L.J. shares the following reflection on Sunday's reading from the Gospel according to Luke:
Take the path of downward mobility, become aware of your privilege, especially if you are a white person, and seek to stand for racial justice.
A few years ago, Netflix released a documentary titled “13th” about a clause in the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and how powerful interest groups have exploited the clause, resulting in the continued oppression of black and brown people. We thought such oppression was over with the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment and then with the victories of the Civil Rights movement. Sadly, it is not. The amendment reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” The clause is the part about “except as a punishment for crime” and that means slavery can still exist as a punishment for crime.
The documentary, then, focuses on the mass incarceration issue in America, where the majority of those jailed are African-American and Latino. One statistic in the documentary reveals that one in seventeen white men will go to prison while one in three black men will go to prison. It is horrifying that this “New Jim Crow” is going on, to use the phrase of civil rights activist and lawyer Michelle Alexander.
From Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton, the government declared a war on drugs. Police arrested and jailed people for minor offenses related to drugs. Most of these people were black. In America today, there are over two million people locked away in prisons. Even though black men comprise only about six percent of the American general population, they represent forty percent of the American prison population. Due to this new slavery, as the documentary refers to it, communities of color are ripped apart. Families lose their fathers. A whole generation of young black men is not only sent to prison but also forced into labor. Some companies, like Wal-Mart and Victoria’s Secret, use prison labor to make cheap goods. Then, there is the whole service industry supporting prisons making money off the incarceration of black and brown people. Aramark is the food company that provides food in prisons. The documentary condemns their food because it had maggots.
According to author and activist Tim Wise, white people in America enjoy a privilege that no other race enjoys. He calls it “white privilege.” He says that white people, regardless of economic class, have an inherent leg up in our society. White people do not have to think about things the way a person of color does. They do not have to worry, for instance, about being pulled over and unjustly shot. They do not have to worry about being imprisoned nearly as much as the black community.
Today, Jesus calls Zacchaeus to come down quickly, to descend, or to take the path of downward mobility. It is more a forced condition than a path for the marginalized. Still, Jesus chooses this path, which we also call the way of the cross, and asks those of us with any sort of privilege to do so as well. Any privilege, especially as white privilege, keeps us separate and locked in an imaginary world where we presume we are right, good, moral, and “together.” Those of us with privilege, like Zacchaeus, need to “come down quickly” in order to receive Christ and serve God in our sisters and brothers who lack our privilege. We have to let go of our privilege now to be real disciples of Jesus.
Christena Cleveland, professor and activist, offers some good advice to those who want to let go of white privilege. Her blog post, “Redeeming Privilege: how privileged people can work for justice,” can be found on her website: www.christenacleveland.com. An initial step is to listen to people of color to hear what life is like for them. An essential aspect of white privilege is that the over-arching culture pushes white values and perspectives, even though there are numerous other cultures in our society. This means, most white people don’t know what it is like for a person of color in this society. Therefore, a second step to taking the path of letting go regarding racial injustice is for the privileged to become more aware of the experience of a person of color. This might mean participating in a church service or attending a social gathering to listen humbly, be present, and maybe become a friend. A third step, according to Cleveland, is to show up at marches or protests over racial injustice. White people are not the only ones who enjoy privilege. Therefore, everyone must take the public step of standing up for justice. God calls all of us, regardless of privilege, to come down quickly and receive Christ like Zacchaeus.