“Faith in Christ is what makes all of you equal with each
other." ~ Galatians 3:28
Though she hated to admit it, Sandra
was raised a racist. No, it wasn’t her
parents but a whole society that taught children to view non-whites as inferior.
She grew up in a blue collar, suburban, primarily Caucasian
city with only a scant few minorities in her classes at school. Virtually no attempts were made to expose her
to other cultures. Sandra was basically
conditioned from birth until high school to believe ‘white’ was normal;
anything else was an uncommon exception.
Her high school had a few more non-whites, but they were
still a clear minority. Even Sandra
would admit that she wasn’t the most open-minded, charitable person back then.
Things became more confusing when she got to college. There she encountered more non-white classmates. For the first time, Sandra had to actually
temper herself; she couldn’t be openly racist anymore. Too many people could (and would) confront
her intolerance.
At twenty-four she moved from a sea of white to one of the
most culturally diverse cities in the country where Muslims represented nearly
half the population. It was unsettling
to go from being the distinct majority, to living in a neighborhood where it
was about even.
Then came 9-11 and later the Boston Marathon bombings. It wasn’t hard for Sandra to understand why
Muslims were being avoided, ridiculed and disparaged. Even people of other races and religions
treated Muslim like filth. And since
most known terrorists were Muslim, Sandra feared being blown apart, killed or
tortured.
She entertained thoughts of moving back to an ostensibly
white neighborhood – for their safety and sanity. What if her young son Evan decided to follow
Allah instead of Christ; to read the Qur’an instead of the Bible, to seek
eternal paradise instead of eternal salvation?
As she pondered those thoughts, Evan bounded up the front
steps and greeted her with his usual bear hug.
“My, you’re in a good mood today!” she said. “You must have gotten a good grade on your
spelling test.”
“Better than that, Mom,” he countered. I made a new friend!”
Curious, Beth asked many questions before revealing her true
intent. “What color is she?”
“Oops!” relied an embarrassed Even. “I forgot to ask. Sorry, Mom!”
Pure innocence! This
it seemed was certainly a big part of why overtly racist people living in the
same place their entire lives are unlikely to change - because nothing and no
one is forcing them to. No desire to travel
or experience other cultures, just a mentality of, “Everything I need is here,
why would I need to change?”
“Bring her home anytime, Evan,” Beth said. If she’s your friend, she can be mine too.”
“Oh Compassionate God, bestow on me a heart,
which like a crystal vase, may be illumined with the light of Your love. Confer upon me the insight, strength and
courage to transform this world into rose-garden of spiritual bounty.” ~ Abdu’l-Bahá
