Advocacy in Berkeley: Seeing our Black Neighbors Like Jesus Does
Three weeks ago, I attended a protest in Downtown Berkeley with some of my housemates (shoutout to Dana House) to advocate for black communities. I saw people who were black, white, Asian, and more. I saw grandmas, children, teens, parents, young adults, and people from all ages gather together to raise awareness and support for black lives.
It was my first-ever protest. Before this, I was the type of person who never thought I would attend a protest. Even though my friends and family back home thought I would because I’d be at Berkeley, I always viewed protests as too violent and aggressive, that they were too much and too messy for me. Despite this negative stigma I held, the recent events surrounding the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and other black persons have challenged me to reconsider. Sure, I could do my research and learn about their stories. I could listen to the news (for once) and see what’s happening in the world. I could even pray and lament for the black communities who are experiencing oppression, pain and suffering during these times.
But even after doing all of these, I found that what could help me to be present with our nation the most was to attend one of these protests. Not because it’s what everyone else was doing, but because there’s people right in my neighborhood who have stories I don’t know about. They are crying on the streets of my city, so the least I could do is go outside and notice them (in compliance with social distance policies, of course).
In his talk called “Grace, Justice, and Mercy”, Bryan Stevenson implores us that one thing we need to do is get proximate. By this, he means that we need to be present and near to those who are suffering. In doing so, not only do we grow in our ability to empathize with others, but we experience a unique power come upon us that shows us we can and need to do something about their situation. By getting proximate to those in pain during a protest, I got to understand my black neighbors better.
I heard one woman share a story about how her teacher called her the “N” word in grade school and how it made her feel oppressed. Seeing her joy in all the people who came out to speak up on her behalf felt powerful. I could tell that for the first time in a long time, she felt seen.
Seeing the faces of our black neighbors light up with smiles of joy and hope as they drove down Shattuck Street watching so many non-black POCs and whites advocate on their behalf was even more empowering. One black woman even sang “Amazing Grace” at the end just to share how grateful and hopeful she was that we were all there to support our black neighbors like her.
Being able to see and hear these expressions in close proximity not only helped me to see where black folks are coming from, but gave me a deeper confidence that we need to speak up and show up for our black neighbors.
Although the protests have grown more stale in our daily news updates, I intend to continue learning more about the racial injustices happening in our nation and getting close to those who are suffering. I pray that God can keep me thinking about those in my community and mourn for them. As Jesus saw every person in the crowd with compassion, I pray that God can help us see our black neighbors as people who need compassion as well (Matthew 9:36).
I hope that after reading this, you don’t think the answer is simply to go to a protest. Maybe you don’t know much about the racial injustices happening today and need to listen to some NPR. Or you have black friends who you haven’t talked to in a while and can show you care about them + learn about their experiences by reaching out. Or maybe you just need to pray in your own heart that God can help you care about others- because we’re still in shelter-in-place and let’s face it, it’s too easy to get caught up in ourselves. Wherever your heart’s at, my prayer for all of us in a2f is that we can see our black neighbors more like Jesus does and act with his heart in mind.
James Yellow (class of 2021, Berkeley A2F) is a sociology major who wishes design classes were easier to get into at Berkeley. In his free time, you’d probably catch him laughing too loud, dancing like nobody’s watching, or eating blueberries.