Moving Backward
I graduated from High School in 1973 (I can’t believe I’m that old, but it’s true). When I was in the 6th grade in my “Small Town America” school district the “Colored School” and the “White School” integrated. These are not my words but how each one was named at the time when talking about the difference between them.
I remember my mother and many of her friends fighting hard for this integration of the schools to be passed in a referendum. It was better for both schools to be united for both educational and financial reasons. It took a few years (though my memory is not good about how many) to convince people from both schools that it was a good idea.
It took several more years for students to see racial stereotypes crushed and to have the ability to see people as people rather than a race or ethnicity.
Fast forward to this year when I feel like I have heard more about racism than I did as a child when it was more obvious. Yesterday it was reported that Columbia University was separating their graduation into six different ceremonies according to race and ethnicity. I was shocked! All that work from the 60s and 70s reversed in one decision.
Today, I saw that it was not true that there graduation would be separated. These are just other little celebrations held in addition to the graduation.
Here is what the article in the “Washington Examiner” says about it: “Reports on Tuesday claimed the university was doing away with the standard graduation ceremony in lieu of six separate ones that would be dedicated to Native American, Asian, “Latinx,” black, first-generation and low-income, and “LGBTIAQ+” students. But a university spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that those events, which are only open to certain schools within the university, are being held in addition to a traditional, campus wide graduation, which is set for April 30.”
(You can read the whole article here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/columbia-university-graduation-ceremony-race-ethnicity).
It sounds as though they are still supporting (maybe even encouraging) racial segregation. This is not God’s way! People of different races are our neighbors and we are to love our neighbors….all of them.
Studying God’s Law makes it very clear that when we live according to His precepts and His principles we will have much more peace, see much more of His grace, and experience many more of His blessings.
God looks on a man’s heart – not his bloodline or his external features to make his judgments about people. Can we do that? I would personally prefer a godly person of another ethnicity to be my friend than I would to have a godless, same ethnicity friend.
My observation is that we are moving backward from the work that so many people in the 60s and 70s did to promote racial integration as a big university supports segregation (even if it is on a small scale).
Sadly, this means that we are again moving away from God’s order for things. If it continues, racial and ethnic prejudice and separation will grow to the detriment of the children of our nation. What happened to being judged by the content of our character rather than the color of our skin?
Is that what we want? Will we love all of our neighbors and not participate in events that suggest that it is not good to do so?
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28