APPROACH RACISM THE RIGHT WAY

This past Thursday, I had the pleasure of riding down to Jackson with local friends to attend the 30th anniversary of Mission Mississippi.

The organization which started in Jackson all those years ago, aims to bring white people and black people together to discuss racism in a Christlike way. The goal is to gain understanding and empathy toward one another through

reconciliation.

The leaders of the group realize that all of us people are never going to absolutely agree. We all come from different backgrounds, cultures and situations; however, we can gain understanding of one another. We can empathize with one another.

But, in order to do so we need to get to know each other first.

While in Jackson I sat down to chat with a young lady who works with the organization. She told me she was born and raised in Jackson. In fact, she said it was the only place she’s ever lived. She’s a single mother of one child. She’s also Black.

She very honestly told me prior to her work with Mission Mississippi, she actively avoided spending any time around or near White people.

“It’s just how I was raised. I was never around White people growing up. I didn’t have a need to talk to White people so I avoided them whenever possible,” she said.

Her honestly was shocking to me. It was shocking because its something we don’t normally address in “polite” conversation.

It was also shocking because I had never considered Black people would be intimidated by me, a White woman with green eyes, blond hair, stands 5’3” and weighs about 120 pounds. Not exactly an intimidating person. Yet, here she was telling me that she never would have spoken to me before she was involved with the program because she would fear me based on the color of my skin.

Now here’s where the organization gets it right. They put fear aside and ask Jesus to help reconcile their hearts through prayer. The goal is to have these open conversations and to develop relationships with each other. Because once a strong foundation is formed, a sense of trust is formed.

Now, the young lady in Jackson told me those confessions because she realized I was approaching her out of love. Sure. We’d only just met, but she knew I was there to talk to her. To hear “her side of the story”.

We both understood we weren’t there to be harsh to one another. We were there to learn, and have compassion with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. We will never defeat racism by being harsh with one another. It has to be approached with love.

I thanked her for sharing her story and why she believed so strongly in Mission Mississippi.

Can you just imagine the change we’d see in the world if we all slowed down and approached each other like this everyday? The world would be a more compassionate and understanding place with less hatred and fear all based on the pigmentation of one’s skin.

It would also be more Christlike, and what a joyful place that would be.

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The Prayer for Us

By Brian Crawford • June 9, 2025

Why I'm Here

30 Years Beyond: Serving as an Embassy of the Kingdom of God

By CJ Rhodes • February 13, 2025

My first job after graduating from divinity school was with Mission Mississippi. I came to the ministry in 2009, which was a season of transition in this country and for the organization. Frankly, what was happening in national politics pulled back the veneer of racial tensions that still permeated the state then. People who worshipped, worked, and even played together were balkanized in ways that disclosed how much more work needed to be done to reconcile people who claimed to be reconciled to God. Fourteen years later, I serve as the chair of the board of directors. I can say that as much as things have changed for the better since 2009, there are ways in which racial tensions in this state are actually worse now in metropolitan Jackson and in enclaves throughout Mississippi. Thirty years ago, this ministry began to meet a need: racism and de facto racial segregation were and still are impediments to evangelism. How can a divided church witness to Christ’s love for lost people if the found folks cannot get along? That was the question then, and it remains a relevant one in 2023. Thirty years later, Mission Mississippi continues to see the need for this reconciling work because increasing numbers of people doubt that the gospel has any power to change lives and the enduring issues that plague our communities. I like to say that Mission Mississippi must serve as an embassy of the kingdom of God. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV) We must see our ministry much like a diplomatic mission. We must commend the gospel in hostile territory where the conflict is hot. Younger generations are crying out for this. Millennials (like me) and Gen Zers believe that the gospel speaks holistically to the human condition; it is good news in the midst of bad news and even falsehoods. But our divisions blur this reality for many Mississippians who know how complicit the church has been in what ails us. Diplomats help conflicting parties see better. A few years ago, I decided it was time to get glasses. I’m nearsighted, which means objects further away are blurry to me. With my glasses, though, I can see clearer and make out important details on the horizon. At its best, Mission Mississippi is like a pair of corrective lenses. The gospel’s themes of love, mercy, justice, and salvation are blurry objects in the distance for people closer to hate, malice, injustice, and hopelessness. Our ministry can help them see clearer and further, so that “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,” we can have a better vision of Mississippi where Christians live out the grace of the gospel unhindered by racism, racial strife, racial prejudice, racial hatred, and racial division throughout Mississippi and the world. Dr. CJ Rhodes, serves as the chairman of the Mission Mississippi Board of Directors, is pastor of Mt. Helm Baptist Church in Jackson, MS, and director of the Hiram Rhodes Revels Institute for Ethical Leadership at Alcorn State University.