When the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship a year ago it was the crowning achievement for the excellent president of the team, Masai Ujiri. There is no question that he is one of the best, perhaps the best, in the sport and he's coveted by other organizations. He was there when the Raptors won game six to clinch the title and made his way to the court to celebrate with the squad of players he had crafted. Ujiri was impeccably dressed in a suit and had his credentials, yet he was pushed back -- essentially assaulted by a policeman who was on security. After another rough shove Ujiri gave his own push, and while he got on the court he was told that he might face criminal charges. When this possibility was dismissed the cop filed a civil suit.
Recently film footage surfaced which shows that the policeman was clearly the aggressor, so why was there uncertainly in the first place, and why was the officer backed by his department? There isn't much doubt that it was because Ujiri is Black. He has issued a statement in response to the new film evidence and here is a portion:
What saddens me most about this ordeal is that the only reason why I am getting the justice I deserve in this moment is because of my success ... So many of my brothers and sisters haven't had, don't have, and won't have the same access to resources that assured my justice.And that's why Black Lives Matter.
I am reading the thought-provoking book called Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, and I highly recommend it, along with her previous book, The Warmth of Other Suns. As the name suggests, the 400-year history of the caste system in the United States is rooted in slavery, continued for a century with laws assuming that the lowest white person was superior to even the most accomplished person of colour, and is still strongly evident today. While Canada may be somewhat different there is no doubt that we are plagued with systemic racism and our own hierarchies.
As people of Christian faith we must be aware that religion has too often supported the dominant caste in different societies, yet both Jesus and the apostle Paul invited us into a new way of seeing our world and humanity. As an election looms in the United States we are witnessing the determination of some Christians to maintain what they consider the dominant caste.
As disheartening as this may be, wherever it is found, we can repent of our arrogance and unfaithfulness to the gospel. We can name inequality when we see it, and actively work for change.
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