Fighting White Supremacy: Praying for it

Recently, in the post on Juneteenth, I suggested that perhaps the best practice we could start is praying to end racism. 

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2021/06/fighting-white-supremacy-meaning-of.html

I intended to start doing that in my family, but I found myself stymied by how to word that prayer.

"Please end racism," seemed too broad or too far off.

That may be getting hung up on nothing, but I believe that a lot of prayer's effectiveness comes from us keeping what we are praying for fresh in our minds. We are then open to ideas of things we can do better. We are open to change for ourselves.

"Please help us to not be racist."

That might be the right prayer. It also may not be enough. My family has gotten way better at recognizing and rejecting racism. Homophobia is a little harder, and ableism is not as much on the radar as I would like.

"Please help us to be more wise and loving."

Maybe. I mean, there are injunctions to pray for charity and to seek for wisdom in the scriptures. That might be the issue, except there are so many people who know they need to have charity and are still so comfortable with various types of bigotry. That is one of my primary complaints right now. I just wrote a letter to President Nelson about it.

"Please help us as a church to become less racist."

That might be it. We need it as a country too. We need it as a world. 

That is where I worry that the prayer "Please end racism" is too big. The need to end racism is big, but it feels like it will take many smaller steps.

It might be helpful to pray for schools and teachers now. What we learn of history and literature and culture can be a big part of understanding the world, and there are fragile people fighting tooth and nail for white supremacy at the school level. I am quite sure that losing elections will be only a temporary setback for them, but that is all the more reason that we need to keep it in mind. That is all the more reason to pray.

One thing I frequently find is that when we are moving to a new phase, we are acquiring new vocabulary for it. Finding new ways to understand and communicate is necessary for progress. 

Maybe we have not seriously considered eradicating racism enough to know how to talk about it in ways that don't sound awkward.

I will take the awkwardness over the continuing white supremacy. The awkwardness is the the path of growth; staying with comfortable bigotry can only end in suffering and stagnation.

"Father, please help us to fight racism, within and without."

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.