Understanding Cultural
Context
A
nother important facet of anger in
the African American community
over issues of racism is cultural con-
text. Thomas Kochman writes, "Black
culture values individually regulated
self-assertion. It also values sponta-
neous expression of feeling. As a
result, black cultural events typically
encourage and even require individu-
als to behave in an assertive/expres-
sive manner" (29–30). Trouble and
misunderstanding often occur
when whites' expectations of an
orderly or scripted event collide with
black cultural norms of emotional
expressiveness—as I experienced
at the interfaith service. Another
unfortunate miscommunication
sometimes occurs between white and
black communities when African
American criticisms of systemic
racism are taken as personal attacks
by individual members of the white
community.
When Kilen Gray and I dis-
cussed this problem, he told me
that his favorite theologian is Mar-
tin Luther King Jr. He explained,
"King always said the reason he was
able to confront the powers that be
and speak on behalf of those who
he felt had no voice was because of
compassion. It came out of love. He
said, 'I can critique my country
because I love my country. I love
what it stands for!'"
When asked to apply this con-
cept of loving critique to conversa-
tions around Ferguson, Kilen stated
that white individuals should
explore the preconceived notions
they hold about the African Ameri-
can people doing the criticizing.
Then members of the white com-
munity should explore why they
see critiques of a racist system as
personal attacks. He added that
significant conversations between
whites and blacks over these kinds of
i
ssues would be the only way to make
p
rogress with race relations. Examin-
ing these underlying assumptions will
be vital to people of faith trying to
understand Ferguson and each other.
Starting Conversations
Traci Simmons emphatically encour-
ages people to start having conversa-
tions about racism and the
expression of anger. She implores the
faith community, "These conversa-
tions need to happen on both the
individual and collective levels. It's
not just that couch conversation that
you have with your husband or your
family. It begins at home, but you
also have to take it to your work-
place, to your pulpit. Take it into
your knitting circles or your book
circles, wherever you go, and talk
about why it is uncomfortable for
you to speak out about it."
I
ndeed, race, racism and anger are
d
ifficult topics for many of us. But as
Christians we cannot ignore God's
call for justice by refusing to address
our own discomfort with these issues.
Traci adds, "The more you speak out
about it, the more it becomes com-
fortable." Starting and continuing
these conversations is a challenging
task, but our walk of faith will not
always be through the tulips.
Beth Ruhl is a student at Louisville
Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Notes
1. Paulina Firozis, "Five Things To Know
About Ferguson Police Department," USA
Today Network, August 19, 2014;
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-
now/2014/08/14/ferguson-police-department-
details/14064451, accessed February 20, 2015.
March/April 2015
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