The trial of racism

Racism is on trial. The jury is us. The court date is set. The time is now. Members of the jury you have heard the testimony. Let me review the facts before you decide. Let’s begin way back in time. God chose a group of nomads to be his people. Time after time they encountered others. The Israelites killed enemies and gathered slaves. God sternly warned them not to intermix cultures. Racism?

            The other side of the coin is everyone else. The leaders of the Israelites are captured and sold into slavery. They are consumed by Greek culture and at times subject to Egypt, Babylonia, and Rome. God had a chosen people, yet he decided to let gentile people (everyone else) into the fold. Did you have to become a Jew? No, that was the kicker. We could all live together under God. They became the way. The Christians. The Jesus the Christ followers. Ladies and gentlemen of the Jury. Is racism alive in people or do we have a choice?

            Fast forward to the middle ages. Society begins to fracture in religion. There were Catholics and protestants. The Muslim religion was growing. I bet others like Buddhism were beginning to rise. Then came the wars in the name of their God. Governments fractured and split. People fled all around the world. To avoid being subject to religious genocide and racism. The Mayflower was forged to help a people group escape in the name of God.

            People of the jury, is racism the cause of these event’s? This group of puritans captured and subdued the new England of North America. They called it America. This religious group were free to attack and subdue the native population. They eventually reached out to the depths of Africa for Negro slaves. There is more ladies and gentlemen but we have not the time to tell it all. Yet, you know the truth. Deep down people are racist.

Exodus 21       If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom.

What does God have to say. God knew our hearts. Exodus 21 gives rules for slaves. I know the word slave is a bad one. Yet, slavery is alive and well in this time period. However, God looks at slavery differently. He treated them as family. They were free to leave after a few years of service. The people we commanded to treat slaves well. Is a nanny a slave? Is a cook, butler, driver, or taxi cab operator? We know slavery in one form or another. We all know racism too.

People of the jury I am not here to sell you on racism. No person should have to be subject to another. Yet, we have two competing themes binding together the fabric of society in this day and age. The first is the ignored racism. Are you a person or African, gay, female, or Asian? Can we be just people in this day and age? I say no we can’t do it. We classify people with social tags. Were slaves to racism. Your identity is gay if your gay. You’re the first woman on a board. The first transgender in a school. Try being you as a person equal and normal with everyone else? You can’t.

The second is the need to be special, different, and exclusive. Say it isn’t so. Tell me you don’t know what group you belong to. What is your color, race, or sexual orientation? You know all too fast. Who works are the coffee shop? Who drives taxi’s? Who is your janitor. Who is a CEO, royalty, or the famous? We all know and say their skin color, race, and religious status in a split second. Why? Because were all racist. We all categorize, segregate, and scrutinize. Racism is not us. We are it.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury you have seen and heard it all. Racism owns us deep in our hearts. Is it that racism owns us or we treat it like candy. Do you support marijuana or are you square? Do you believe in equality, the gay community or are you homophobic? For thousands of years we have used racism as a club to curb society. To segregate and dissect. Recently, I will be going to a comic expo. They have segregated hetero and gay speed dating. Why? Because it’s always been that way. Racism is not the problem. We are. As people it’s not the need for speed. No, it’s the need to keep different apart. Racism needs to be acquitted because we all are guilty.

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