This phrase is how I would describe myself. I first heard this phrase in a rap song by KJ52 featuring Lecrae entitled “They Like Me.” In this rap song, Lecrae (who is black) and KJ52 (who is white) discuss their upbringings and some situations they experienced. I, very much, relate with KJ, being that I grew up that one white kid around a bunch of black kids. Because of this, I have a very unique perspective on racism and how it plays a part in our present-day culture. I specifically want to focus on present-day racism.
The first perspective I want to highlight is that of the fact that racism is prevalent today. This idea is somewhat bombarding us in the media. I believe “Is racism alive today?” is an article title I see almost every month in some way, shape, or form. Well, there are plenty of sources that believe racism is alive and well. This can be from sports to the neighborhood kids.
McMurtrie describes situations at the University of Missouri from black students about the recent issues with race on their campus. One student shares a story, “Corie Wilkins, a senior, remembers having been on campus all of two days when a car passed by and the driver yelled “N****r!” out the window at him and his friends…And these guys were so fearless when they said it. At that point I knew, this is going to be a problem here.” Stories like these fill that article. In my research, I could find countless articles on how it is still very much a current situation and idea.
The next perspective, is that racism is over and is a situation of the past. You could guess what types of individuals made claims like these. This idea is mostly held by the white Americans. This idea exists because white Americans are not as educated on this issue as much as minorities are. If you truly think about it, this makes sense. Why would you tell your children and students about issues that other cultures face when their kids or students won’t face those situations. Essentially there’s a “no need because you won't go through it” mentality toward current racism. A real-life situation that I witnessed was when I first went to a more predominantly white school for junior high. I heard a white kid use a racial slur towards a black kid. This infuriated me because, coming from a mostly black school, I knew how that is something you do not say, and that it is extremely racist. As I went over to talk some sense into this kid, one of my friends, a black kid, asked “what are you doing?” I told him how I was going to beat up that kid for saying that slur to my friend. He asked me “why?,” and I replied with that, “it is racist!” The next words I heard out of my friend's mouth shook me to the core. He said, “Bobby, no it’s not. He was just playing around.” This is when I knew that my junior high years would be extremely different than those of my elementary years. Both those guys went to elementary schools where the majority of students were white. Because of this, they had become so used to racism that they aligned themselves into the idea that racism didn’t exist.
The third perspective is the belief that there is racism, but it is getting better. This perspective is one that somewhat is infuriating on my end. I say this because those who hold this opinion use examples of “THEY aren’t slaves anymore” or “ there is no segregation.” They are correct and that is awesome, those things do not exist anymore. The issue at hand, though, is, with racism, when something is taken away, it evolves and becomes something else. Now, we deal with issues like white privilege, reverse racism, and stereotyping. These are all forms of racism that are somewhat recent, and because of it, they lack the understanding that slavery no longer existing doesn't prove anything. This perspective is caught in a pretend world where they believe it is something it is not. Millennials currently hold the highest position in this perspective. Luckerson points out this issue that Millennials have with racism, “Many young people take 'not seeing race' as a badge of honor that proves their progressivism and absolves them from engaging in discussions on the topic—even as racial rancor continues to play out in our streets, on social media and now even in our churches.” This is just the tip of the iceberg of racism now that it is transitioning into modern day.
As a white male, who essentially grew up black, my stance and view are very simple and not surprising. Of course, there is racism today, this is evident everywhere we look. The perfect example is that Sunday mornings are the most segregated time of the week and we as churches are doing nothing about it. The church is supposed to be a catalyst for the end of racism because we should all understand that we are all children of God, race doesn’t play a card in that. It is extremely frustrating and discouraging when I hear the other two stances because most individuals don’t know my story. At the same time, when they do figure out my story, I am able to share a very unique perspective for them that hopefully changes their mind.
