“I’m going to go run.”
As my son pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and put his earphones in, there was a sense of anxiety that washed over me. What if others didn’t know who he was? What if someone tried to yell at him to stop, but he couldn’t hear them over his music? I let my younger sons roam the neighborhood, and I never gave it a second thought. Sometimes they were gone for hours at a time, and I didn’t fear for their life.
My son was in great shape. I shouldn’t be fearful for his health. In fact, he was college-educated, captain of his Division I football team, and training for the NFL. So, what was the big deal? It’s called RWB, and it could be harmful to his health.
What is RWB? Running While Black. My oldest son was adopted into our family when he was in the eighth grade and has a different skin pigmentation than mine.
If you are African-American, you understand completely what I’m talking about. If you are white, you would like to think that things like this don’t happen anymore. But then you turn on the news and see the murder of a young black man and realize we still have a way to go and need to speak up.
But we don’t speak up because we do not know all the facts. The victim is villainized or politicized, so it’s best just to stay out of the conversation. However, if it was your family, you may be more sensitive to what is happening.
As believers, we are family. When we begin to see one another as family, we are more likely to make accommodation for one another as we worship and listen more intently when they are hurting.
You should call a friend who is of another race and listen to how they feel in the wake of events where injustice is exposed. Maybe you could reach out to a neighbor, but your neighborhood may lack diversity.
Most likely, you will have to intentionally put on your running shoes, and head to another neighborhood to prayer walk, to the local school to serve, or go to another church’s worship service to meet some of your brothers and sisters on the other side of town. The closer we are in relationship, the less suspicious we are of one another.
One day we will all be worshipping together: every tribe, nation, and tongue. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Lace ’em up. Start running.