And that’s why some White Folk can’t wait to say Nigger…
I mean…
I understand why the stereotypical and vitriolic racist White person would say it…
They’re racist!
Unabashedly racist…undeniably racist – even if they don’t like being called racist.
They have no shame in proclaiming their belief in White supremacy and their hatred for non-White people.
I get that…
I don’t agree – but I understand why that person has no problem saying nigger…
But what about the supposed White ally…
You know, the person who claims to be woke and tries to convince you that they’re on your side…
That you should leave them in power because you can trust them to keep your best interests in mind…
Why are they so intent on saying nigger?
I put my brother on the spot with that question… He’s White.
And since we – as Black folk – often have to answer on behalf of our people, I figured I’d return the favor. We recorded that discussion for the May 8, 2018 episode of Racial Heresy, and he gave me some great things to consider.
We talked about space and power…the power to control space and addictions to power…
That White liberals are still addicted to power and cannot fathom spaces where they aren’t allowed to go.
So when you tell a White person they cannot say – should never say – the word “nigger,” you’re denying them access to a space. And for the White – privileged – mind, that’s inconceivable!
Like Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney said in his ruling of the Dread Scott Case:
The black man had no rights which the white man was bound to respect…
And so…there is no space that’s off limits to Whiteness…
That’s the only explanation for what happened…
The only explanation for why a top authority in the Church – who considers herself and ally – felt comfortable using the “n-word” because she “was quoting someone else in a story.“
White people feel entitled to do anything…say anything they want to say. Black people are powerless to stop them…
It’s the way of this world…
…of our Society…
We know American Society is addicted to power…that, that power is rooted in White supremacy…
And, so by nature: America is addicted to White power.
So even if you have a Black man as President, the Society will remain White supremacist and beholden to White power…
But it should be different in the Church…
Right?!
Shouldn’t it be?
In the Church, we should understand that Power belongs to God. And, any power you and I might have is in submission to God who doesn’t discriminate.
So all should have power…all should share in power, in submission to Him Who alone Is Power…
Yet, that is clearly not true in the Episcopal Church…
…not even true for those in Church leadership…
You see: it didn’t matter that Black folk were upset by the usage of the word nigger by a White woman in governing authority in the Church…
It didn’t matter that some of us felt she should have apologized humbly, unequivocally and publicly – in her capacity as an authority in the Church…
When Black folk are offended by White, White folk only apologize on their terms – if and when they get ready…
In the meantime, we suffer…
And while we suffer, they find Black folk who’ll agree with them and tell them they did nothing wrong…
(there’s always one…)
They use their White power to determine which Black opinions matter. Then disregard and discredit the Black thought that makes them uncomfortable.
read that again…think about what that means…
She didn’t have to listen to us, because we have no independent political power within the Church. Our institutions rely on the Church for funding and programming support.
And no one is going to bite the hand that feeds them…
And so, we must admit the subsequent truth:
Black Episcopalians are powerless to affect change in the Church without the support and permission of White liberals…
I do a podcast on racial reconciliation with a clergy brother who is White…
It’s called Racial Heresy…
On that same episode I mentioned earlier, he said something that aptly describes how the Church views racial reconciliation…
It’s like we – White liberals – want everyone to be equal…but we don’t want everyone to have equal power. We want to keep the power for ourselves and just use the power better.
We don’t want people of color to end up with power over us…
Doesn’t that sound about right?
In your experience…when you think about it: isn’t that the sense you get from your interactions with many White with power and authority in the Church?
Again…not all Whites…
but overall…as a whole…right?
I think so…
It’s why in so many Dioceses of the Church there are so few Blacks in positions of authority…
…even in Dioceses with Black Bishops.
Look at Diocesan staffs…
See how many Blacks are on staff…
Then, how many of the Black people that are on staff are in decision making positions?
Don’t get me wrong…there are Dioceses that do this well.
I mean: I can’t think of any off the top of my head…but, I’d imagine there must be some, right?
Maybe…?
Then: consider the lip service many Bishops pay to racial justice issues…
The lip service they pay to the struggles of the Black congregations in their Dioceses…
Consider your own experience, with your own Diocese…
Or the experiences of other Black Episcopalians you know…
You may have a good relationship with your Bishop. You might be able to speak with him/her and make progress…
But most likely, you aren’t that lucky – especially as a Black person who’s even partially woke…much less wide awake!
Most likely, you know that there are some spaces that the Church…the Diocese…your Bishop are too afraid to go.
Not because they believe those spaces are wrong. But because it would be social or political suicide to go there…
For instance…
It would be political suicide for many Bishops in the South to criticize the Confederate flag hanging in churches…in Diocesan Cathedrals!
So rather than voice an opinion so that the entire Church can grow in oneness, they simply watch from afar and leave local clergy to handle on their own…
…taking it down secretly and without any lessons learned.
They know Black people might make some noise…
But that noise will be short lived…and there’ll be no long term political cost…
Just like with “Nigger-Gate.” The political calculus says you just wait out the storm…
It’ll blow over…and, the Blacks will still have my back when I need them…
So who’s fault is that?
Yes – I know…White supremacy is evil…
It’s a pervasive cancer that has corrupted everything, including the Church. White supremacy is the problem…
And that is precisely the problem.
White supremacy is still a problem in the Church.
It should be different in the Church…
But it’s not…
White power still has unchecked and unbalanced authority in guiding and governing the Church.
When we realize that, we gotta think about how we change that reality…
