Dear Young Men of Color: Overcoming Oppression

Last updated on: March 30, 2015 at 7:47 am by Andy Gill

Dear Young Men of Color: Overcoming Oppression 2015-03-30T07:47:46-05:00 Andy Gill

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

[Image is a screenshot from Fong Tran’s spoken word titled, “Dear Young Men of Color,” which inspired the title of this post]

When you recognize your subjection to a racist reality, that shit will break you. It’s traumatic, literally. It shatters your overall sense of basic trust, or what’s left of it from past subjection to an oppressive society. You don’t know which way is up or which way is down. Not to mention the fact that you are re-confronting past racism that over elongated periods of time and exposure; it’s all overwhelmingly and psychologically destructive.

I mean, not to state the obvious, but it’s depressing to realize that the system is egregiously set up against specific groups and sects of society – let alone set up against you, to oppress you, and keep you small. The statistics are paralyzing.

It’s like The Matrix when Neo (Keanu Reeves) wakes up in a present dystopia; it’s also nothing like it, so follow me here. As people of color (POC), to learn about, and engage in issues and topics such as racial oppression, this is like taking the blue pill, or did he take the red one…? Either way, you get what I’m saying. When you take that pill and enter into that dystopia, everything starts to make sense, while simultaneously, everything begins to fall apart… and there isn’t anything you can do about it.

Nothing will prepare you for what you already know.

What breaks you, or rather, what broke me [and still does] was not just the confirmation of systemic racism, oppression, and violence, it was the fact that Christian people didn’t give a fuck about the effects of systemic racism, oppression, and violence. For instance, these types are more offended right now by me saying “fuck” than they are by the oppressive and heart-breaking reality of systemic racism.

I agree largely with Brené Brown, in that the path to healing is empathetic community. Unfortunately, research has shown that whites not only lack empathy for those who do not share the same race, but they also believe they are subjected to more racism and oppression than people of color. I know, wtf?

So the question is, “How then do we thrive in a society that is not only lacking in empathy, but does not acknowledge our oppressive reality?”

Paul Tough says it’s grit, Andrew Solomon says the answer is vitality; I think it’s grit, vitality, and a hundred other factors. One of those “factors” I’d say is luck. I say that with hesitance, because it has depressing realities to it; there are some who are simply “unlucky,” even more depressingly is by “some” I mean most.

If you’ve ever experienced depression, you can understand that some mornings when you wake up, the choice to simply get out of bed and make a bowl of cereal if fucking incredible. So, to not just get out of bed, but to walk out the front door, work a 9-5 job, get into and competitive college [and graduate]… that takes more than grit, vitality, and luck; when all of society is set up against you, it takes a fucking emotional gladiator.

Here’s the good news about all of this:

Our world’s population is rapidly increasing, it’s nearly quadrupled over the last century [1.8 billion to 6.9 billion]. Meaning, the number of people of color in our world, specifically in North America, is growing rapidly. Especially since interracial dating has been deemed acceptable by most Christian institutions that did not believe otherwise.

Yes, then again when “white people” came to the states they were the minority, and things turned out alright for them. But sometimes in order to prevail, we gotta ignore the burden reality found in our countries history.

Times are changing. The Internet, it’s empowering. It gives the oppressed person a voice that wouldn’t otherwise have one, or in the past been able to realistically obtain one. Today, it’s not only happening, but its not unrealistic for it to happen to us. For instance, this blog. The Church refused to give me a voice let alone a platform, so I created my own. You and I can google, and therefore, find other’s that feel and have experienced exactly all that you and I have felt and experienced, but the privileged will forever deny. That might sound small, but never under estimate the power behind knowing that we’re not alone in our suffering.

This was messy, and I didn’t proof read this until after I posted it. But my point is simple: Men of Color, keep going, you and I are not alone – we have each other.

Justice

Race

Dear young men of color

Dear Young Men of Color: Overcoming Oppression

Previous Post

March 13, 2015

Ex-Ex-Gay

Next Post

April 22, 2015 My “Affair” with a Youth Pastor

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Books Buzzfeed Christian Church Church Culture Dating Dechurched eXvangelical Guest Post Humor Inspirational Justice LGBTQ Life Marriage Media Millennials Mini Post Monday Money Podcast Politics Race Reason Relationships Science Sex Socioeconomic Theology Theology Uncategorized Video Wednesday Youth Ministry

Select a Month June 2020 March 2020 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 January 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Moses' staff turn into before Pharaoh?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A stone A pillar of fire A serpent A bird

Support this
Column