The last year or so has been especially challenging, and I’m not talking about COVID; I’m talking about all that is happening in our society around the topic of race. There is rarely a day that goes by without a news story about race and the inequities that exist because of the color of our skin or our ethnic backgrounds. Much of the time, those stories leave me with more questions than answers. I had believed that I was someone who had decent understanding about the invisible lines that exist in our society based on a person’s race.
I am a middle-aged white woman living
in west central Wisconsin. Because I am white, I was able to believe that the
barriers that separate us are invisible. But to those who are not white, to
Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), those barriers are anything but
invisible. There are systems built into our society that create, and help to
maintain, advantages and disadvantages when it comes to every aspect of life
based on race (e.g. education, housing, employment, health care, criminal
justice, etc.). Over time, these systems compound the advantages (typically for
white people) and disadvantages (typically for BIPOC) that a person or group of
people are experiencing.
As a white woman, I enjoy many
accumulated advantages and privileges. Racism has been so normalized in our
culture that it has created, and nurtured, an illusion that as a white person,
I am somehow more deserving than someone who doesn’t have white skin. Recognizing
that my status in society has less to do with my character and more to do with
the color of my skin was quite a blow to my ego. It is a bitter pill for a
middle-aged white woman to swallow but that doesn’t change the truth of the
matter. Racism is insidious and destructive. As a pastor, I am called to preach
the Gospel, to share God’s love and grace with all of God’s beloved children,
and racism is a sin keeps us separated from each other.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) is a primarily white denomination. The ELCA acknowledges that
racism—a mix of power, privilege, fragility and prejudice—are a violation of
God’s intention for humanity as expressed by Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40 and 28:19-20) and Paul (Galatians 3:26-28). As a part of the ELCA, the congregations that
make up the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin (NWSWI) are primarily white. We must
ask ourselves, how do we make changes within our communities, churches, and
homes that will dismantle the systems of racism that limit our ability to live
out the Gospel of Jesus Christ? How do we live into the command to love our
neighbors as ourselves?
At the upcoming synod assembly, the
NWSWI is introducing a resolution in support of racial justice training along
with a racial justice and equity statement. These two documents make a public
declaration of faith and a commitment to grapple with the sin of racism. The
first step is letting the scales fall from our eyes and acknowledge that racism
exists and that it erodes our humanity. We must confess that we live in broken
relationships with our neighbors because of the divisions of race that we have
failed to correct. We must confess that many of our stories and traditions are
based on racist ideas, concepts and origins. We must confess our complicity in
systemic racism through our direct and indirect actions and that our silence
allows evil to exist in the world. And we must confess that we are called to
move beyond empty promises and engage in the work of anti-racism.
What is a faithful response to racism
and equity? There are no easy answers, but we must not let that deter us. This
will be a lifelong journey that will take sincere prayer and effort to travel. If
you have already begun the journey of understanding the complex issues of race
in our society, please be encouraged to continue. If you are starting the
journey, please be encouraged to begin. I believe with all my heart that God is
calling us to break our silence and face the sin of racism that continues to
destroy relationships and lives.
We begin the journey together, “Do you
renounce the sin of racism as tool of evil?” Let us respond, “We do, and we ask
God to help and guide us.”
Servants Together,
Rev Karen Ressel
Co-chair, NWSWI Racial Justice Team,
Pastor, Eleva Lutheran Church, Eleva, Wisconsin
