It’s a Heart Matter
Matters of the heart are beyond the jurisdiction of government legislation, organizational policies, and leadership responsibilities. Not another speech, summit, or task force on race in America is needed. The racism that continues to haunt American life is truly a matter that can only be dealt with as individuals decide to overcome personal fears and ignorance about different races of people. Legislative mandates have undoubtedly been successful at rooting out systemic racism in many aspects of American life, but the true acts of racial reconciliation will only occur as individuals choose to cleanse their hearts of racial hatred. Companies and organizations of all sizes and across all sectors have done important work regarding the implementation of policies and procedures that are conducive for climates of equity and fairness in the workplace. However, individual managers and workers are the ones who must choose to demonstrate the will and courage necessary for organizational cultures and hierarchies to reflect respect and admiration for the skills and talents of people from all racial groups. Even though leaders (and leadership) are responsible for establishing the principles and values that define their operational domains, their respective constituencies are personally accountable for policing themselves. So where racial tolerance is concerned, the buck stops with the individual. Leaders can only hope that their stated values and policies are effective in achieving racially tolerant climates and reconstituted hearts.
Ultimately, most of us pray that somehow the stench and remnants of racism would just go away. What we’ve learned is that we can’t simply wish it away, but will have to consistently work hard at eliminating it in our everyday lives. This seems to be the task that we as Americans have been given and must grapple with for the foreseeable future. My sense is that the reason racism continues to rear its ugly head is to remind us that we still have a long way to go and we can’t just sweep matters under a rug and forget about them. What we don’t need is people hurling unsubstantiated claims of racism at fellow citizens nor do we need a media environment that seems to make a circus out of the most serious matters. Pointing fingers and labeling people as racist are not going to get us any closer to the promised land. We need more civility, understanding, and tolerance as we try to weave our ways through the maze of race relations in America. We have got to get to the core of racial hatred, which means we must deal with what’s in people’s hearts. Personal faith and religion are critical for teaching us all individually and corporately how to love and respect one another, without regard to race. For those of us who profess a Christian faith, we know that a transformed heart and renewed mind loves unconditionally. Everyday people must confront racism where they live, work, and play, in big and small ways. In a really weird way, it’s probably a good thing that we get these reminders that racism still exists, because it forces us to examine whether we treat our neighbors fairly and with mutual respect.



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