Dealing with an Illusion

So Last week, a student from APU managed to get through a week with a painted on confederate flag over a swatzika. A week later, I have heard the rumor that he has been expelled from the university.

I do not know how i feel about this...

on one side, I understand that the painted symbols are symbols of hatred, symbols of oppression and symbols of supremacy. I understand that although the student claims he did not put these symbols on his truck, he did parade around the campus without thinking it was bad.

Even though it is the illusion that he KNEW that this was not wrong, it still was. I understand that many students where hurt, including me, about what this person demonstrated to the school. My initial reaction was to sentence this guy with all the mighty force I have and condemn his actions. I know that many of our students felt the same way, hoping to see this guys life ruined for being "ignorant".

So with him being expelled, does that make it right? Did we win?

As a Multi-Ethnic Leader on campus, my goal is to bring about Racial Reconciliation. As a Christian, God also commands me to bring about reconciliation. Reconciliation is defined as the act to restore to friendship or harmony.

As a student fighting injustices, I am committed to bringing reconciliation between race groups, between social classes, between the poor and the rich, between immigrants and natives, etc.

So my goal is to bring reconciliation. In bringing this to the table I want the majority culture to acknowledge that the racist past and the current systematic oppression CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE LIFES OF US MINORITIES. But I also want the racial minorities and I to practice TRUE FORGIVENESS.

Biblically, Jesus commands us to use the forgiveness of God to forgive others. (Mat. 6:14-15) Forgiveness is not based upon whether we feel like forgiving, but instead it is a basic obligation.

In forgiving we are nor forgetting. It does not mean that we cannot fight institutional racism, it does not mean that we will loose our necessary gain to make social justice a reality. IT MEANS TO FORGIVE.

We are all sinners. We all make mistake. Tell me, as a minority, how many times have we used the race card? How many times have we exploited the white guilt? How many times have we not coverred our own sins in labeling whites a certain way?

Dont get me wrong, I strongly believe that Whites have used there privilege to there advantage. THey have used it and will continue to use it. That does not make it right, does it?

I think we are both at fault. While White culture chooses to ignore the problem, it ignores the fact there there are injustices. While minorities group try to make gain in society, they use the white guilt as a way to make it up.

Going back to the situation with the student. Did we win?

What did we get out of it. He is expelled. Did he learn something? Did he learn not to mess with the minority? or did he learn what he portrayed as a prank was wrong?

Did you have a conversation about it? Does he understand why people are upset?

Although punishment should be served because he did break a code found in our student handbook, I do not believe an expulsion is necessary.

Yes he did hurt me. Yes he did hurt my friends. But again, can we forgive.

I would say, lets bring him back onto campus. Let us not forget what he had on his truck, but let us walk alongside him and teach him and let him teach us where we are coming from. We all fall short.

Who is ready to throw the first rock?