March 18, 2009
By Kelly C. Martini

When a young person of color is running down the street at dusk, what are your first thoughts about what just happened?

It's a question that Erin Hawkins, chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race, wants people to ask themselves. It is, she said, your "mental unspoken description of the activity that you see" that defines how racial stereotypes have shaped people and their views of others.

Unspoken mental views of people who are visibly different from others can shape a person's actions—a woman pulling her purse closer when an African-American approaches, a man suspiciously watching a Native youth when he walks through the neighborhood, or airport security detaining a Middle Eastern woman because of her native attire.

Often used within the context of police activity, racial profiling occurs when people in power use the law and stereotypes to impede the everyday lives of others. Overcoming profiling can be difficult and complicated, but people familiar with the problem suggest several steps that individuals and institutions can take to change attitudes.

By personally defining our mental image of what is happening and of the stereotypes we have, "you can change how society treats another person because you now realize that you are basing your actions on myth and not fact," Hawkins said. Truth-telling to self is an initial step toward ending racial profiling.

Start at church

Diversity in all aspects of education—from the classroom to off-campus ministries—is a good first step to eliminating racial profiling within the church and its institutions, according to Jan Love, dean at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.

As a seminary dean at a diverse research university, she sometimes views the institution as a "great laboratory into being our own Christian focus."

When students are immersed in this atmosphere, discussions of racial differences, cultural differences and matters of racial justice naturally emerge.

"One of the outcomes of that rich diversity is that dealing with race all the time is fairly inescapable," Love said.

For first-year seminarians, contextual education teaches "realities of community."

"That means they are in homeless shelters, hospitals, prisons and places where discussion about race, racial inequalities and racial injustices are a normal part of a daily interaction," Love said.

Recognizing oneself as part of a larger context helps diminish unspoken mental stereotypes.

Wanda D. Bigham, an assistant chief executive with the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, views students at United Methodist colleges as part of society's hope to reverse racial injustices. "Young people will lead the way in regard to a better situation in the public," Bigham said.

College recruitment of diverse students and training of the leaders at higher education institutions result not only in valuable life options and choices, but understanding of others, Bigham said.

"When you work and study with someone and get to know them as individuals, it makes a huge difference" toward dispelling racial myths that lead to profiling. By extension, that understanding can spill over in the rest of society.

Building authentic relationships

For some churches, encountering people of other races and ethnicity is often easier said than done. The churches often need to open their doors—or move outside their buildings altogether.

"Missionally speaking, one of the easiest steps a church can do is to begin to welcome international students," said Bill Mefford, director for civil and human rights at the United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

It is only a baby step, he acknowledges. The larger step involves moving outside the church to create "relationships that are egalitarian and reciprocal."

"Too many white saviors go to the inner city to save the ‘poor, black or brown heathen.' When we engage in any type of mission, we don't go to bring the Good News; we go to discover the Jesus already there and participate in our own salvation," Mefford said. "I think people really, really want to have multiracial relationships; they just don't know how to do it. We operate out of limited cultural perspectives."

Instead of looking for multicultural opportunities by saying, "I'm going to help," Mefford said, "go to discover and participate in my own salvation."

These opportunities are at the root of combating racial profiling, but profiling is one piece of the racism dilemma, according to Kirk Perucca, founder of Project Equality and president of a consulting firm that trains corporations and institutions on diversity/inclusion, cultural proficiency and sexual harassment prevention issues.

Racial profiling will continue if the root causes of racism are not addressed, Perucca said. He uses four steps to push churches into a broader understanding of issues like racial profiling.

"First, as a Christian, it is important that we make an effort to worship in a multicultural context. Expand your boundary and worship in a place where people don't look like you," Perucca said.

"Second, listen, don't talk." Many Christians of the dominant race want to negate another person's experiences by saying "he didn't mean it that way." This can be said in either words or actions, but it hinders trust and relationship building.

"Third, think about economic decisions and how your decisions impact other races. Monitor where you spend your energy and money," he said. Both Perucca and Mefford refer to "new church plantings" that almost solely occur in Anglo suburban neighborhoods. They question if the decision is based on potential economic growth for the church or real missional needs. Unfortunately, they say, new church initiatives rarely happen in urban areas or neighborhoods of color.

Monitoring is important

The Rev. Nohemi Rodriguez, ordained in the Rio Grande Conference, has been a pastor in North Georgia for six years. Her first congregation had 30 attendees each Sunday but no longer exists. "In 2007, I was invited to start a new Hispanic congregation. The first worship service began in April of last year—with nobody. My job was to bring people into our church. We just celebrated the first year and have an average attendance of 25-30 people," she said.

Informed that her appointment would end in January, and knowing that most Hispanic pastors in her conference are part-time, she wonders if the church is "really committed" to increasing membership among Latinos.

Monitoring is key to affecting how the church and society are participating in profiling, Perucca said.

For instance, during the recent U.S. presidential campaign, the word "inexperienced" often was used to describe Barack Obama, the eventual winner. "As a United States senator, he hasn't just been sitting around, watching TV," Perucca said of ways Obama was de-humanized during the race.

Churches and their institutions should be careful to monitor how they approach diversity and cultural awareness in meetings, marketing and procedures, Perucca said. Individuals should monitor themselves, personal stereotyping and what is happening in their community in regards to racial/ethnic myths.

However, such monitoring cannot be conducted by the people in power. Otherwise, it's not legitimate. It should be done safely, anonymously and strategically by a diverse group of people who participate in the institution. Danger of slighting groups

While monitoring is important, some groups can be slighted in the process to meet quotas, according to David Wilson, district superintendent of the church's Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

When people are nominated to United Methodist boards and agencies, for instance, "it's always interesting to see if they have one Native person," he said. "Almost all our boards and agencies usually find one, maybe two, but not more."

Wilson is familiar with the monitoring process. "When we do monitoring here, we don't worry about racial/ethnic groups. Our monitoring is about including all regions, tribes and a male/female ratio. It makes it quite interesting, unique and different," he said of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

Issues in profiling still arise outside the missional conference, sometimes with Native Americans who go to churches within the surrounding Oklahoma Conference. Native people, based on their racial/ethnic features, have been asked "wouldn't you feel better in your own churches?"

Wilson noted that some Native Americans might actually feel more comfortable outside the missional conference—perhaps because they have been adopted or had one parent who was white. "The church has to get past the misconceptions and stereotypes," he said.

Education is central to understanding the underlying myths leading to profiling. The 2008-10 Christian School of Mission Study on Native American Survival, which educates almost 25,000 United Methodists across the United States during the summer, has been a step in dispelling racial myths, according to Wilson.

"Culture sets us apart," he said, "but our humanness is like other people."

United Methodist News Service
Kelly C. Martini is a freelance writer based in Glen Mills, Pa.