#TitheForBlackLives Challenge: a Juneteenth Message for White Christians Who Want to Help
This Juneteenth I want to pose a question for the white Christian community
In place of giving weekly "Sunday offerings" in church, what if white folks gave their tithe money directly to Black individuals and communities instead?
Those of us who attended church growing up know what it means to offer a tithe. For anyone who doesn’t, these are terms typically used to describe that moment during service when people toss funds into a collection plate making its way around the congregation.
If you’re not familiar with this ritual, essentially most Christians and churches interpret it as a continual offer of 10% of a believer’s total income "back to God"... aka "put into the church".
Redefining what it means to tithe
A few years ago I was fortunate to work under a manager who also doubled as a mentor in my eyes. I learned a lot from our talks, but one thing stuck with me the most: when she explained a calling to redirect her tithe money straight into the hands of those around her herself.
Maybe it would be the waitress she felt a connection with the next time she ate at a restaurant, or the single-parent neighbor struggling to raise kids on their own. Maybe it would be a relative or a close friend fighting a personal battle. Maybe it was just always having cash in pocket for whenever she saw a homeless person in need.
As someone who believes in a higher power but distrusts organized religion, this really struck a chord. After all, the entire idea behind Christianity is to live a life like Christ; so an approach based in love and tied to immediate action seems to fit the bill.
"Put your money where your mouth is" should be habitual, not a one-time notion
I want to preface this challenge by acknowledging that yes, I'm very much aware there are tithes of church communities that do go towards good causes and facilitating some needed change.
HOWEVER after spending eight years in private Catholic school and two decades-worth of Sundays in church myself...
After crying during sermans that compared my "not being able to change who I am" for being bisexual to my abusers' excuses of "not being able to change who they were" for succumbing to their anger...
Ater walking away from "houses of worship" that can simultaneously afford to house a Starbucks franchise...
I think it’s time to focus our efforts on giving back purposefully and immediately to Black neighbors, friends, families, and communities.
I’ve seen the Black Lives Matter movement explained as reminiscent of when the shepherd left his 99 sheep to bring back the 1, because that 1 mattered just as much as all the others.
In the same way, I wonder what would happen if Christians still actively tithing today decided to focus their attention (and bank accounts) on habitually loving Black lives as much as they love and support their churches?
What would happen if white Christians already committed to the practice started tithing 10% of their income directly to Black folks and organizations instead?
What if enough of us at the very least split it? Why not give 5% towards each?
I’ve seen a lot of y’all’s churches, they’re going to be fine. But Black folks in the US? It’s a whole other story.
Some quick facts that matter
Perhaps you read those questions and your first thought was "but for how long?"
There are two answers to that. In typical Christian-fashion I guess I’ll say it’s something you can ask next time you’re in prayer and figure out whatever timeline you think God has placed on your heart.
In typical angry-leftist-fashion my real response is to start tithing a percentage of your income to Black folks and initiatives asap and don’t stop until
- the disparity between white and Black households' median incomes disappears (based on our most recent census it sits at an astonishing $70,000 vs $41,000)
- the disparity between predominantly white and predominantly Black neighborhoods and schools disappears (check out information on redlining here, this is a strategy deeply ingrained throughout the US that aims to purposefully segregate and simultaneously allocate funds and resources to white communities)
- Black women are no longer 3 times more likely than white women to die in childbirth
- the average lifespan of Black trans women is the same as white women (life expectancy for a white woman is about 80 years, for a black trans woman? 35... yes THIRTY-FIVE years)
- Black students no longer receive harsher punishments than their white peers for the same behavior
This list could span at least 10 articles. If you ever wonder whether you’ve given enough, check on the status of such statistics and remind yourself that until they fully improve there is still more we can do.
My (revamped) personal promise
For me, I figured out how I wanted to tithe after that encounter with an old boss. Not too long after our chat, I started taking my 10% elsewhere... where ever it felt right.
Recently I started feeling my usual wasn’t enough. So I reflected on that 10% and what more I could do and came to the conclusion that for now, and for the foreseeable future, I need to step up and hit 25%.
Once that number rattled around my mind, there was no going back.
And because I could, like in most aspects of my life, I wanted to be a little extra. That’s why I kicked off my personal 25% Tithe to Black Lives Challenge with $800 cashapp’d and venmo’d to folks who deserved every bit of that love and support and then some.
If a millennial who couldn’t afford to have a savings for over a decade can do this YOU CAN TOO.
Where to start
If you’re ready to participate in the #TitheForBlackLives Challenge share this article and post what percentage of your annual income you pledge to give.
If you’re unsure where to send your tithe, here’s a regularly updated master document of Black individuals in need of immediate assistance.
You can also check out several links at my linktree that go directly to organizations and initiatives fighting for lasting change within local communities and across the US.
Happy Juneteenth and Happy Tithing! ✊
#BlackLivesMatter
