White Moderation: the Greatest Obstacle to Black Liberation
“Many Christians today say they would have been active participants in the Civil Rights movement fifty years ago. Now, in the midst of a new civil rights movement, is their chance to prove it.”
Jemar Tisby, The Color of Compromise
Did you know Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” was written in response to 8 white clergymen (anti-segregationists too = “good guys”) who called his activities in Birmingham “unwise and untimely”? They were urging King to cool off, be reasonable, just be patient — for Civil Rights would gradually and eventually come to pass (an easy thing for a bunch of white guys to say, eh?).
King’s whole letter of response is PURE GOLD, unbelievably relevant, and so moving! I think it paints such a brilliant picture of how we, as white people, often overestimate our “goodness,” misread what’s required of us in terms of racial justice, and ultimately let ourselves off the hook. Here is a short excerpt:
“I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice;
who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection…”
We forget that the majority of Americans at the time had an unfavorable view of Dr. King. He had not yet been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, or a national holiday (those things came AFTER his assassination). Rather, in his lifetime, he was called a disturber of the peace, a communist, an anarchist, an extremist, and a law-breaker for his “methods of direct action” and civil disobedience. He was killed on purpose, after all.
In this letter, he expresses his great disappointment in the white church as well — an entity he counted on for support, but that he found to be otherwise engaged (focused on the “spiritual” to the detriment of the “social”).
He observed that the “white moderates” were of “goodwill,” but overwhelmingly dedicated to the maintenance of the status quo. They preferred order and the absence of tension — a “negative peace” — to the presence of justice.
Sound familiar?
. . .
King does, however, praise a few white leaders who recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for radical action. He says they were seen as “dirty n***** lovers,” they languished in filthy, roach-infested jails, and suffered the abuse and brutality of policemen alongside their Black brothers and sisters.
But, make no mistake, this was NOT the popular choice; NOT the obvious choice for white people of “good conscience.” The obvious position was that of the Moderate. Even renowned and widely respected Christian leaders like Billy Graham took this Moderate position, advising Dr. King to put on the brakes (rather than risk the backlash of endorsing King’s controversial methods).
There were VERY FEW who were willing to go so far as to put their freedom, livelihoods, relationships, and bodies on the line for the cause.
What makes you think YOU would have been one of them?
. . .
I think we often grossly OVERESTIMATE how “enlightened” we would have been, and how much we would have cared during the Civil Rights movement when we are not very far removed from the rationale or priorities of our ancestors (or the struggle for Black liberation)!
How much do we care NOW? What are we doing NOW? Therein lies our answer.
Our times are not so different. Neither have our rationalizations and excuses changed.
We may claim to care, but our understanding is shallow, and our acceptance is lukewarm at best. While our Black neighbors are outraged and demanding immediate action, we tend to be overly cautious, calling for “reasonableness.” We desire a kind of peace that leaves our lives and our country as undisturbed and untroubled as possible. And, once again, “white moderation” becomes the most frustrating obstacle to the Black community’s stride to freedom!!!
. . .
Maybe you disagree with Dr. King, as many did in his day (some feeling that he went too far and others not far enough), and that’s fine — he clearly preferred outright disagreement over false agreement.
But, if you are going to quote him and exalt him as a hero, you’ve got to confront your true position when it comes to Black lives today — Moderate or Activist? Here’s a guide, as laid out by his letter…
Do you prioritize:
“Law and Order” |OR| Freedom for the oppressed?
“The absence of tension” |OR| “The presence of justice”?
Agreement with Goals (theoretical) |OR| Methods of direct action?
“Spiritual” |OR| “Social”?
Patience |OR| Urgency?
Lukewarm acceptance |OR| All-in support?
Maintaining status quo |OR| Imagining a more equitable future?
I list these EITHER/ORs not to draw a simplistic line down the middle, but to force us to admit the truth of our moderation: That most of us are NOT clearing the path for Dr. King’s revolutionary spirit in the movement of today; rather, we are the obstacles standing in his way.
Let’s stop deceiving ourselves.
