Black resilience, Black faith, Black hope
Joy Roxborough explores the historical reasons for the resilience of Black people, and why now, living in post-Christian Britain, they need to continue building spiritual strength
Collectively, as a race, Black people are resilient. When one considers the brutalities of the Transatlantic Slave Trade that spanned nearly 500 years, I believe that, but for God, Black people could quite literally have been erased from the face of the earth. Much like the ancient Jewish Israelites – and no, I don’t identify with the modern Black Hebrew Israelites – the more enslaved Black people were oppressed, the more they multiplied, which is why we are still here today.
Oppression did not end with slavery. In the UK, since around the 1970s and 80s, which coincided with the heyday of the Windrush era (1948–1971), terms like ethnic minority have been pinned onto us, surreptitiously perpetuating the overall marginalisation and alienation of Black people within the diaspora. And yet, Black people – and I am making particular reference to the UK – had to get on with life and find ways not to be deterred from the objectives for which they had migrated. My own father told me the tale of how he wore his fancy shoes – the only pair he actually owned at the time – to one of the first jobs he secured when he arrived during the Windrush era. The job was in a factory and the shoes were a cut above what everyone else wore. He was questioned about his shoes and, not long after, without a viable reason, he was given notice to leave the job. In addition to all the stories about marginalisation in the rental market, the education system, employment, church…, I am sure we could all add our own tales here.
We weathered the storms of enslavement. We survived the injustices of Windrush. We are a resilient people, and we are still here today.
While none of this was in any way excusable, perhaps our survival through those seasons can be drawn upon to help us to survive – no, to thrive – through another form of marginalisation that is becoming increasingly entrenched in societies across the globe, and not least right here in the UK. I am talking about the marginalisation of traditional Christian values that has resulted in many biblical principles, once considered normal in mainstream society even among non-Christians, being rejected by today’s society at large. Along with the marginalisation of those principles, people – Christians – who uphold them are often villainised and, in several instances, treated unfairly. Think of the case of Nurse Sarah Kuteh who was dismissed from her job in 2016 for offering to pray for patients – and that’s just one example. A reading of the case makes it clear that Nurse Kuteh was not imposing her religious views on patients but only sharing with them, depending on how conversations unfolded with patients. The ruling against her was overturned in 2018. As this case illustrates, Christians, many of whom are Black, can be said to be not only part of an ethnic minority but now also part of a moral minority.
Christians like to say that God does not waste our pain. In light of that statement, here are threepoints we might want to consider, as we find ourselves in the throes of an ever-expanding post-modern society.
1. Remember why we are here:The initial Windrushers did not allow themselves to be sidetracked by unfavourable conditions and reactions towards them. Instead, they remained focused on their goals and found creative ways to achieve them. Many made use of pardner schemes to enable them to purchase homes, and the Pentecostal Community Bank today stands as a solid testimony to just such financial savvy.
Similarly, we need to remain focused on the mission to which Jesus has called us, taking comfort from His instructions and promises to us, as outlined in the Great Commission in Matthew 28.
2. Don’t lower your standards to fit in: The shoes of the ‘preparation of the gospel of peace’ (Ephesians 6:15) are the only shoes you have. Wear them well and wear them proudly. Even if all the other guests choose to wear their sneakers to a formal event, don’t allow yourself to follow suit in order to fit in. You are, after all, a ‘peculiar people’, and it does not behove you to try to fit in with the wrong crowd.
3. The ability to overcome is in your DNA: History proves it. So don’t worry about being a moral minority. Don’t worry about legislations that are attempting to silence you. Remember that, just as Black people were not wiped off the face of the earth, the Church of Jesus Christ will never be defeated! So, focus on being salt and light wherever you are placed and leave the rest to God.
JOY ROXBOROUGH
Creative industry professional, writer and entrepreneur
joyroxborough@yahoo.com
