There are times when my faith and my heritage are at war with each other. Most of the time, my faith wins out over my love for my heritage. But there are also times when they’re so intertwined—especially when I think about God’s love for ALL people and how He started the church by inviting people from all over the world into the faith. The disconnect happens when I’m faced with the choice of how to respond to racism—whether I react in a way that honors the Lord or based on my own feelings. What the Bible calls me to do often contradicts how I feel, what I think, and even what my community thinks and feels. This tension creates a kind of struggle, where I’m torn between embracing those who resonate with my human experience but don’t respond in the way Scripture teaches, and having to let go of them to stay faithful.
I feel like Paul when he says in Romans 7:14-25:
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Because of this internal struggle and my determination to keep striving to be all that God wants me to be, I often find myself not fitting in anywhere. God commands us to speak the truth in love, so I share my experiences with racism—not to condemn, but to gently show those willing to listen that there’s still work to be done. This is often met with rejection or labeled as holding onto the past (but how can I let go of a past that still affects my present?). Even with the resistance to sharing the truth about being Black in America, I continue to love and extend grace and mercy, because God also commands us to do so in Matthew 5:43-48.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? …
I’m not striving for recognition in this world; I’m working for the ONE who gave His life for all of us. My aim is to reflect His love and grace in everything I do. With that in mind, I often find myself questioning how my community has responded to racism. When I look back at history, it becomes clear to me that only love, grace, peace, and mercy truly create lasting change. Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach, along with others who followed a similar path, effectively brought about reconciliation. While some believe MLK’s methods weren’t successful, I strongly disagree. This difference of opinion is part of why I struggle with thinkers like Ibram X. Kendi. In many of his writings, particularly How to Be an Anti-Racist, he dismisses MLK’s peaceful, non-violent approach to social change. But here we are, still fighting the same battles with little progress since George Floyd’s death. When I learned that Kendi would be joining Howard University, I felt a deep sense of disappointment. But then I realized—maybe our goals are different.
My primary goal is racial reconciliation, and I believe that can only happen when both sides humbly seek to be the change, rather than waiting for the “other” to make the first move. Anti-racism can’t just be about rejecting systems rooted in White supremacy. We must replace those systems with something positive, and it should not center Black people while dismissing or canceling other human stories. Instead, we should focus on loving our neighbors, serving humanity as a whole and working toward reconciliation.
A few years ago, I experienced racism at a university. I filed a report, it was investigated, confirmed, and the person involved was required to complete a day of diversity training. I asked for a mediator to help facilitate reconciliation, but the university refused. For the remainder of my time there, I was never able to find resolution with that person. This was their version of anti-racism and DEI work. How can we ever hope to heal a nation fractured by racism if we continue to move forward without mending the broken relationships that lie at the heart of the problem?
Reconciliation is at the heart of the Bible. We are called to let go of bitterness and not allow it to shape our response to racism. The more I engage with those who align with Kendi’s views, and the more I read his work, I realize that for some, the goal isn’t racial reconciliation—it’s a fight for power and supremacy, which leads to nationalism. Whether it’s Christian Nationalism or Black Nationalism, neither aligns with Biblical principles. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Jesus did not prioritize any one group, not even His own people. In fact, He specifically told Paul to go reach the Gentiles (non-Jews). The Son of God chose to serve. When He washed the disciples’ feet, He showed us the humility we are all called to embrace. He washed ALL of their feet—even Judas’. If the God-man could humble Himself in such a profound way, it teaches me that I am called to live humbly, extending grace, and reaching out to others with love.
I understand that these thoughts may not be easy to hear. I know they might create distance between me and the communities and universities (especially HBCUs) that I hold dear. I can share my truth about the racism I’ve experienced, but I can’t stay stuck in that place. I have to move toward love and reconciliation because that’s what God commands, and ultimately, I answer to Him above anyone else. I’m aware that I’ll likely be misjudged as an Uncle Tom, but I live for an audience of One. Even though it may not be the most popular perspective, I have to obey what His word commands. He has given me one command: to love without condition.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor. 13:4-7
Dr. Anika T. Prather 