RELIGION AND RACISM
Dear White Christian People: My Skin Color Matters to God
An open letter from a black Christian to my well-meaning white Christian friends
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It’s heartbreaking to watch the news footage from the past few weeks of black people being harassed and killed in different ways in America, isn’t it?
So many people, of all skin colors, are asking “What can I do to stop this?”
I don’t have all the answers for fighting racism. There is another Medium article that shares plenty of great ways to fight racism in our society.
But I know one thing that doesn’t work: Racial color blindness.
Like many people, I had trouble sleeping this past Friday night after seeing news about the protests and riots happening in American cities days after the killing of George Floyd, a man who died after a cop placed a knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck.
I then woke up Saturday morning, checked my phone, and saw an email from an evangelical Christian site. The email featured a blog post from a white female southern Christian writer with this headline:
“4 Reasons Skin Color Doesn’t Matter to God (and it Shouldn’t Matter to You)”
The post was written by Kristen Terrette.
“Jesus, take the wheel, be a fence, and fulfill every other Christian saying that I can’t think of right now in my pre-coffee state of mind,” I thought.
From one southern American Christian lady to another: Bless your heart.
I know you mean well.
But when you say things like “skin color doesn’t matter” or “I don’t see skin color,” you’re not helping.
So, let’s cover 4 reasons why my skin color matters to God and why it should matter to you, too.
