Certain race-baiters want you to believe there's systemic racism in the United States, but look at the facts. Racism, where it does exist, is not "systemic" in America. By definition, systemic means "affecting an entire system". How could America be systemically racist if the American people have elected and re-elected a black president, and if BP serve in the highest levels of business, government, academia, medicine, law enforcement, and the legal profession? Black-owned businesses also thrive throughout the country. So how can there be "systemic" racism, considering that systemic means it affects an "entire" system? Also consider that...

* America has instituted a national holiday to honor a black leader (MLK Day, in January)

* America has enacted laws designed to protect BP (e.g. "hate crime" laws)

* BP are over-represented in various fields in America (e.g. certain sports)

* Racial criteria is often used in government contracts to ensure black participation

* In many places, affirmative action and racial quotas have been implemented to help BP (even discriminating against WP in favor of BP)

So how can anyone seriously believe racism is "systemic" in modern America? Furthermore, there are costly welfare programs which disproportionately enrich BP, often at a great cost to WP. (I would argue that certain welfare programs actually harm BP, but that should be the subject for another article.)

While the media may focus on alleged "white privilege", almost no attention is given to "black privilege". WP could "never" get away with some things BP do, for example using certain offensive terms like the n-word, throwing around baseless charges of racism, or threatening to claim racism in order to get one's way.

But what about charges of racist law enforcement and bigoted police? First, statistics show that police are far more likely to kill an unarmed WP than an unarmed BP. Look it up for yourself if you don't believe me. You may not know about it because the killing of an unarmed white person is not considered news. It's only news when it's a black person that is killed. And second, are you ready for a hard truth about crime that cannot be overlooked? BP actually commit disproportionately more crime than WP. This is not the fault of WP, it is just a fact. Again, look it up if you don't believe me. And note that experts attribute the high black crime rate (and poverty) to the vast majority of BP being born out of wedlock, which is not the fault of WP.

These truths may be uncomfortable as the media is incessant in its liberal brainwashing. But I beg you not to follow the lead of militant black activists, the darlings of the media. Their race-baiting, and even hatred of WP does not change the truth, and it does not help us to lovingly get along with one another. Please stop trusting the media as they are incredibly biased. Race-baiters do not want us to get along. Even any good that we do to each other will be mischaracterized & criticized by those who seek division.

Please also be on guard for those who misrepresent themselves as friends of BP. Planned Parenthood was founded by a true racist and her organization is responsible for the death of many thousands of black babies. It is a fact that black children make up a disproportionate amount of all abortions! This is obviously harmful to the black community. People who kill your innocent young children are NOT your friends. And while other groups (e.g. Black Lives Matter, or BLM) may seemingly support racial justice, how can they be considered friends? One of their co-founders admits to being "trained Marxists", and their anti-family tenets are grievously harmful to black families. Further, organized criminal activity associated with BLM supporters fosters division and is directly harmful to the black community (e.g. lost black businesses). And given all the facts, it would seem impossible to make the case that such groups are sincerely interested in fostering peace among races.

I have seen beautiful moments where BP and WP get along, even sacrificially helping each other out of true charity. It is a beautiful sight to behold and something we should all work towards.

Wouldn't it be nice to be free of all pre-judgments, and have us all love and get along with each other as the Lord intends? In that spirit, I would like to make some suggestions if I may. Please pardon me if anything doesn't apply to you (or if it seems "preachy" in any way).

Here goes...

First, we should all feel proud of the color we are since God made us this way.

Second, please try to reduce sensitivity to racism, doing your utmost to not see racism "everywhere and in everything". It truly may not be there. If someone expects to find racism, they may be pre-disposed to find it even when it doesn't truly exist. And this hurts BP and makes them suffer needlessly (not to mention the other party).

Third, please be alert to things (or groups) that are used to falsely divide us because of our skin color and reject them.

Fourth, let us all take responsibility for ourselves, but not require anyone to take responsibility for other persons they have no control over (especially people that died long ago).

Fifth, please be careful about thinking someone is racist (which might be a rash judgment, "a sin which consists in judging or suspecting evil of others without sufficient foundation"), and especially be wary of accusing someone of racism (remember that if it isn't true, the false accusation would be contrary to the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor").

Sixth, never allow racial discrimination or perceived racial discrimination to be a crutch (this is not good for you, and in fact, it may be greatly hurting you). As a suggestion, try going for a week, then after that a month, refusing to allow anything bad that happens to you to be considered racism (even if you are sure it is racism). So what if you are wrong? See how much happier you will be! Then keep on going with this!

Seventh, if you are mistreated due to your skin color, laugh it off and follow Christ's instruction to pray for the wrongdoer. Don't let it bother you, and don't allow yourself to think every WP feels likewise about you.

Eighth, accept that having different cultures, and ways of being, or of dress or speech is part of the human experience. It is not inherently racist to have differences. Innocent things people do are not intended to slight anyone.

Ninth, embrace fairness. Consider all the facts when making judgments. And give others the benefit of the doubt, even if you don't think they deserve it. Isn't that how you would like to be treated?

Tenth, don't allow yourself to have preconceived notions that WP dislike BP. Having a changed, more positive outlook about WP may be very freeing for BP. I can't speak for all WP, but I can tell you that I love people of color and wish them no harm. I am truly sorry if BP have experienced racism in the past, but please don't look at me and judge me a racist. You don't know me, and if you are judging me as "racist" without knowing me simply because of my skin color, wouldn't that actually make you racist? Don't be racist yourself!

Eleventh, don't worry about being ostracized or being called an "Uncle Tom". Powerful forces will try to keep BP in the race-baiting web because it suits their evil designs. Although racial wars must delight Satan, they can't please the God of charity, the same God who made people of all colors.

Twelfth, always pray with "brotherly love" for yourself and others, regardless of skin color. Consider that all of us are God's children, so we really are brothers and sisters.

Although the above suggestions probably won't solve everything (not counting prayer), they might at least be a good starting point. And the positive changes can benefit the mind and soul and make life on earth a lot more pleasant. Time on earth is short, so let's not waste it on destructive, unnecessary racial conflicts. It's not good for our health (think stress!) or our souls. Let's instead foster a culture where we can all get along and love each other as the Lord desires, "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (Jn. 13:34-35)

Thank you for reading this. It is my great hope that we may be able to live together in peace and harmony both now on earth, and then afterwards forever in heaven.

I lovingly wish that God always bless you & yours.

Signature: "A white person who cares about you"

"Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing." (1 Pt. 3:8-9)

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