Reverse Racism

As I have written in previous bogs, I have suffered with chronic migraines/headaches since I was 13-years-old.  Towards the end of last summer, I finally conjured up the energy to apply for jobs.  Working a rewarding job has always been a great remedy for my chronic pain.  Though an enjoyable job has never healed me, it has served as a great distraction which has always allowed me to think less about my troubles.  There is nothing more fulfilling to me than working in a Christian school as a teacher.  Not only do I get to help educate kids academically, but I also get to inspire kids to grow spiritually!  I applied at various Christian schools this past fall.  The first place that called me had me come in for an interview.  The principal and the church which supported the school were African American.  They offered me a 5^th grade teaching position, which paid well, right on the spot.  I was very excited to work with a diverse group of people and gain experience working with people outside of my own race. 

After I accepted the job, I was called by three other Christian schools and each wanted to interview me.  I turned down every interview because I had already found a school that I was looking forward to teaching at.  The school I had decided to work for was starting fresh after some issues with the previous administrator.  My co-workers and I were led to believe the school was going to be small, but we would each have some students.  It felt like we were all going to be part of building a Christian school together.  You can imagine our shock the first day of classes when we had less than 5 students in the entire school.  The first week, it remained this way.  We were all very nervous, but the principal kept encouraging us that “God had told her” we were going have 60 students by the end of the month. 

Obviously, the principal did not hear from God because the school had only gained seven or so students by the end of the month.  Some teachers had no students in their class and others had only a couple.  We all felt deceived and feared losing our jobs.  I was especially upset because I had turned down three job interviews at really great Christian schools.  In my two months there I was the 5^th grade teacher, then the 4th grade teacher, then the 5^th grade teacher again, then the 3^rd grade teacher, then the “Bible teacher” for all of the grades.  I tried to remain flexible and positive as they tossed me around (like a rag-doll) according to their ever changing needs.  The reason their needs kept changing was because parents were taking their kids out of the school because they had no classmates. 

I felt I was deceived in the name of “proclamation.”  Meaning, the principal simply proclaimed that each teacher would have students.  While I think it is fine to positively “proclaim” things in ones own life (in other words – walking by faith), Christians should be very careful when “proclaiming” over other people’s lives!  Not only did I feel betrayed and lied to, but I also began to notice reverse racism.  Since every teacher felt deceived and feared losing their jobs; negativity began to erupt in the school.  The staff was made up of half Caucasian women and half African American women.  The teachers began to gossip and complain about one another, which created a very unhealthy atmosphere.  Soon, I noticed that if a problem would arise between a Caucasian woman and an African American woman, the principal would always take the side of the woman of her own race (whether the woman was right or wrong).  Not only was this unprofessional, it was “reverse racism” and certainly did not reflect Christ.

I was able to ignore the injustice, until the injustice came knocking on my door.  There was a very nasty African American lady (who had issues with both white women and women of her own race) that I ran into a confrontation with.  She was very rude and unprofessional towards me, so I reported her behavior to the principal.  The principal arranged a meeting for the three of us to discuss the current issue.  Within the meeting, I realized that no matter what I said I was going to be wrong because of the color of my skin.  The nasty lady was being rude to me right in front of the principal, so I pointed it out and said, “You can hear how she is speaking to me, yet you are still defending her.”  The principal was highly offending and said, “I am not defending anyone and you are an accuser of the brethren.”  If you have an understanding of biblical theology, you understand that she was basically calling me Satan. 

I was more than hurt; I was livid!  The combination of feeling deceived and taken advantage of, coupled with the crippling hurt and shock or “reverse racism” among Christians, was more than I could handle.  I quit the job immediately!  It has been over a month since I left the school, and I still feel like calling a lawyer and suing (even though it would probably be a stressful, waste of time).  While I try to forgive and forget, revenge sounds more than sweet at times.

In general, racism has always been an issue among Americans.  It used to be that African Americans suffered the most, when it came to racism.  Today, however, Caucasians and those of other races, suffer from the devastating affects of racism.  No matter what race you are, it is certain that at one point or another, you will be treated unfairly, simply because of the color of your skin and cultural background.  It is God’s desire that we, as Christians, love one another, despite our racial differences.  Galatians 3:27-28 says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  The truth is that racism is prevalent in every culture and every race suffers from it! 

As Christians, we should fight against the injustice of racism and refuse to give into its cruelty.  We should also choose to forgive and love those who persecute us because of our race.  As Martin Luther King Jr. put it “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

I would like to hear your experiences and opinions; please comment!

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