Christian Living Relationships/Family Identity

Crossing the Color Line

Marquez Ball

Some lines are not meant to be crossed, but there are always people willing to challenge societal norms. Soon after the election of President Obama, some believed America had made great strides towards improving race relations, but have we? In his groundbreaking book, The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B Du Bois stated, “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line.” By color line Du Bois was referring to the extreme divide between Whites and people of color. The line which Du Bois saw in 1903 is still visible in 2016. As an African American minister, concerned with the future of my race and country, I dared to cross the line.

Crossing Over

In the late 1940s, an African-American student named G.K. Offult sat outside a classroom at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY and listened to his professor’s lecture. The Kentucky “Day Lay” made it illegal for him to sit in class with Whites students. Offult would go on to earn the Doctor of Theology degree in 1948, yet he was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is one of the largest seminaries in the world, and the flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention. To refer to the seminary as Christian and conservative would be an understatement. Southern Seminary is where I decided to pursue my doctorate.

Having attended an all-black Bible College and a Historically Black University for Divinity School, some were shocked, others appalled that I decided to attend a primarily white and conservative institution like Southern Seminary. When I shared with some young African-American ministers that I planned to attend Southern Seminary they asked, “Why in the world would you go to that white racist school?”

They did not care that my pastor had attended there, and I viewed him as one of the smartest preachers I’d ever met, or that I agreed with the theology of the school. For many, my decision to attend Southern Seminary was crossing the line. Having just completed my first semester at Southern Seminary, there have been several times when I wondered if they were right.

A New Environment

I arrived on Southern Seminary’s campus at midnight, and felt a bit of ease because most people were asleep and they were not able to notice I had crossed the line. The next morning, I arrived to class early, determined not to be the late African-American. As class began to fill with eighteen new doctoral students, I counted the number of blacks. There were four of us, and I wondered if they too felt as if they had crossed a line. We acknowledged each other’s presence without expressing words; we knew that we were in a different environment.

While the introductory class did not provide opportunity for in-depth cultural dialogue, my living arrangements did. As a commuter student, present on campus for no more than two weeks, I had the option of staying in the hotel on campus or commuter housing. I chose commuter housing because it was cheaper and I found the conversations to be richer.

One night, I lay in bed typing a paper and listening to the conversation of those around me. One person stated if Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election, Christianity in America would die. As if on cue, another student shared his view on how President Obama won his second term by using “cloud seeding” to create Hurricane Sandy, which brought torrential rain to the east coast. At this point, I knew I had crossed the color line, but I wasn’t sure others in the room noticed me as an intruder. In an effort to remain unseen, I used every ounce of my human will to refrain from laughing at the statement.

A Challenging Conversation

After a few short minutes, the “cloud seeding” student left the room and headed to the common area to watch television. My moment had arrived. I climbed out of bed, grabbed a book and made my way to the common area. I sat next to him and sparked up a conversation. I asked him to share with me what he thought it meant to live as a Christian. He gladly shared his perspective of life as a Christian.

Cautious not to pounce too soon, I asked him if his understanding of living Christ-like involved the radical nature of Christ. He admitted part of being Christian was to be willing to challenge the status quo. He had taken the bait and I decided it was time to reel him in.

I shared with him that I too identify as an Evangelical, but at times, I don’t feel as if the larger community would welcome me. I shared I had a lot in common with white evangelicals, but their silence to cultural issues seemed to be non-Christian. It seemed evangelicals are very vocal on social issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage, but when racial issues plague our country, white Evangelicals are often silent. I shared with him that’s what the African-American author, Ralph Ellision would call being “invisible.” I wanted him to see that African Americans are often treated as invisible by the dominant culture.

To provide him with a practical example of racial blindness, I asked if he had read anything by the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He eagerly responded, “Yes, I love Bonhoeffer.” I shared that I also had read Bonhoeffer and liked his writing. I then shared that Bonhoeffer was a German theologian, with a Ph.D in theology and that he was killed at age 39 by Hitler.

I asked if he had read anything by an American Theologian with a Ph.D in theology, one who had made a tremendous impact in America and was also killed at age 39. His name was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He sheepishly responded, “No, I didn’t know he had written books.” To my surprise, he was genuinely embarrassed that in all of his theological training, he wasn’t even aware Dr. King had written books. He reviled his lack of exposure. Our conversation carried on for over an hour, and I began to see what reconciliation looked like.

Crossing the color line is important, not so we can bash each other, but because we are forced to truly see each other. While I was eager to challenge his view of what it meant to be Christian, I was also aware of both his and my need for exposure to other races and cultures. This conversation revealed to me that sometimes our cultural differences in America does not come from hate, but from lack of exposure. If the color line in America is going to be removed, it will require that more people be brave enough to cross the color line to engage conversations, and foster reconciliation. Christians in America could do more together if we would simply dare to cross the color line.

In what ways can we create moments of reconciliation in our daily lives?

11 thoughts on “Crossing the Color Line

  1. Pranshu Kharkwal

    Thanks a lot mate for this awesome post. You really helped me a lot
    The invisible man summary

  2. Nate

    I see what you are saying regarding the actors. I’m sure they are invested in what an academy award is. I hold the entertainment industry in very low regard and assign no value to an academy award. Frankly I find the fascination with the Oscars bizarre, perhaps I am out of touch.

    By all means, boycott the Oscars. I’ve been boycotting them for 20 years now.

    I haven’t seen many movies this year in the theater. I have young children and that limits both the kind of movies we see and the time we have to see them. We saw The Minions and Star Wars. That may be it for the entire year! I’m not anti-movie, just not in a phase of life where movies are a priority.

    What non-white actors do you think should have been nominated and in who’s place should they have been nominated? Thats an honest question, not rhetorical. If I can get the time, I’ll rent one or two of your recs.

    Thanks

  3. Nate

    “I think you are more aware than most about race and that gives you a free to speak about it. There are far too many who remind blind on purpose.”

    I guess that kind of gets at my point. I’m kind of just a dumb animal, I had no goal or vision to be multi-cultural. In fact, I was racially blind on purpose. Paradoxically because of my racial blindness, I became culturally aware more so than most who promote racial awareness. It makes me think of (I think) a C.S. Lewis quote: “If you aim for earth you will get neither earth or heaven, If you aim for heaven you will get it and earth thrown in for free.”

    What do you think of that?

  4. Marquez Ball

    Nate thanks for sharing your story, I agree about the reference to C.S. Lewis and Baldwin, it was just a name to popped in my mind.

    I think you are more aware than most about race and that gives you a free to speak about it. There are far too many who remind blind on purpose. I love the fact that both your family and your wife’s family has embraced each of you, there needs to be more of this.

    I hear your point about the oscars but I want to challenge it from this perspecitve, think about the actors who work in the industry. For actors this is sort of like an award for the quaity of their work, they look for peer awards. I wonder what the resonse would be if the Oscars were only given to black actors for two years in a row. While it may not mean much to you for an actor it suggest that some how your acting is not award worthy.

  5. Nate

    Thanks for your reply. I’ll tell you why I asked the questions I did. I am 41, and as with every age it is strange. The particular strangeness associated with 41 is that for the first time I see change coming from behind me rather than in front of me. It catches you off guard to see things that have happened rather than see things coming.

    So why is that relevant? Most of my life the goal for reconciliation was racial blindness. Content of character rather than color of skin and so forth. It appears to me now that the goal is not racial blindness but rather racial awareness. In my estimation racial blindness leads to cultural awareness. Racial awareness leads to division and distance if even respectful.

    My wife of 23 years is not the same race as me. Her race was utterly inconsequential when I asked her out on our first date. Her race never crossed my mind when I asked her to marry me and only as a matter of fact did I realize my future generations will no longer be racially “pure” whatever that means. I know more about her culture than most people of my race. I’ve been there when her family experienced birth, death, divorce, marriage etc… And she has with my family/race. I don’t see this happening with a strong sense of racial awareness, because I doubt I would have ever asked her out.

    My view of reconciliation for whatever it is worth is the fact that my wife and I have lived all over this country, but mostly in Texas, and have never had a single incident. Not a funny look, not a rude comment nothing. Further and perhaps more importantly her family could not have been warmer to me and the same with mine to her. My grandparents who were rabid racists when I was a kid fell in absolute love with my wife. But I’m hardly an authority, just sharing my story.

    I know you will think I am being flippant with my next comment and I assure you I am not. The biggest problem with the scandal of the academy awards in my estimation is that anyone thinks the academy awards is anything other than industry hype. Its just a bunch of narcissists making much to do about bowing smoke up each other’s butts in an attempt to get you and I back in the theaters to sell more tickets and buy more merchandise. I like individual movies and find them very entertaining, but I honestly could not care less about the movie industry or what it thinks. Thats just my take.

    “I think the only way to change this is to have a conversation where we say things like, “so you like C.S. Lewis have you read James Baldwin?”
    Perhaps I am misunderstanding your point. C.S. Lewis was a novelist and advocate of Christianity. I don’t think of him as a social critic and certainly not a racial analyst. I’m not wildly familiar with James Baldwin but what I know of him is he was a writer/poet who used writing for social commentary largely focused on racial issues. If I said to someone “I love C.S. Lewis” and the response was “you should read James Baldwin” I am going to think “What the heck does Baldwin have to do with C.S. Lewis? This guy sees things through a racial lens.” I would have a mental asterisk by your name that went something like “only interested in truth relative to race — disregard on other subjects.” I don’t read a lot of social commentary literature but Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind. If I said to you “I love Hunter S. Thompson” and your response was “You should read James Baldwin” I would NOT put that asterisk by your name because at least they both write on social issues, Baldwin being race and Thompson being cultures on the periphery of society. There is a connection and relevance there. Or another analogy would be say, Mark twain and Zora Neale Hurston. They both wrote on Social issues and even racial issues but were not overt social critics like Baldwin. I could easily see “I love Mark Twain” “well then you might enjoy Hurston.” Anyway, I have a tendency to dig into particulars and I’ve probably dug into this far more than you intended!

    Lastly, its not so much that blacks don’t allow whites to comment on race, it is other whites. In fact, it appears to me blacks are very eager to discuss race. I have liberal white friends and have said similar things to them that I have said to you. I was told my wife had racially ambiguous features and therefore my story doesn’t count, and I am not allowed to comment. I thought that was amazing! I’ve said this to black people who had other arguments against my ideas but never did they say I wasn’t allowed to comment because my wife did not live up to their standards of racial clarity! Sure, I probably couldn’t have an honest conversation about race with blacks on most college campuses but I bet I could in most barber shops and bars!

  6. Marquez Ball

    Hey John here are a few of my suggestions:
    **W.E.B DuBois “Souls of Black Folk”
    James Baldwin “Fire Next Time”
    Stephen L. Carter “The Emperior of Ocean Park”
    -great mystery writer

    Here’s a great link to start with:
    http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/10-black-authors-to-read/

  7. John

    Thanks for the article. I was convicted because I have never read any of King’s books. And I love to read. Which King book would you reccommend as a good place to start?

    Also I realized I don’t read much from authors who aren’t white. Thanks for James Baldwin’s name. Do you have others that would be good to read?

  8. Marquez Ball

    Hi Nate great questions, I hope I’m able to capture what you’re asking.

    1. My reference to intrude is more figurative, as in my ease-dropping on a conversation in which I was not included. I’m not sure that same conversation would have been had if there were more African Americans present. It’s not that Whites are the only ones to do this, African Americans do too.

    2. You are correct Whites are often afraid to speak on race issues because at times African Americans are too sensitive. This is an issue for both races, in order for there to be reconciliation Whites should be free to speak about race, and to say what they don’t like about African Americans etc.

    3. With regard to reading books by King, the point is that far too often Whites are not as exposed to African Americans as we are to Whites. Ex. Academy Awards etc. I think the only way to change this is to have a conversation where we say things like, “so you like C.S. Lewis have you read James Baldwin?”

    True reconciliation will not happen until both races can be valued for who they are and speak freely about their concerns.

  9. Nate

    Thank you for your article, it is a good opportunity for honest consideration.

    I am confused on one point: You say they didn’t recognize you as an intruder and also say blacks are invisible. Were you an intruder? If you walk into a room full of whites do you want them to be continuously aware that you are black and if so how does that change what they say and how they say it? These are honest questions not rhetorical.

    I would hazard to guess that much of the reason whites don’t comment on racial issues is because whites are not allowed to. The idea of Microaggressions and Dog whistle words make every conversation that even hints at race a mine field. White people enter no man’s land on the subject. This is a very broad brush answer I admit, but there is truth to it.

    Dr. Martin Luther King wrote many books on civil rights and social issues. I’ve read a lot of his writings to include books as well as speeches etc… As far as I know, he did not write theology books. Theology was of course peppered throughout his writings, but they weren’t dedicated theology books. I agree we should all read books by MLK, but I don’t think that is it particularly telling that a theology student has read Bonhoeffer but not King. I am familiar with Bonhoeffer but have never read his writings. What does that say? I think it says I am not a theology student.

    Last question: What does reconciliation look like?

    Again, I applaud what you did here. I’m challenging you on a couple things but that is kind of what you want right?

  10. Marquez Ball

    Brinn, great reflection, one of the reasons why I decided to attend Southern was to intentionally cross the color line and build relationships with other races. It’s not easy to get out of our comfort zones but I believe that we are able to accomplish so much more together than we ever could apart. It takes courage to reach out to a group different from your own, but we need more courageous Christians.

  11. Brinn Clayton

    It seems simple that Christians need to establish “living life” relationships with people of different ethnicities. But it does not seem simple on how to cultivate these relationships. How to the Christians in the pew cross the color line? How do I, a white man, establish relationships with a black Christian? It could just be my project. There would be suspicion on both sides. “What is he after?” It’s not just race that often separates us, but theology, politics, fear and mistrust. Father, we plead for your grace to develop relationships across the color line.

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