Halloween Proves We Need to Keep Talking About Race

I knew that Halloween brought out the weird and creepy but I forgot that it also brings out the ignorant. I’m giving those who dress up like “blackface” the benefit of the doubt by using the word ignorant rather than racist. But then, there are some who are clearly both.

Two teens took to twitter and posted their blackface costumes (or the picture of someone they thought was in blackface) with words that revealed their hearts as much as the chalky brown paint revealed their disregard for people of color.  One teen expressed that black people were simply dramatic and needed to worry more about finding their fathers than about her costume. The news article shares more stories of people dressing up in ridiculous outfits. For what purpose? What good does this do?

But then I realize that we so often want to move on from circumstances. There’s outrage one minute and complacency the next. We cannot move on from the topic of race, racial reconciliation, racial harmony, and what it means to love your neighbor until we see less and less of this. We think that because we are in 2013 we have grown as a nation. What is the measure of this growth? We are no longer segregated but do we still battle racism? Yes, therefore there is still a fight to be fought—peacefully, through the gospel.

We’ve got to stop sweeping these stories and the reality of the pain they cause under the rug. Let’s face them for what they are. Let’s own them. This is our reality. This is what people think is okay and what others think we simply need to “get over.” But it is wrong.

There’s hope. I’m not ranting. I’m pleading. We have a hope in Jesus and we’ve got to share this great hope. We need to dig into God’s word and learn what it means to be adopted into His family. We need to know that we are truly equal and treat each other as such. I’m not angry, I’m disheartened. I’m also empowered to pray and to speak and to share and to love. I want to be the example I’m calling for. I hope you’ll join me. If only next Halloween we will see different pictures. I’m not so sure. But I am confident that God is good and He is powerful and He can move mountains. He will one day make all of this right.

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