Reflections On “Black Folks”

FRI., APR. 19, 1996, 9:42 PM
CLARION, ATLANTA

Today you had lunch with a friend and former student, Stephen, who certainly is one of those with dark skin. He is a Ruminations reader, and seems to be slowly redeveloping his spiritual, even Christian, heritage. His work with youngsters who have suffered trauma from observing or being around violence is so much different from yours. Yet for that mealtime period he bridged the gap back to you, and you to him. Of course he soon will have a white wife and a white step-son, so that puts him squarely in the midst of black-white “rivalries”.

It was quite a wonderful conversation, one like you promised Me last night you would have. The whole day was not as spiritual as We both had hoped, but it was a day worth living, certainly.

The other “black folks” are these numerous college students, here for some sort of Spring “blast”. It’ll be mostly for fun, but some of those in the city are apprehensive, even scared. Their youthful exuberance is louder and “different” from their white counterparts, and when there are many it can be worrisome.

Most of them will eventually be striving for a functional place in the society and the economy… those who truly are reasonably serious students. Many will have to come to some terms, comfortable to uncomfortable, with the majority white culture, but few will be as much “in the midst” as Stephen. Many want to maintain certain attitudes and behaviors characteristic of their culture, but as they go beyond studenthood this will be more difficult to balance.

You felt out-of-place as you stood amongst them, both because of your color (or lack of same) and your age. Yet less than an hour before you were feeling much more comfort with your own, present students. Thus, knowing them and being similar in skin tone made for a closer, non-threatening feeling, with age the most obvious difference.

As you think about it, you realize that rarely have you felt about other black students of yours in the same way you feel, and have felt, about Stephen. Well, you do have warm feelings about Youmasu, but he is African, an overt Christian, and a husband and father. Do these negate the face of his blackness? Apparently. Ping is Oriental rather than black, and you long have had positive feelings for these non-Caucasians (including Patrick).

“Black folks” are a vivid example of My joy in diversity. You white folks always assume that Adam and Eve, and Noah and his family were white, even as they seemed to be Semites. If this is the only creation story it is unlikely to explain how some, of this stock, became dark-skinned, with features and hair also quite different from you white folks, or even Semites. It must not be all of that story, so I opine.

These young people around town this evening mostly have lived among whites, but developing, valuing, and sustaining certain ways of living and celebrating life that are different from yours… and from most white young people of their generation.

I tell you that many of them are quite like many of your students… raised Christian, but putting all of this aside for awhile, with a faint to a clear sense that they’ll come back to Me when youthful exuberance fades. This is a fairly common experience in your culture.