HONORING BLACK LIVES:
LOVING NEIGHBORS
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Many in the U.S. will honor Black Lives Matter Sunday. This is an important opportunity to
celebrate the love theme of advent by making it clear that the lives of Black
citizens really do matter. Black leaders have called for a day of prayer and
lifting up the significance of black lives and black communities.
Christians are supposed to be people characterized by
love for others. Obviously, many fall short. This weekend can be an opportunity
for redemption. All Americans can show their respect for and love of Black
Americans on Sunday, throughout the Christmas season, and in the years to come.
Despite a Civil War in the 1800s and Civil Rights actions in the 1900s, racial prejudice
and racial inequality persist in the 2000s. There's more work to do.
Whites need to understand that racial
inequality has not ended. This Sunday is an opportunity to realize the work
begun in the Civil Rights era has not been completed. Discrimination persists in
the labor market.
Having a white-sounding name increases your odds of a call back in response to
a job application
compared to those with a black-sounding name. In a Chicago study, car dealerships
offered significantly lower prices to white men compared to offers to black
men, white women, or black women.
LOVE Mourns With Those Who Mourn
Learning that a friend was murdered is a terrible
experience for anyone. Celeste Johnson (2010) looked at how African American
girls dealt with the murder of a friend. Dealing with the death of a friend or
relative may be more difficult for teens because they have a greater
understanding of the permanency of loss and a longer relationship with the
loved person than do children. And they do not yet have the stability,
experience, or developed worldview of adults.
For teens and for others, the loss of a friend due to homicide evokes
two major responses sets: coping with the distress of separation (sadness,
longing) and coping with murder as an unexpected traumatic event (disturbing
images, avoidance, and an excessive startle response). When people do recover,
they sometimes show more maturity. Johnson studied the responses of 20 African
American teens ages 16-19. Their recover was marked by religious and spiritual
themes. Many began by questioning God and proceeded to finding meaning. Some
spiritual meanings expressed—things happen for a reason, he’s gone to a better
place. The girls remained connected to their friends. For example, “I know that
he’s still here with me” or “…I know I’ll see ‘em again one day.”
LOVE Understands
Pain
Many Black children from poor urban settings experience
or are exposed to acts of violence. These children are likely to report
symptoms of PTSD, depression, aggression, substance abuse, and delinquency.
They often have poor school performance and engage in risky sexual behavior.
But it is important to note that the research findings are mixed. The
experience of violence is not always linked to acting out in violent ways. Children
deal with trauma in different ways depending on the type of trauma. In one
study of 6th to 8th grade Black students, boys exposed to nonviolent trauma were
likely to have PTSD and depression. Girls were more likely to have PTSD. Girls
were most influenced by personal victimization, which
predicted not only PTSD but also depression and acting out. The active symptoms
common to trauma victims indicates the importance that relationships have on
many of these children. The presence of trauma symptoms suggests they were not
so desensitized to all kinds of violence. The sample size was 403. Those
reporting family violence (e.g., pushed, grabbed, shoved, threw something,
slapped, hit, kicked etc.) 43%, those exposed to other violent trauma (e.g.,
family member badly hurt, robbed, killed raped etc.) = 71% and those with a
close relationship to someone who experienced nonviolent trauma (hurt or killed
in an accident) = 75% (Jenkins et al., 2009). See the article for more details.
LOVE Builds
Friendships
Similarity is an
important basis for friendship selection. Adolescents select their friends
based on activities and interests that they consider important. A common
finding is that academic orientation and substance use are frequent criteria
for similarity. However, studies comparing friendship among African Americans,
Asian Americans, and European Americans find more diversity among African
Americans (Hamm, 2000).
Contact between Black and Whites improved attitudes when
their partners were present (Welker et al., 2014).
Perhaps Black and White Christians share some
similarities based on a common faith. It is important to state the obvious:
White Christians have kept Black Christians out of their churches and ministry
for much of U.S. history (e.g., Olena, 2010). Yes, I know times have changed.
My point is, that we must be vigilant to affirm all people are created in the
image of God. Given that Christianity is the dominant religion in the U.S., the
call to value Black lives ought to be motivated by love.
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| Coming Together NY Times Story 13 December 2014 |
REFERENCES
Hamm, J. V. (2000). Do birds of a feather flock together?
The variable bases for African American, Asian American, and European American
adolescents' selection of similar friends. Developmental
Psychology, 36(2), 209-219. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.36.2.209
Jenkins, E. J., Wang, E., & Turner, L. (2009).
Traumatic events involving friends and family members in a sample of African
American early adolescents. American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry, 79(3),
398-406. doi:10.1037/a0016659
Johnson, C. M. (2010). African-American teen girls grieve
the loss of friends to homicide: Meaning making and resilience. Omega: Journal of Death And Dying, 61(2),
121-143. doi:10.2190/OM.61.2.c
Olena, L. (2010). I’m sorry my brother: A reconciliation
journey. In M. Mittelstadt & G. W. Sutton (eds.) Forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration: Multidisciplinary studiesfrom a Pentecostal perspective. 89-106. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications.
Mostert, J. & van der Spuy, M. (2010). Truth and
reconciliation in South Africa. In M. Mittelstadt & G. W. Sutton (eds.) Forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration:Multidisciplinary studies from a Pentecostal perspective. 145-176. Eugene,
OR: Pickwick Publications.
Welker, K. M., Slatcher, R. B., Baker, L., & Aron, A.
(2014). Creating positive out-group attitudes through intergroup couple
friendships and implications for compassionate love. Journal of Social And Personal Relationships, 31, 706-725.
doi:10.1177/0265407514522369
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