Here's a confession:
Before you read any further, if your skin is brown or black, I want you to know I'm so sorry. I was being an idiot. But I'm not anymore.
Not only only have I asked Jesus to forgive me, but I repented to him for not being as vocal as I should have been. Even though I have been an ally and advocate for those with a skin tone unlike my own, I was lazy in part. What I was doing wasn't enough. I had blinders on.
I used to respond with, "Of course, but all lives matter," when someone mentioned #BlackLivesMatter to me.
I did this because I was ignorant and apathetic. I didn't grow up "privileged."
I grew up poor and so I balked at the phrase "white privilege." During all these protests I realized something: I have been pulled over a few times and not once did I worry I would be killed because of it. I even got into a yelling match once with a cop (not my best moment) and I now realize if I were black, I might be dead now because of that.
I wonder if white folks get crazy about Black Lives Matter because it exposes the hidden racism in our hearts and makes us face the broken system that indoctrinated us.
I'm not racist, but I have been influenced by a broken system that has left my black brothers and sisters hemorrhaging while they put on a brave face to laugh with me every day. And I kept silent because I thought what I was doing was enough.
But it's not.
It's time for a change of heart.
Ignorance is no longer acceptable. We all need to be honest, forthright, have repantant hearts, and love another. We need to expose the demon of racism and repent. We need to listen more than we speak. We all bleed red. No one is above the other. ❤️ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
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