Confronting the White Supremacists — and Ourselves

Richard Smith
Aug 25, 2017 · 3 min read

(Note: The following brief statement is by three white San Francisco clergy leaders of Faith in Action Bay Area.)

White supremacy threatens to make itself violently visible in the Bay Area this weekend. For those of us both white and Christian, this is an opportunity to look in the mirror and ask some hard questions.

If, after Charlottesville, we are shocked at the hatred in the eyes of white supremacists, remember this bigotry has been present for centuries. White wealth and privilege are built on land our ancestors violently stole from native peoples who once thrived here, and on the backs of an enslaved people. And too often, arrogant Christian claims to absolute truth have led us to deny the truths of other traditions and commit nothing short of their cultural and physical genocide.

This centuries-old hatred has contributed to the mass incarceration of more young black men today than were ever held in slavery; the tearing apart of immigrant families at breakneck speed by a cruel deportation machine; the gentrification displacing so many from neighborhoods of color, sending many into homelessness; the physical and spiritual abuse of our LGBT brothers and sisters; and the ugly Islamophobia and anti-Semitism now driving violence against Muslims and Jews and the desecration of their sacred spaces.

This critical moment is an opportunity for us who are white and Christian to acknowledge this shameful history and take responsibility for positive change. So here are four things you can do to respond to white supremacy:

  • Show up. From among the many options now planned, choose one to peacefully oppose hatred in all its forms and affirm the dignity of every human being. Doing nothing is not one of these options; it supports evil against our most vulnerable sisters and brothers. So decide where you will be on Saturday and invite your friends, including your faith leaders.
  • Be clear. White supremacy is not debatable. There are no sides; we either resist evil or are complicit with it.
  • Be nonviolent. Otherwise, we simply mirror the evil we oppose. Take advantage of the various opportunities for training in nonviolent resistance.
  • Be grateful. The violence and hate of white supremacists cannot stop us from thanking God for the beautiful diversity of our people, the faith traditions of our Muslim, Jewish, and indigenous sisters and brothers, and the many hardworking immigrants with their rich and beautiful cultures with whom we share this Sanctuary City of St. Francis.

As Dr. King said, “The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?…for the preservation of injustice or for the preservation of justice?”

In this critical moment, let us pray, let us plead, in the words of the prophet Micah, for the courage “to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”

Natalie Terry, M.Div., St. Agnes Catholic Church, San Francisco
The Rev. John Kirkley, St. James Episcopal Church, San Francisco
The Rev. Richard Smith, Ph.D., St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, San Francisco

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