On last night’s very entertaining episode of Boston Legal, attorney Denny Crane (played by the incomparable William Shatner), gets into hot water by telling an African-American attorney that he would be a perfect addition to the law firm because he “doesn’t sound black.”
The fact that the African-American attorney was played by Jaleel White (TV’s “Urkel” from years back) made it all the more gripping.
Anyway, at the end of the episode, Shirley Schmidt (played by Candice Bergen), one of the firm’s senior partners, addresses the press on behalf of the firm. Her remarks concluded with these words:
Denny Crane’s statement speaks to an insidious form of racism that exists in a white collar society that prefers to take its blacks as it takes its coffee–with a little cream and sugar. I’m not proud of it. But until we confront that truth, we will not change it.
It was probably the most honest acknowledgement of institutional racism that I have heard in a long time. Unfortunately, it came from the lips of a television character instead of, say, Don Imus. Or Mel Gibson. Or Michael Richards. Or any one of a number of church folks!
Love the show…great episode. Shirley Schmidt’s acknowledgement was indeed honest and correct, but I didn’t buy the idea that a bewildered media would let her walk away from the podium without barraging her with follow-up questions!
Of course, if we agree with Shirley (and I do), then what should we as the Church do about it?
If you can suspend your disbelief enough to believe that Denny Crane would still have a place in the firm, then you should be able to swallow a bewildered media!
But seriously…I wish that I had some profound response to your inquiry: “What should we as the church do about it?”
Part of the problem, I think, is that we have attempted to “do” (i.e., implement) policies and processes concerning the injustice of racism when, in fact, people have not yet come to an acknowledgement of the racism that exists within them. Without such an acknowledgement, there can be no confession. Without confession, there can be no repentance. Without repentance, any policy or process implemented to combat racism becomes a hollow expression of affirmative action.
This is not to say that those policies and processes should not be implemented. Justice without repentance, after all, is still better than injustice without repentance.
But part of what I found refreshing about Shirley’s remarks last night is the starkness of their honesty concerning an issue that we are far more comfortable denying, ignoring, or, at the very least, downplaying.
As the church, part of the answer is being intentional about creating more models for the kind of counter-cultural unity that the Holy Spirit makes possible. Which brings me to this question: In an annual conference with very few multi-ethnic churches, what are the implications of this in determing what we are looking for in our new church starts?
EXCELLENT question. I have said for a long time that we should be starting churches in downtown Pgh, not just the lily-white suburbs. I’m encouraged by the new move to start a faith community in Homestead. The truth is that I’m not sure we know how to reach out to minorities; perhaps we need to partner more intentionally with the AME, AMEZ, and CME denominations. That could bear some fruit.
Never seen the show…I’m usually watching Court T.V., although tonight I’ll be watching “Idol” hoping the bishop will do his best Sanjaya impression.
But what you raise is profoundly true. How can we correct our institutions when our hearts are not yet there. It’s not just racial. How many churches, if asked to receive one, would accept and embrace a pastor with a mental illness? I fear not very many.