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Introduction to Systemic Racism · The Reading Instruction Show

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  Greetings, I'm Andy Johnson, and this is a transpersonal
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  approach to Christianity. From the book of James,
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  first chapter, 27th verse, religion that God
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  our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this,
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  to look after orphans and widows in their distress
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  and to keep oneself from being polluted by the
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  world. Okay. Now Trump, posted a racist tweet
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  showing the heads of Barack and Michelle Obama
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  on monkeys, and he won't apologize for this.
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  And many Republican supporters refuse to call
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  him out for this. Now, scripture does not specifically
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  mention systemic racism for a variety of reasons.
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  But the Bible doesn't mention a lot of things.
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  For example, the Bible doesn't use the word rape,
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  nor does it mention sexual trafficking, having
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  sex with underage girls, disobeying the law passed
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  by Congress related to the Epstein file. But
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  it does mention concubines, and the Old Testament
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  seems to be pro -concubine. It also mentions
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  having sex with animals. And the Old Testament
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  is against it. And it mentions sitting on the
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  bed of someone who has had a semen emission during
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  the night. And again, the Old Testament is against
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  it. Now, when we read Holy Scripture of any kind,
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  we must listen to the likeness. and we let the
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  likeness speak to us, understanding the principles
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  of love and compassion and responsibility outlined
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  in the Gospels, we read scriptures and let us
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  speak to us. And what does it say? Galatians
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  3, 26 to 29, for in Christ Jesus you are all
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  sons of God through faith. For as many of you
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  were baptized into Christ to put on Christ, and
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  we'll talk about what Christ means another time,
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  there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
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  slave nor free, there is neither male and female,
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  for you are all one in Christ Jesus. That's about
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  the closest we get to systemic racism. So let
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  us define. racism and systemic racism. Derrick
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  Bell defined racism as individual, structural,
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  political, economic, and social forces that serve
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  to discriminate against and disadvantage people
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  of color on the basis of their race for the purpose
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  of maintaining white dominance and power. And
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  systemic racism must be differentiated from racist
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  acts. A racist act involves one or more persons
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  engaged in discrimination, bigotry, hate, or
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  violence that is directed against one or more
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  people and is based on race. And while racist
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  acts are a result of racism, A myopic conception
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  of racism deflects responsibility and diminishes
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  the full understanding of this term. Now, some
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  would insist that racism is simply the actions
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  of a few bad apples. And this is what the people
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  in power want you to believe. According to the
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  apple theory, Ending racism is simply a matter
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  of apple hunting. But the apple theory serves
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  to cover up the larger systemic suppression and
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  oppression of minority populations used by those
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  with economic and political power. And they do
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  that to maintain that power. Systemic racism
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  is that which serves to disadvantage and restrict
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  people in color in ways that advance the interests
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  of those who are in power, who, by the way, are
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  overwhelmingly white males. Specifically, there's
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  a finger on the scale to ensure that the dominant
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  class has continued access to better jobs, to
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  loans, to housing. to good schools, to quality
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  teachers, and health care. And they are treated
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  differently by the criminal justice system. Now,
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  racism exists within the context of a societal
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  system. According to systems theory, anything
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  happening to one part of the system impacts the
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  whole. Included within our societal system are
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  a variety of subsystems, each of which has been
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  infected by the racism virus. These include the
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  legal system, the prison system, economic systems,
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  political systems, and educational systems. And
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  racism is like a bit of poison in the water tank.
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  You can't drink a single cup and expect it not
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  to be tainted. So I want to end with this. James
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  1, 27. Religion that God our Father accepts as
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  pure and faultless is this. One, to look after
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  orphans and widows in their distress, and two,
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  to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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  While boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, our
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  society has become tainted. It is tainted. And
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  the tainter in chief continues to pour poison
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  in our national water well. He is polluting the
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  world.