‘Just-us’ sessions?

In her address at last year’s National Black Catholic Congress, Adrienne Curry, director of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Office for Black Catholic Ministries, contended that “racism is a white problem because whites hold the power, establish the institutions and set the social norms.”  

Curry also noted that “there is no mention (in church documentation) that those in the position of social and cultural dominance must change if there is any hope for a difference to be made.”

Dioceses may not want to be so direct in establishing, for example, an office for white Catholic ministry the way they have for Black Catholics, Hispanics and other ethnic groups. Such a radical idea might easily be shot down.

It was one thing for the church to establish ministries for minorities not prominently represented in the church in multicultural societies primarily because of the color of their skin. It is another to invite its majority membership to voice any frustration with accusations of enjoying a host of privileges precisely because of their skin color.

I believe the church is well behind in tending to those whom I see as the “older brother” as referenced in the parable about the prodigal son. These “older brother” sons and daughters of the church have been there all along for their parishes. They are at the forefront of countless ministries and campaigns for financial support. They are well-represented in religious communities and at every level of church leadership. And not all are well-healed financially.              

Still, a significant number are concerned that the systemic racism present in both church and society stunts the power of the Gospel. Many attend gatherings that highlight the cultural contributions of people of color to the church. They do so even knowing that accounts of discrimination at the hands of their race, however long ago or ongoing, are disturbing.

But what about those whites who aren’t talking openly at all about race?

I suspect that, when many do broach the topic, it’s among themselves that they feel it’s safer to vent without reprisals. They’ve seen careers become derailed when one publicly misspoken word about people of color is put under a microscope.

Some are also speaking anonymously in stinging online commentaries. They vote for politicians who know how to stoke their fears of becoming a minority themselves if, for instance, endless streams of immigrants “bum-rushing” U.S. borders illegally and “draining our resources” are not stopped.

This is why I believe it is urgent for the church to offer a platform for whites too to open up about how they see their lives in an ever-shifting, multicultural nation.

Call the ministry whatever. But it must allow them to express how they feel about race-related issues, any generational wealth from which they’ve benefitted without looking hard at how it came about, and how best to move forward guided by the light of the Gospel.

I’m not suggesting a diversity gathering. When one person from a different race enters the room, people struggling with heavy emotional issues may clam up. Perhaps “just-us sessions” initially could lead to discussions of ways to uphold the dignity of others without being torn down for atrocities that took root long before many were born.  

The parable about the prodigal son never tells us if the older brother eventually entered the feast for his younger brother that their father begged him to join. I wonder if anyone ever offered to be a sounding board for him, listening without interruption to his frustrations, but also urging him to take a long, hard look at the merits of his father’s perspective and invitation.

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