I see the conservative rejection of race labels (eg, hyphenated Americans) as a desire to encourage a single national identity as “Americans”. The conservatives cheering for Tamara Mensah-Stock did so because they see her primarily American, not her ethnic identity.
That said, I agree that there are cultural histories and norms specific to groups within the broader culture. I think it’s unwise to act as if that diversity of experience doesn’t exist or matter. HBCUs, Ebony and Jet, the “black church”, etc. all came to be in a specific..
historical context. Those things, as well as the Knights of Columbus, zydeco music, and the tradition of bagpipes in the NYPD all add to the rich tapestry which constitutes American history. The challenge is forging a national identity out of all of that.
The founding documents are a start. But what holds us together as we move forward in a culture that has embraced race-separatism and antagonism in the name of “antiracism”? Lastly, I think one challenge for the country and black conservatives in particular is how do we…
Embrace the parts of our identity we love while dealing honestly with the parts we don’t. I find certain black conservatives very willing to (publicly) do that national introspection but reluctant to do the more culturally-specific version. We can’t celebrate the impact of…
Jazz and the resiliency of the black family through emancipation and Jim Crow but stick our head in the sand when it comes to the impact of hip hop and the effects of a 75% out-of-wedlock rate. If we want to talk culture, we have to include the good, bad, AND ugly.
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That’s why I believe that people are made in the image of God and that their value is inherent—NOT dependent on whether they are wanted by their parents, how they were conceived, or how other people feel about them.
You have guests who compare women who travel cross-state for an abortion to slaves searching for freedom on the Underground Railroad. They see FEWER black kids being born as a form of liberation.
My goal in responding is to be as charitable in my understanding of your positions and gracious in my response as befits two brothers in Christ. You didn’t have to say “all abt racist policies in the past”. What you left out of your assessment of black life says it for you.
@DavidAFrench For example, you tie redlining to wealth disparities btwn groups. No one denies that inheritance passed down through generations contributes to wealth. So does income. Yet you never mention how differences in marriage rates & households impact income & wealth.
So if you don’t believe the issue is racist policy whites must remedy, please share what specific issues you believe black people are responsible for fixing ourselves.
A few more words on Fault Lines. One thing I appreciate about @VoddieBaucham is that he makes his positions and arguments using clear language. One of the worst parts of the SJ/CRT/Antiracist movements, both in and outside the church, is that it has turned people (esp. men) 1/12
Into mealy-mouthed euphemism machines who constantly change the meaning of words to fit whatever ideology they’re pushing. They are intentionally vague so that they can come back and say “well that’s not what I meant”. Plausible deniability may make for good political drama 2/12
But it only makes productive debate that much more difficult. And debate is actually what we need here. No more “you’re not reading the right scholars” or “they’re trying to please white folks”. If you’re a Christian and you believe “whiteness” is a biblical concept that is 3/12