Race in America: Woke

I never like the use of the term “woke”, as it seemed grammatically incorrect. Thoreau speaks at length to the awakening and reawakening of the spirit; the dawning of a new day. But this is not that. This isn’t my rested rising from a deep sleep, but rather the startling, shocking, furious reaction to the late night obnoxious behaviors of my neighbor. I am woke. I am also embarrassed because I recognize that I have been at that party, and, in fact, have helped organize a few. Only now do I recognize the real need to gather the courage and speak to speak to my neighbor about how we can do better.

Last night I hosted a ZOOM meeting of Pub Theology titled “A Conversation about Race in America”. Thirty some (white) people joined in to discuss our experiences and our thoughts on being “woke”¹.

The conversation began with stories of the white experience: tales from people who can remember ‘Whites Only’ fountains and bathrooms, stories of individuals treated as “other” because they were of Armenian heritage in an otherwise lily white community, a member who was raised in Australia expressing disbelief of the lack of diversity in the communities described, and confession of having friends or family members whose racist words or acts were frowned upon while their voice remained silent.

We reflected on how the narrative surrounding race and Black Lives Matter has changed. Thoughts traveled from Ferguson and the creation of BLM, to Charlottesville’s “good people on both sides’, to the public lynching of Ahmaud Abrey by Gregory and Travis McMichael., and the execution of George Floyd. We recognized that the protests have been critical in raising the issues of systemic racism (although the focus has shifted to the more narrow topic of policing) and the diversity of race and age of the protesters raised our hope.

Finally, we discussed the next steps. Listening and learning are vital steps in being an ally, but they are only the first steps. It is crucial that we move beyond the book club stage and commit to being witnesses and partners in the movement. Some actions we committed to (and others to consider) include:

• Be Political – register voters, support candidates at local, state and federal level who will adapt good policy, run for office or encourage good people to run for school board, etc.
• Advocate – host watch parties or book clubs, march, show up at local school boards and ask for commitment teach about race history in the US, perhaps implementing parts of The 1619 Project
• Join – become a member of organizations that oppose bigotry (NAACP, ADL, ACLU). Support the Equal Justice Initiative and join in on one of their actions. If you attend a house of worship, reach out to local African American communities of worship to find ways that yours can partner with theirs.

Remember, we are called to act in times such as this. In Micah (6:8) God tells us flat out what is required of us: Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly with Our God.

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Please allow me the space to editorialize on the word “woke”. If you are have had a good night’s rest, and open your eyes to the dawn of a new day, you have awakened. If, in the middle of the night, your slumber is shattered by a rude and obnoxious neighbor, you are woke. In the case of the former, you may have disbelief that the morning has come, but in the latter, you are angry and willing to pound on some doors to restore order. It is my hope that this group hosted people that have been “woke” and a not awakened.