|
A Few Words From Pastor Bryan
Richard Rohr's Personal Example of How to Deal with White Male Power and Privilege
You all know how much I love and respect Richard Rohr. It would be presumptuous to call him my friend, but I have been with him a few times in person, and one time rather intimately. I was invited to attend a small retreat led by Fr. Rohr at a retreat center in Alburquerque, NM about 6 years ago. There were about 30 of us there. That's most of us in the photo.
The organization that convened the retreat was the one founded by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo called "Red Letter Christians." That's Shane in the upper left of the photo with the glasses on.
Red Letter Christians, founded by two powerful (in their own circles) white men, was in a very deliberate process of trying to become more diverse in every way. They realized they needed to take action to decentralize the presence of white people in their organization, and white cisgendered heterosexual aging males in particular. The need to do this was named very directly. It was part of the reason for the retreat. To be honest I'm not really sure why I was invited.
The majority of those gathered were younger people of diverse racial communities and a large number of people representing various letters or combinations of letters from the LBGTQ community (I know there are more letters now! )--you get the point.
Richard Rohr began the retreat with a beautiful talk about God, Spirit, justice, power, Divine Diversity, and a bunch of other things I don't remember. I just remember it being profoundly meaningful and right on for the purposes of our gathering. But as soon as he was done, the attack came. Younger and more diverse persons there challenged him and the entire gathering immediately--not on the basis of anything that Fr. Rohr said--but because he presumed to be the one to say it.
They said to Father Rohr and to all of us gathered something along these lines.
"You've come to deal with becoming more diverse, and yet you begin with a straight, white, powerful, educated, ordained, aging male in the center of our circle and designated as leader and teacher. If you are serious about your agenda, then there is one thing you need to be willing to do. Get the white male leaders out of the center. Maybe for a time even out of the room. And give the microphone and the power to set the agenda to the rest of us."
They were, in my opinion, unnecessarily rude, and to be honest, I felt they were insensitive and recklessly aggressive in the way they spoke to someone who has dedicated his life to the very cause for which we were gathered. But I have since reflected on this reaction of mine..."unnecessarily rude; recklessly aggressive--white people have been telling people of color to be more "moderate" in their actions for justice for a long long time (come to next Tuesday's "Color of Compromise" program for more about this!).
But here's what Richard Rohr did. He said, without a trace of defensiveness;
"Thank you for teaching me. I think you're right. We should not have begun this retreat with a teaching from me. I'm going to leave the room now, and if you'd like me to return to this retreat to process any of this at another time, please let me know."
And he (and Tony Campolo) got up and left the room and the retreat center.
I'll tell you about the conversation that continued in that room another time.
But Richard Rohr was asked back the next day, and this is what he said. Something very close to this anyway (I'm going by memory).
"I think this was a very important learning for me. I am used to being invited to speak, and I am used to being listened to. I have been unaware of the privilege and power in that dynamic. But more importantly, I realize that I enter almost any room presuming that if I have a thought to share, I can share it. In fact I can direct the course of the conversation, and when I believe my perspective is correct, I have the authority to assume that I have the power to change the course and the outcome of the conversation and what comes out of it. I have the power to assume that my perspective will be heard and respected and not easily dismissed or disregarded. I have the power to ask difficult and unpopular questions that may make people feel uncomfortable.
I now see that all of these assumptions and presumptions are based on power. Presumptions of power. That is what I as a respected, successful, well known and highly regarded white male have carried with me everywhere--and what is most dangerous is that I have not been aware of the extent to which I use and even enjoy this power.
So as a result of this experience I will now ask myself the following questions the next time I feel I may have a question or a perspective to share when I am in a group of any kind, and especially a group of obvious diversity. I will ask myself (and Fr. Rohr acknowledged he did not come up with the following questions);
- Does it really need to be said?
- Does it need to be said now?
- Am I the one to say it?
- And finally, is there a person from a traditionally marginalized group present who could say what needs to be said, in their own way and words, instead of me saying it? If so, it is best for me to remain quiet and to make sure others have time and space to find their own words--which may not come to them as quickly as mine come to me--before I speak.
A very healing and powerful conversation took place in the room after this. Those who challenged Fr. Rohr acknowledged his gifts and wisdom and told him the world still needs his very important and hard-earned perspectives. I realized it was the last time that I would accept an invitation to a retreat with this group, and I felt grateful for the freedom to simply understand that it was time to make space for new voices and cultures in this organization.
Father Rohr was then asked to lead us in the breaking of the Bread and the sharing of the Cup, and his presence, on the other side of this conversation, radiated grace and growth and healing for us all. Without words, we could all hear the voice of Jesus saying, "The first will be last and the last will be first. And the greatest among you will be the servant of all."
I have lived such a blessed life. Gotten to be with and work with and learn from some pretty incredible people, like Richard Rohr, and like the members and friends of McFarland UCC.
Have a great Sunday with each other and with Mike Bausch and I'll look forward to seeing you soon.
Pastor Bryan
| 
