Writing a Theological Autobiography

In the New England Annual Conference of the UMC, the Theological Autobiography must include a response to the question, "How do you understand racism and White privilege?" Your race and ethnicity are important elements of your identity, and therefore important components of your autobiography. How you approach understanding racism and White privilege will vary depending on your own identity and background. Immigrants will carry different understandings than those whose ancestors have lived in the United States for generations. In particular, relationships with slavery, and the lingering attitudes and policies supporting White supremacy, will be experienced differently by those of different backgrounds. However, these social dynamics are deeply embedded into life in the U.S., and therefore must be grappled with by everyone seeking to live faithfully and ethically in the face of a long history of injustice. 

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Thus, your answer must be your own. What we offer here are merely starting points.

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Racism = Prejudice + Power

All -ism's emerge from the combination of prejudice (a negative pre-judgment against someone on the basis of an aspect of their identity) and power (holding a privileged status in society, in comparison against those whom one is pre-judging). Thus, I might pre-judge all kinds of people without it being an -ism provided I don't have more social power than the people I'm judging (e.g, fans of rival sports teams, or even rivaling political parties, let alone those who self-segregate based on more mundane things like musical preference, neighborhood allegiance, clothing style, or any other human difference

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 However, when a negative pre-judgment (prejudice) is held by a person or group with more social power than those being judged, it becomes an -ism. In the case of judgment based on race, it is racism. Because social power in the U.S. has been held by those who are White/of European descent for centuries, negative assumptions and judgments about all other racial/ethnic groups are racism. These include individual and communal attitudes and behaviors that exert power against non-White people on the basis of race and/or ethnicity. 

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Often, White people feel like any discussion of racism is intended to call them out personally as sinful. However, racism is a social evil - while there are some who actively choose it and perpetuate it, the vast majority of White Americans were simply raised in an ecosystem in which whiteness bore positive associations, and all other races bore negative associations. That doesn't mean an individual White person is "bad" - but it does mean that they are the beneficiaries of a long legacy of social dynamics that give an advantage to those who are White and disadvantage those who aren't.

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Enter: White Privilege

It is an inescapable fact that, at least in the U.S., those who are White have advantages that those of other races do not. A great resource to help with understanding this dynamic is the article "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," by Peggy McIntosh. Social privilege is an unearned advantage, and it comes in many shapes and forms. White privilege ranges widely, from how police treat individuals during traffic stops, to whom they stop, to what curriculum is taught in schools, to what societal standards are for beauty, and many other examples. 

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Summary:

In your Autobiography, reflect on your own race and ethnicity, your social location, areas of privilege and lack thereof, and offer an open and honest reflection that both demonstrates your understanding of the concepts involved, and your personal relationship with them based on who you are in the world.