2/12/50

Who Is Prejudiced?

Scripture: Matthew 18: 1-10

Some of the people in this room have seen the great, brooding figure of Abraham Lincoln sculpted in the Lincoln Memorial of Washington, DC. Before that seated figure pass a host of people every day - some merely curious, many stirred by deep respect and awe. One does not worship the stone image of a man. But one deeply respects the Divine Power that inspired that man to say and do the things he said and did in a lifetime. People become quiet as they read again the words of the Gettysburg address and other speeches chiseled on the walls.

Abraham Lincoln was born in the poverty of some pioneers. But that does not glorify poverty for him or anyone. He was born into the white race. But he hated the arrogance of his own race that could enslave members of another race. Had he lived long beyond the end of the war he waged for the union and for human liberty, he would undoubtedly have thrown the weight of his influence and ability into the struggle to bring former slaves toward equality, in opportunity and training, with those who had come to these shores from Europe seeking their own freedom.

People whose ancestors desired liberty with a passion that put it above life itself should be able to understand the yearning in the hearts of all others for the same kind of liberty. Those who study the classic thought and life of ancient Athenian Greece are impressed by Athenian democracy, and perhaps regretful that such democracy fell before the more brutish force of despotic governments. But as the student of that ancient civilization progresses with his searching, he discovers that the democracy practiced by the ancient Greeks was only for the few cultured and influential and fortunate elite. There were far more slaves than free men in that ancient land who were not a part of its democracy at all. And the privileged minority were not able to sustain the ideals of democracy in a land where it was taken for granted as the birthright of some and denied to many others.

It is the belief of most of us in these United States that a chief strength of this nation lies in the free right of its citizens to a part in the making and control of government. Actually that right is denied to a considerable segment of our population - most of whom happen to be of a non-Caucasian race. In some states, Negroes are barred from the voting booths by intimidation, by a poll tax law, or by other means. A southern minister remarks that "at least one southern state has stricken from its statute books all laws governing primary elections, all guarantees of honest election methods and the printing of ballots, for one purpose: to prevent its Negro citizens from voting."

Now, of course an intelligent and informed citizenry is essential to the successful operation of the democratic process. More essential still is an enlightened and divinely inspired conscience. The desire for freedom on the part of the founding fathers of this nation was deep rooted in religious conviction. But the way to strong government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" is through opportunity for good education and religious understanding -- for equal opportunity in schools and in the church -- rather than through organized denial of the right to vote.

Lincoln was one who immortalized the conviction that all men are rightfully free and equal. But the thought was not original with him. It is found in the declarations of the founders of the Republic. It is inherent in the convictions of the Christian religion. It is sung by the writers of penetration and understanding. It was John Milton who wrote in the early days of the struggle for the rights of the common man: "Give me liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."

We deny these liberties and block access to them for some people largely because of our prejudices against them. And race prejudice is one of the more stubborn of the prejudices of mankind - especially of Caucasian man. I want to discuss it again this morning, as I have alluded to it before, because I think it demands some of the coolest, most critical and Christian thinking of which we are capable. Very few of us American Caucasians are free of it. I am even critical of the person who asserts that he is altogether devoid of it - be he teacher, philanthropist, clergyman, or labor leader.

I think we are born free of it, but that all, or very nearly all, of us acquire some of it from early life. Most of us began to acquire our ideas and attitudes before we were old enough to think much for ourselves. We hear a neighbor or a parent speak of "nigger" in amusement, or in condescension, or sometimes in derision. We learn a kind of separation between the races as early as we learn about God and church; as early as we learn of hygiene and food and fun - and usually from our parents or very early teachers and playmates. The very self-consciousness of most of those who claim they have no prejudice is a give-away of the attitudes they have either accepted or struggled with from childhood.

And how much reason is there in it? Two neighbors were discussing the restrictive covenants that were accepted and in force in the residential area of their town. One said to the other that he didn’t want any "niggers" living next door to him. When asked why he wanted no Negroes in his community he replied, "Because I’m superior to them, that’s why." His neighbor was a wise kind of man who said to himself, "I can learn something out of this if I handle it rightly." So he said:

"What do you mean you are superior? Do you mean that you can run faster than Jesse Owens?"

"No," said the neighbor, "I don’t mean that."

"Well, what do you mean? Do you mean that you can lick Joe Louis?"

"O no, I don’t mean that!"

"Well, do you mean that you can sing better than Roland Hayes, or that your daughter will develop into a better singer than Marian Anderson? Or do you mean that you can make more things out of the peanut than George Washington Carver can?"

"No, I don’t mean that."

"Well, just what do you mean?"

"Oh," said the neighbor in exasperation, "I just mean that I’m superior, that’s all!"

Unreasonable fellow, wasn’t he? But, honestly, how do you suppose the majority of men and women in this room feel toward the Winnebago or the Sioux Indians? Or toward Orientals?

I once talked with a fellow who was of the same race as mine about sending his only son to a union Christian Sunday School in a little Hawaiian town. He had two reasons for saying "No" -- both of them very lame. One was that he did not wish to influence his son about religion; the boy was to make up his own mind about religion and choice of church when he grew up. He himself admitted that he went to his own church no oftener than once in two years. He was foolish enough not to see that that fact was a powerful influence over his boy.

His other reason for refusal was that he didn’t care to have his son in Christian classes with those of Japanese, Hawaiian, Korean, Chinese or other non-Caucasian races. Oddly enough, he raised no mental questioning about the teaching of his neglected church about the equality of all souls before God in the life hereafter. But he looked straight at me, grinned stubbornly, and said, "I know that Fujimoto and I will be equal before God in heaven. But not here; for now I’m better than he is and I know it." Well, if he was, or yet is, I couldn’t see it. For all I could see, his only superiority lay in the color of his skin which gave him access to influential people and a better-paying job than Fujimoto had.

There can hardly be any social problem where the arguments of reason are so nearly unanimous on one side as are the arguments of the race problem. Religion says, and has said for ages, that God has made of one blood all nations of people who dwell on the earth. Medical technology testifies that there is no difference in the composition of the blood of Caucasian or Colored peoples. Psychological science assures us that careful testing shows no difference in intellectual capacity between Negro and Caucasian. And so the arguments go.

Now of course there are individual differences. One man - be he of whatever race, differs from another man - be he of the same or different race -- in hereditary endowment, in appearance, physical strength, in intellectual capacity and attainment. I’ve seen many a Negro whose personal company I could not particularly enjoy for long. I’ve met a few whom I think would make very congenial friends. I’ve had the same experience among Orientals. And I’ve certainly had that experience among people of the race to which I happen to belong. But cold reason assures me that these are personal characteristics rather than the attributes of an entire block of people.

Despite the differences in individuals, there is a remarkable similarity in soul between them -- a recognition that there is right and wrong, and a not inconsiderable agreement as to what is right; similar capacity of mind and ability in skills; desire for new knowledge. All are fired by great hopes, essentially the same hopes. All are beset with grave temptations, essentially the same temptations.

A moment ago I indicated some of the evidences for the conclusion that the feeling of great difference between races is rooted in prejudice rather than in reason. And that prejudice goes harmfully deep. It would be comforting to be able to stop right here and say, "I got my prejudices so early in life that I am not responsible for them." Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. We not only have emotions, but we have a God-given power to make choices, and a God-created responsibility for the results which follow the decisions we make.

For this reason, I should think it increasingly clear to all Christians that we can no longer afford to harbor and feed our racial prejudices, no matter how understandable their origin may be. There are profound implications in the matter of racial segregation which can not be ignored.

1) Segregation is a constant threat to the unity of our nation Amazing degree of unity during the war.

Hope of American Negroes, Americans of Oriental ancestry,

American Indians.

Disunifying tendencies since the end of the shooting.

e.g. 80% of the property in Los Angeles is said to be restricted.

Racial tensions in Hawaii.

There are some who are happy over our disunity (the communists). We’ve got to offer minority groups something better than the communists do.

2) Japanese militants, though clumsy, made considerable capital of racial propaganda during the war. They told all Orientals and Polynesians: "The colored peoples of the world cannot expect to secure justice and equality from the white people because of their unalterable race prejudice." That propaganda is being basically continued in the Orient today. It is better for us to recognize it and do what we can to counteract the intolerable arrogance of some of our fellow Caucasians who have behaved there without wisdom or justice:

White policeman beats Chinese coolie in Shanghai.

White sailor kicks Japanese in Kobe.

White captain lashes a vendor of India with his whip.

These things breed bitter hatred in colored faces and a blaze of anger in dark eyes. Who can be so stupid as to fail to see handwriting on the wall of the future there? For the Caucasian race is a minority in the world, maintaining a place of superior power and prestige by technological means. But this creates a precarious situation for the children and grandchildren of the heretofore powerful.

3) We need to ask, "What does segregation do to human personality?" (Minister at summer school.) (Essay contest on "How shall we punish Hitler?" Winner - a Negro girl who wrote in effect: "Give Hitler a black skin and force him to live in America"). How can we break into the vicious circle of our prejudice which leads to segregation, grave inequality of opportunity?

Begin with our children (& their parents - ourselves)

Boy Scouts -- of every land and race.

a. New York children playing "race riot." A few white kids volunteered to be "colored" to make the sides even.

B. Kindergarten in Los Angeles. 40 children - Chinese, Japanese, a Dutch girl, Mexicans, Negroes, one or two others. The director told a story. The child of a drunkard said, "I hate everybody." The teacher asked, "You don’t hate God, do you?" The answer: "No, I don’t hate God, but I hate everybody else." A four year old Chinese child volunteered: "I think God wants us to love everybody."

"And he called a little child, and set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, except ye turn and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.’" [Matthew 18: 2,3].

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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, February 12, 1950.