Building Bridges Through Friendship: A Journey of Understanding
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Chapter 1: Reflection on George Floyd's Tragic Death
How did you react to the tragic murder of George Floyd? In my community, we responded with prayer and action. There's a well-known saying: "If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem." As a predominantly white congregation, we felt compelled to not only participate in protests but also to educate ourselves about racism and white privilege.
In July 2020, we initiated what I refer to as an Unlearning Racism book study group, and I’m proud to say we’ve been gathering weekly since then. Throughout this time, we’ve explored at least twelve works by notable authors such as James Baldwin, Isabel Wilkerson, and Robin DiAngelo. One standout has been Resmaa Menakem’s My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies.
Currently, we’re delving into The Black Church by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., which has profoundly resonated with me due to Dr. Gates’ scholarly insights and the engaging discussions it prompts.
In a recent conversation with my African-American church friend, Meredith, I shared my thoughts on the book. Our dialogue quickly expanded to include our differing life experiences—hers as an African-American and mine as a white Jewish individual—leading us to converse for three hours.
This week’s Middle-Pause Pump Priming Prompt encourages you to reflect on a time when forming a friendship deepened your comprehension of someone whose life experience diverged from yours, whether due to race, nationality, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status.
Section 1.1: Exploring African Cultural Traditions
While reading The Black Church, I hoped to gain insights into the African cultural and spiritual traditions that enslaved Africans brought to America—elements that have significantly shaped African-American spirituality in Black churches.
Attending services at Black churches, I cannot help but feel the vibrant energy present. I was eager to understand the origins of this spirit, hoping the book would illuminate it. Dr. Gates touches on this briefly, mentioning how practices like Hoodoo, Obeah, and conjuration reflect the continuity of African beliefs, often transformed into Black Christian rituals.
Though he acknowledges these practices, I found myself wanting more detailed descriptions of traditions like the ring shout. In discussing this with Meredith, we began to explore the significance of music and drums within African culture, as she explained how enslaved individuals resorted to "talking drums" when they were forbidden to speak their native languages.
Subsection 1.1.1: High School Experiences and Racial Bias
Meredith recounted her experience attending an almost all-white affluent high school in the 1950s. The lack of competition between races made her feel comfortable, with only a handful of Black students present. However, she faced challenges in her music class, receiving a lower grade than a less talented white student, which sparked a conversation about racial bias.
In contrast, I shared my own high school experience in a diverse environment at Naramasu High School in Japan, where I enjoyed a rich cultural tapestry. Upon returning to the United States and moving to Miami Beach, I encountered a starkly different atmosphere filled with overt racism, which was disheartening given my values.