Dr. John Young                                                                                               4/15/07

Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, FL

Overcoming Racism in Jacksonville

            About ¼ of Jacksonville’s population is African-American, but African-Americans represent more than half of the people living in poverty, with HIV or AIDS, in prison, or experiencing murder and violence in their neighborhoods. Jacksonville has made significant progress from its racist and oppressive past. Its public schools are officially integrated, largely by busing; some areas of the city have a racial variety of residents; most large businesses have some minorities among their employees and, perhaps, even in their management. The Black middle-class has shown explosive growth and slowly is integrating Jacksonville’s power structure. There are new immigrants from around the world, and many of them are part of Jacksonville’s growing professional class.

 I came to Jacksonville in 1999, attracted partly because Jacksonville had a large African-American population; the congregation was located in a significantly mixed neighborhood and UUCJ had a proud heritage as an active spiritual community involved with civic rights and integration. I hoped to help UUCJ to become more racially diverse and more truly multi-ethnic in its celebrations, its religious exploration, comfortable sociability, and outreach.

This congregation has a growing handful of people from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. It has had three Presidents in the last 12 years that are African-American, two since I became your minister, and people of different ethnic, racial, and life-style backgrounds have served on our Board, as Committee Chairs, and staff people. We are reaching out more effectively into the larger community. I hope that people across the human rainbow do feel comfortable among us, and feel included by our celebrations and discussions.

            However, we are still largely a White congregation, and most of us are living substantially segregated lives, with an occasional person of another race getting included in our lives because they fit in well enough. Most of Jacksonville is still substantially segregated in housing and in classrooms, in offices and at church, in clubs and in social groups. Racism is still pervasive in the ways we act and in our institutions in Jacksonville and in America.

            ¾ of my ancestors are Northerners with many generations in America; one fourth is Southern. In 1791, that family, the Lesters, established a plantation outside of Haddock, Georgia, by taking the land away from the Creek Native Americans and by farming it for several generations with slaves. So, some of my ancestors were a full part of the American catastrophe. My maternal grandfather, H.D. Lester had become a Kansas banker and politician. He was a good man and generally treated people well, but he was a bigot, and would not eat in a restaurant where Black people were eating and not just serving. My father had Black friends, but he made racist statements about African-Americans in general. My mother included my Black friends in our play groups and Cub Scouts and was the only adult enthusiastic about my growing involvement in the civil rights struggle.  She really thought all people were spiritually equal, as I do. I progressed from local demonstrations and sit-ins to ghetto tutoring programs, the boards of a poverty program and a homeless and affordable housing organization to anti-racism training for non-profit leaderships. I dated, as a White friend commented, ‘the United Nations,’ and married a Hindu woman from India. My grown children are bi-racial. However, despite my occasional efforts, I remain, generally, part of the White establishment living a largely White, segregated life.

            I have had the great privilege of working with outstanding African-Americans and new immigrants in each of the congregations I have served and communities where I have lived. Almost every one of them personified the fulfillment of much of the American dream and exemplified many of America’s highest ideals. Afesa Adams, Dr. Lionel Bryan, Emma and Frank Dancy, Carole and Donald Jones, Marilyn and Ike Williams represent some of the best leadership both our congregation and in Jacksonville. They belong to this congregation, like us White members, despite their typical characteristics because they, too, want an inclusive, love and justice based, and liberated spirituality which expects responsible behavior from individuals and a clear focus on progressive and sustainable actions in the world. Unitarian Universalist congregations attract the same kind of minority membership that we attract White membership: progressive, liberated, intellectually interested, activists, who are willing to be more open and inclusive, more honest and active than most other people.

            I am giving this sermon today because I am feeling pessimistic about racism in Jacksonville and in America, and I need your help. I was grateful that Bill Cosby and now Juan Williams have begun to address the racism and disintegration in the African-American community. I heard Juan Williams when he spoke at WJCT some weeks ago, and I recommend his book, Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture of Failure that Are Undermining Black America; I recommend it particularly for African-Americans. America cannot extricate itself from racism if a victim culture among African-Americans. A generation of Black males is literally and metaphorically being caught with their pants down, and way too many poor women of all colors are having children when they are not able to be appropriately responsible for them. People who call themselves and their people Niggers and flaunt the most racist stereotypes are making it all-too-easy for White Americans to bask in their bigotry.

However, I am equally pessimistic about the comfortable continuation of white racism in Jacksonville and across America. Some years ago, I heard Paul Kivel, a White Jew, speak on his book Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice, and I recommend it, particularly for White Americans. The advantage of women’s liberation was that it was almost impossible for anyone to avoid. We all not only know women; almost all of us love some of them and have had good experiences with them, and trust them. So, when women started getting liberated and standing up for themselves, most men knew in their hearts that women were simply seeking the justice they deserved. We must now learn to un-segregate ourselves and our children enough so that we all begin to have similar experiences across racial lines. Women took much initiative, and African-Americans and other minorities in America have taken persistent, patient public initiative throughout their lives, but they cannot do the job of changing the culture by themselves anymore than women could change the culture without male cooperation and initiative.

What can we do to outgrow racism in Jacksonville?

First, we need to take the initiative to make, nurture, and keep close friendships across racial lines. I invite you to make at least one of your deep friendships this year be a friendship across racial lines. Not just getting acquainted or being friendly, but investing your self, taking some chances on deep friendship. You don’t have time? Well, make time. You don’t know any people of other races? Seek some out.

Second, every time, the people around you make racist comments or do racist acts, tell them they are wrong, and that you will not stand for their behavior, just like I hope you would do if they criticized your Mamma, your spouse, or your child. We have to begin standing up for what we believe.

Third, think of an acquaintance of your’s of another race who you realize would enjoy this congregation and invite them to attend here with you, and do your best to interest them in membership here. At least, literally befriend new people when they come here. Get beyond ‘hello’ and ‘glad you are here’ to ‘I’d like to know more about you’ and ‘how about having lunch so we can talk more about your experience at UUCJ?’

Fourth, figure out some way that you think you can best make a difference toward a less racist Jacksonville: perhaps being a mentor, or a big brother or big sister, coaching a team, building a Habijax home, hiring a person of another race and treating them as your friend and not just your employee, and actually DO IT!

Fifth, I have this fantasy that UUCJ could get their act together to do something significant in the northwest of our city. Perhaps, it could be an outreach ministry with the northwest campus of the community college that combines sharing our UU good news with students and a service project or project that connected students, UUCJ members, and community people. Years ago, when UUCJ was much smaller it did such things. Perhaps we could find the time, energy, and money to do something significant again. We might also find ways to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community, or to other new immigrants who no longer feel served by their ancestral faiths.

            But I don’t know? Everybody feels pretty stuck right where they are. Uprooting racism is not going to be easy or brief. Perhaps we are too comfortable in our inherited privileges or victim hood to risk going outside of our comfort zones. Perhaps the roots of privilege are too deep, and perhaps we are not strong enough to walk our talk.