Sarah and David Herrmann: God created one race: the human race

EMBRACING FAMILY

Every day we are asked to show our love as Christians: Going to church weekly; opening the door for someone; helping at a food bank; sending our children to Catholic schools or religious education; reading the Bible; forgiving our spouse; helping with homework; letting someone else choose the TV channel. We all know what we should do, although we sometimes need reminders.

With the death of George Floyd and the uprisings in U.S. cities and across the world, there has been an outcry over injustices that have been long suppressed.

Racism is a difficult subject to think about. Difficult to understand. Difficult to talk about.

What should we do when there is so much division? How should we respond? Defend the protesters? Defend police officers? Be angry at the looters?

We should start where we have the most influence: at home. We should talk with our family and teach our children. Only then can we share the message effectively outside our home.

Where to begin? Why not at the beginning of the Bible? One of the simplest things we can do is to pray and reread the creation story in Genesis. God created people, Adam and Eve. He looked at what he created and saw that “it was good.” God did not create races. We did. Race is a societal construct whereby people experience oppression or discrimination because of physical traits.

Jesus came to earth to save the human race, which was created in God’s image and likeness. All human life — from conception to death — deserves to be treated with respect. Respect should not be contingent upon one’s gender, race, ethnicity, faith, or even one’s choices. Respect and dignity should be afforded to all, as Christ showed us through his life and death.

Pope Francis recently reminded Catholics that racism is a sin and we cannot ignore it.

“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” the pope said on June 3. “At the same time, we have to recognize that ‘the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.’”

If we ignore racial discrimination, we are ignoring the injustices that perpetuate a cycle of oppression and discrimination.

How to talk about racism with your kids

How can we teach this to our children when our society is so divided? How can we teach them that we are all one race, created by God? How can we teach them that violence is not the solution?

Start the conversation. It is never too early.

Allow our children to ask questions and answer them simply, emphasizing that our heart, our words, our actions define us, not our looks.

Be mindful of our own words and actions. We teach by our example.

Be open and honest with our children regarding racism and the societal impact that it has, including some neighborhoods that are poorer than others, some ethnic groups that have a disproportionate rate of poverty or homelessness.

When we meet God’s children in the houseless, the marginalized, the mentally ill, do we reach out? Do we help? Or do we go by as if we do not see it.

• Foster literacy.
• Share stories of heroes of different ethnic groups and that their heroism was not determined by their race, rather, it was determined by the choices they made.
• What are the histories and experiences of African Americans, Hawaiians, Chinese, Filipinos, Italians, Mexicans, Native Americans, or any of the multitudes of beautiful cultures around the world?
• Promote diversity as enriching and helping us discover different attributes of God.
• Teach children that violence does not solve problems. It creates more problems.
• Be active.

What can we do to “take a stand” against racism and other forms of discrimination? While some may opt to peacefully protest, there are also many other things we can do.

• Pray as a family for peace, forgiveness, and for respect for all people.
• Reach out to those we know who come from diverse backgrounds and let them know how much we care.
• Step out of our comfort zone and smile and say “Aloha” to someone we don’t know. If they are in need, see how we can help.

One of the beautiful things about living in Hawaii is the tremendous diversity and the spirit of aloha which permeates our community. Sadly, even here in paradise people are suffering from racism.

This issue will not go away next week or next month. We need to strengthen our belief in the beauty of God within all of us, and actively participate by reaching out to make this a more beautiful world.

There is far more that unites us than separates us. Each one of us can start making a difference, beginning in our own homes. We are all of one race, the human race, created in the image of likeness of God. We are all equal in His sight. We are God’s family.

Below is an inspirational excerpt from “Human Family”, a beautiful poem by Maya Angelou:

Human Family

I note the obvious differences

in the human family.

Some of us are serious,

some thrive on comedy …

The variety of our skin tones

can confuse, bemuse, delight,

brown and pink and beige and purple,

tan and blue and white …

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike …

We’d love to hear from you, Hawaii Catholic Herald readers: How is your family growing closer to God and each other as you teach your children how to appreciate the diversity of others? If you have questions you would like addressed in “Embracing Family,” please email them to Sarah and David at Success@EmbraceFamilyLearning.com and we would be honored to lift you up in prayer and respond, as well! If desired, you can remain anonymous.