Reconciling Race: A New Normal
April, 2021
By Linda Bowling
Chairperson, Dearborn First UMC Reconciling Justice Team
Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
I've been struck by the word “normalize”.
In the news, on social media, in conversation, “normalize” has become, well, normal.
This single word is a call to remove stigma from our cultural expectations.
Normalize positive body image.
Normalize LGBTQIA inclusion.
Normalize self care.
Normalize mental health therapy.
Our next step in our allyship for racial equity: normalize.
The first step, self examination, required us to reflect on our own fears and biases. What do we believe and why? How have those beliefs determined our interaction with those who are different from us?
The second step, education, required us to immerse ourselves in unvarnished history. Throughout February I read books, watched documentaries, reviewed websites, listened to stories about Black History. Like many of you, I found my formal education was missing vital elements of our collective past. This country was built and formed much differently than has been reflected in books, art and our public monuments. The experience was not surprising, but eye opening.
The third step, normalize.
What is normal?
Watching Sound of Metal, a movie about a musician who is losing his hearing, I noticed the lead actor, Riz Ahmed, is a British man of Pakistani descent, which is completely irrelevant to the story. The character’s girlfriend, played by Olivia Cooke, is Belgian, which is irrelevant. His teacher is Black, which is irrelevant. His sponsor is white, which is....
The point was the story and its message.
As I share my glimpses of life I will thoughtfully and purposefully highlight the amazing range of color, culture, love and life. And I will seek to present it as normal.
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
-1 Samuel 16:7b
Linda Bowling is Chairperson of Reconciling Justice Team at Dearborn First United Methodist Church. Contact her at justice@dearbornfirstumc.org.
