A Place of Welcome and Acceptance

How should the church respond to racism?

By Dr. Ebun Joseph

(From the April - June 2020 issue of VOX)

As the coordinator in UCD of the first Black Studies module in Ireland, Dr Ebun Joseph lectures on race, migration, social policy and equality. She has lived in Ireland for more than 17 years and is a citizen of both Nigeria and Ireland. As a woman of faith, she finds comfort and solace in her relationship with God and in the church. But she also speaks out about the realities of racism in Irish society and that comes at a price.

When I crossed over into this new decade, I was being trolled online. People had created parody social media accounts using my name and my photo and used those accounts to post terrible and abusive things. My head was wrecked. I lost days trying to report them.

The thing that helped me most was my faith. If I had not been a woman of faith, I would have been broken by now. I remembered that I’m loved by God and I’m called according to His purpose. I remembered that “all things work together for my good” - that word dropped into my heart and sustained me. I can’t imagine how people survive without faith in God.

The abuse didn’t stop. I’m still being trolled but something shifted in me. My focus moved away from the racial abuse. My faith has been a solid rock. When I am hit with fears for my children or myself, I remember God’s word. I rest in His love, knowing that God is watching over us.

I say a lot of things that can be disruptive. I’m not looking for approval. People can be fickle, they love you today when you fit what they want but hate you tomorrow. God is the only constant, my constant. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knows my weakness and accepts me as I am. He helps me to accept others, but that doesn’t mean that we accept what is harmful or abusive.

Racism in the Workplace

We often hold stereotypes about certain people. Some will automatically gain respect. Others are more likely to be treated with suspicion or looked down upon.

Here in Ireland, people of colour experience significant inequality in the workplace. In the western world, some groups of people always appear at the bottom of the economic ladder In the UK, France and Ireland, for example, the unemployment rate of Blacks is higher than the unemployment rate of white Europeans, even when they have been born and educated in those countries and speak the language.

When I did my PhD research, it showed that Blacks are at the bottom of the economic ladder in Ireland while Whites are at the top. According to the Irish 2016 Census, the rate of unemployment for Western Europeans is 5 - 9%, for Eastern Europeans it is 13-19% but for Africans it is 43 - 63%. Just to be clear, those in my study were not asylum seekers. Yet, black people with a legal right to live and work in Ireland, including those born and educated here, are five to eight times more likely to be unemployed. Structural inequalities within our system do not allow them to progress within the labour market.

I wanted to find out why and my research showed clearly that there is systemic racism. We don’t want to believe it because as Irish people, we were colonised and many Irish people were sent to the Caribbean as indentured servants. Because of what we endured on both sides of the Atlantic, we believe Irish society cannot be racist. And yet, the reality is that black people in Ireland are experiencing racism and it has a psychological impact.

Racism within the church

The church is built on the notion of accepting and welcoming people as we are. It was set up to welcome difference. But we have to remember that the people of God are still just people with all our human weaknesses. The church is filled with imperfect, broken people who still make mistakes. The “badness” is not just out there; it is in here!

Yet our assumptions can blind us to what is really happening. I was talking to somebody about her experience within an Irish church. Long before the coronavirus, somebody in church had refused to shake her hand.

Many come to the church looking for healing, acceptance and respite from the things they experience in daily life. And the church in Ireland has done a lot of good! When people were facing deportation in the early 2000s, Christians wrote reference letters and campaigned for them to stay.

But we need to continue to find ways to make our churches inclusive. If we are not watchful, then the racism that is increasing in the wider society can so easily slip into the church and infiltrate our services. We end up having separate black services and Irish services rather than doing the hard work of becoming fully integrated.

“Many years ago when we encountered difference, we were taught tolerance. But you only tolerate what you despise.”

Moving from Tolerance to Acceptance

How can the church become a place where we learn how to manage difference? We begin by accepting people.

Many years ago when we encountered difference, we were taught tolerance. But you only tolerate what you despise. Tolerance draws on power dynamics. If we tolerate something, we have put ourselves in a position of superiority.

The Bible tells us we should treat others as we want to be treated ourselves. We do not judge someone when they speak English with a Cork accent, so why judge someone for speaking English with a Polish accent or a Nigerian accent? When a person who is different comes into our church, all they want is to be accepted for who they are.

“Our spiritual reality says that we are much-loved children of God. But for many of us, our lived reality is so different.”

Our spiritual reality says that we are much-loved children of God. But for many of us, our lived reality is so different. Even people who call themselves Christians can sometimes have racist prejudices.

It can be easier to cope with outspoken racial abuse than with hundreds of “micro-aggressions” we experience every day. It is really difficult to report a micro-aggression because it seems so small and insignificant but it is like the sound of a dripping tap. You hear the same things over and over and over again. These might not be so bad, in and of themselves, but added to all the other “little” things, they absolutely wear you down.

Unfortunately, we don’t like being challenged. We want to be able to say whatever we want and we expect people not to be offended. But in our churches, we need to learn to be culturally sensitive and acknowledge that some people are exposed to a continual barrage of “tiny” things with a deeper, racial meaning. When somebody asks, “So, where are you from?” or “where were you from originally?” it is painful because the underlying message is “you are not from here” or “you don’t belong here”.

To take another example, if someone makes a monkey sound close to a white person, they might laugh about it. But a black person will not laugh because they understand the underlying message. This is what we call a ‘dog whistle’.

Becoming Allies

Change is deliberate. The gender pay gap is closing because we named it and we began to put things in place to address it. If we really want to change the problem of racism and inequality, we need allies. Our churches can become safe places.

Sometimes I go to conferences and I am the only black person there. It can get tiring to be constantly on the outside trying to integrate, to be included. It is so helpful when other people make an effort to include you, to make you feel welcome and comfortable.

It is time to take action! The church should be become a place where people who are weary and burdened can find rest and comfort (Matthew 11).

Go to one person in your church and ask, “How can I be an ally to you? How can I be there for you?” Look out for the person who is standing alone. Invite them for a coffee. Don’t begin with a question that emphasises their difference but include them in your conversation.

There may be young people in your church who are struggling to find work experience or internships. Help them to make the right connections. Offer work experience to TY students or internships for college graduates. People will remember what you did and how you made them feel.

Little things go a long way. Let people feel normal. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind. When we use “LOL” as a family, it stands for “love out loud” - so don’t love in silence!