Lynden, Washington, with a population of about sixteen thousand people, is situated five miles south of the Canadian border and has a strong Dutch community and influence. It has twenty-eight Christian churches and is 90 percent white, less than 1 percent Black, and a mixture comprising the remaining. The community is young with lots of children, but no major businesses lie within the city.
Their unwritten motto is “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much.” (Red flag.)
Lynda Burke adopted Amsa, a Black baby, and raised her in that community. Amsa was a popular young woman. Racism was hardly ever discussed at home or in school. After the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, Amsa stated at a protest rally, “Racism happens, even in a small Christian town.” Life hasn’t been the same since.
At the same time, others in the town held a counterprotest that was angry and armed, carrying Trump signs and American flags. At first, Amsa’s classmates supported her statement, but then some turned against her, as did many other members of the community.
Amsa left Lynden for college. She did an exchange year in Senegal, where she came to grips with her Blackness while she lived in a completely Black community for the first time, which gave her new perspectives about racism.
For more of Amsa’s story, see the New York Times article “A Peaceful Protest. A Counterprotest. 5 Years Later, a Town Is Still Shaken” from May 26, 2025. Currently, Amsa goes to Howard University, a Black university, is estranged from her mother, and has vowed never to return to Lynden. As for the town, it was forced to deal with its racism and has become a divided community.
My point in sharing part of this story is to discuss racism again. Here are my five talking points:
- Racism is in our DNA. Everyone has racist tendencies. Some people aren’t even aware of them, while for others, it’s the center of their life, and they live in an environment where everyone has to be racist.
Many folks tell me, “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.” I then ask, “Do you notice when people have a different skin color or slanted eyes or maybe speak with an accent?” Like it or not, this is the start of racism, noticing differences.
- Until I admit that I am a racist, nothing is going to change. I was a white boy raised in a Black neighborhood. Sunday school taught me that the Jews killed Jesus. As a Korean veteran, I was surrounded by slurs about Koreans. I had an unfortunate business experience with an Indian from India. A voice on the phone with a strong accent was trying to scam me. A cop who gave me a ticket was Italian. All of that is racism. So guess what? I’m a racist, even though that’s the last thing I want to be.
- It’s not easy to admit that, but until I do, I know I cannot be part of the solution, and I am willing to do something about it.
- I’ve been wrestling with this issue since my late teens. For years as an adult, I tried to pretend that I wasn’t racist, even though deep down I know I am. I can never get rid of my racism, but I can rise above it. Jesus taught me about the power of agape, where I must love every human being unconditionally, no matter where they are on their life’s journey.
- I now feel that I can sit down and talk with people about solutions and not my racism.
I’d be interested to hear your take on racism and solutions.
PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness
Bil
Get my book at Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon!
P.S. People often ask me provocative questions about current events, both religious and secular. I have found that some of these questions are being asked universally. I’ll be periodically alternating regular articles with one of those questions and my answer. I invite you to send me your question to bilaulenbach@yahoo.com.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Racism is as pervasive as ever It has always been here and always will be. The Bible is full of it as well. However, I take issue with the idea that noticing that someone is different is a form of racism. Differences will always exist–some people are tall, some short, some rich, some poor, some crippled, some in perfect health, some beautiful, some unattractive Many have a different color skin from ours But we need to not allow those differences to influence how we accept or treat the ‘other.’ That’s the difference We need to embrace our differences for a richer life.
It is so easy to “other.” It could be that someone speaks with a southern or Maine accent. Skin color, hair color, eye shape, make it even easier. We’re all guilty.