What StreetLevel will do about Racial Reconciliation in Seattle

Annonymos wrote in response to my summary of the North American Urban Forum, which focused on Race and Reconcilliation, "What will StreetLevel do about racial reconcilliation in Seattle?"

Great Question.

For any unfamiliar with Seattle, there are issues pertaining to race. I live in the International District. There is a strong asian culture here - with Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino people making up the majority in the neighborhood. In the suburbs to the North of the city, the overwhelming majority of people are white. To the East and South, there are larger African-American and Hispanic communities. In the city, particulalry among the working poor and homeless, I have met a relatively large number of Native Americans.

There is, largely, an absence of conflict in Seattle over issues of race. However, each of the minorities I have mentioned has been marginalized or mistreated on a large scale in this city's history. I am reminded often that there is still a need for reconcilliation. In a park where we do some ministry there is a statue to Chief Sealth. Next to that, there are these banners with writing in Inuit. Behind this writing, as a background there are a bunch of dollar signs and crosses. I don't have to read Inuit to understand the message. Generations of oppression and marginilization in the name of what seemed two foreign gods has cast a shaddow on the here and now.

What StreetLevel is to do, is get to know people who are unlike us. Cross bariers or race and economy, with the Good News - that God has reconcilled us to Him and, in that relationship, we have a way of reconcilliation with our neighbors. We have to be careful not to bring anything more than Jesus. We cannot bring a cultural Christianity. We will not try to make people more like ourselves. We will get to know people who act differently, so we will stop being afraid of them. They will get to know us so they will stop being afraid of us. I believe, when there is fear and isolation between cultures, the powerful try to change the less powerful and the less powerful try to further isolate themselves. Then, possibly, things can really change so there will no longer be a "them and us", but there will be people with distinct personalities and cultures.


Chris Wikle