Shaun Groves
In Jonesboro, Arkansas on April 29 a man asked, “Why aren’t there any white kids here?”
He was gesturing to the table I stood behind, covered in child sponsorship packets. On the front of every packet is the photo of a real child born into a family that earns less than $2 a day — children from across Asia, Central America, South America, and Africa.
“Excuse me?” I asked, certain that I must have misheard.
“Why aren’t there any white kids?”
“Compassion is currently serving children in 25 of the world’s poorest open countries and–”
“And why do you think those aren’t white countries?”
With that he walked away and out the doors of the church.
I have been speaking on behalf of children born into poverty for thirteen years now. More than 50,000 people have responded by sponsoring a child. Many thousands more have responded in other generous ways. They’ve gotten involved in local ministries that serve children and those living in poverty. They’ve fostered children, adopted children, committed to regularly giving time and money to their church or other non-profits. THEIRS is the normal response. This man’s is not.
He does not represent the normal Christian, Southerner, white man, evangelical, or American. Don’t use this outlier’s bad behavior as a stone to throw at any group of people. He is not the norm. But he didn’t even exist two years ago.
Oh, there have always been xenophobic, racist, rude, mean people. But they didn’t talk to me this way — in public, face to face, not hiding behind a keyboard or a white hood. That’s new.
In Iowa (lest anyone think this is a Southern phenomenon) three weeks ago, a man stood up in the middle of my Compassion presentation, yelled “F— this!”, and stormed out of the church’s sanctuary. I didn’t deviate at all from the presentation I’ve been giving for years. What emboldened him to speak out — shout out — now?
Something’s changed. The xenophobic, racist, rude, mean people are coming out of the closet now. They’re not the norm – and never will be – but they’re not silent anymore either.
Tracie Collier says:
Makes me think we’d better be prepared to be louder than the prejudice…louder than the fear…louder than the hate. Because if those who are prejudiced, fearful, and hateful are getting louder and bolder, we’d better be ready to stand taller, speak louder, and love bigger!
As the sponsor of 3 beautiful Compassion kids, I’m happy to do so!
Marsha McCarty says:
I am the chairman of a US Partnering Committee serving with a ministry for orphans and widows in Kenya. We take short term mission teams to Kenya and do many fundraisers. The biggest attack we have comes even from friends and family members . . . I will not support your cause. Why would we want to send money to help children in Kenya when we have so many children right here in this country to help!! I only wish they would travel with me to Kenya and meet the widows and orphans we are reaching out to. In our great country we have programs to help the poor and needy. I am so thankful for that and I donate to those causes. But in emerging or third world countries they have no help from their community or government. Come with me. Let me show you what it is like to feel hopeless, but to put your complete trust in our Lord and Savior. To hear a child say “We had no food for today. We prayed and God sent you as an answer to our prayers”.
Duncan Mok says:
I guess we should be glad that this awful behavior is being seen in the light of day now, so we can wrestle with it. But I find it so disheartening. What can we do with brokenness like this?