The Modern White Colonizer

What do Sandra Bullock, Ty Burrell, Charlize Theron, Connie Britton, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman, Madonna, Steven Spielberg, and Amy Coney Barrett all have in common? Well before reading the last name on the list, you might have thought I was merely listing a bunch of Hollywood actors. But Amy Coney Barrett does not fit in that category. She has been a been a law professor, federal judge, and, as of this writing, a nominee to the U. S. Supreme Court. So then, what do they all have in common? They are all white people who have adopted black children.

Now in the past, when all of those Hollywood actors did the adopting, it was lauded as a VERY admirable thing. It showed that they were not prejudiced, and, in some of the cases, were extremely compassionate because they adopted children from deprived situations in third world countries. (It is noteworthy, in fact, Barrett’s two adopted children came from Haiti.) But for some reason, Amy Coney Barrett is being viewed differently by people who don’t want to see her on the court.

Ibram X. Kendi is the director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University. According to his assessment, by adopting two black children from Haiti, he considers that she and her husband may be “white colonizers.” Kendi says of white colonizers, that there are white people who adopt black children in order to civilize “these savage children in the superior ways of white people, while using them as props in their lifelong picture of denial, while cutting the biological parents of these children out of the picture of humanity.” In saying this, he did not directly accuse the Barretts of being white colonizers, but insinuated that it certainly could be the case.

Kendi is part of a group of people that considers all white people racist. Some white people are understood to be racist because of their actual words and actions. But he sees the vast majority as racist simply because they are white in a dominant white culture that is systemically racist. In other words, the racism is baked into the culture in ways that cannot be escaped. The actual beliefs and actions of particular individuals have no bearing on their racism – they are racist just because they are.

First of all, Kendi is actually the one who is the racist. Racism is defined as discrimination against or antagonism towards other races. Kendi is a black man who believes all white people are racist. He is the one who wants to discriminate against, and has antagonism toward, people of a different race. What a hypocrite!!!

But in our politically correct social environment, many people have, sadly, bought into this kind of thinking. It is based on naturalistic philosophy that views morality as relative. It acknowledges no objective moral standard that is able to demonstrate, or even intimate, that its assertions are right – but when moral relativism rules, that doesn’t even matter. When a society’s morality is based on nothing more then personal opinion, it becomes the opinion of those that are able to hold power who rule the day. In the case of white people who adopt black children, based on the opinion of Kendi and his ilk, they are “deemed” to be white colonizers.

What is really sad, though, is that Kendi’s point of view does not reflect reality. The truth is, some set of cultural norms dominate EVERY society. And if the dominant set is deemed racist and is changed to something else, then why wouldn’t the new one also be racist – only in favor of a different race? The argument logically just does not hold up. Another place where Kendi’s view doesn’t reflect reality is seen in the contradiction inherent in the accusation of racism. Why is it racist for someone to see a child in need who does not have a family, and for them to invite the child into their own? In 2010, a massive earthquake hit Haiti killing between 100,000 and 160,000 people. It is estimated that this left over 20,000 children as orphans. How is it racist for people to reach out and give some of these children a home?

Biblical worldview beliefs do not evaluate people the way Naturalists do. The Bible teaches that all human beings are persons created in the image of God, and that God does not look on outward appearances when making judgments about people, but on the heart. In His revelation, He has revealed that we, as human beings, ought to see other humans the way He does. The ugliness of actual racism will not go away until people, like Kendi, themselves have a change of heart. Until then, they will continue to redefine racism in their attempt to convince people that racists are not racists and non-racists are racists. As Christians, we need to know how to answer this false belief and point people to Jesus Christ as the actual answer to racism.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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