Article October 30, 1989 Issue

Racism and our view of God

The Christian Science Monitor

I Was waiting for the subway train to come. It was bitter cold—near zero, with a windchill factor of 30 below zero. It was late at night, and a few of us stood inside a small shelter that gave some relief from the wind.

We were huddled together, not saying much, when this fellow walked in and exclaimed loudly, "Man, it's cold out tonight!" He was a tough-looking person, who smelled of liquor, and a few of the others in the shelter backed off uneasily. The fellow noticed this and said, "Hey, just because I'm black doesn't mean I don't get cold just like you white folks!"

Smiling, I said to the man, "Yeah, but being white, we look a lot colder, don't you think?" He laughed and said, "You're all right, white boy," and we began to talk. The tension in the shelter melted in the warmth of conversation and laughter. Soon I found myself in a deep conversation that continued on the train about the harsh winter and the homeless, about social justice, about the racism that he dealt with on a daily basis. Amazingly, he wasn't bitter, but he was passionate and eloquent about the injustices he'd seen and experienced.

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