WHY I TALK ABOUT “BLACK ISSUES”

From time to time someone asks why I speak so often about “Black issues.” The question usually comes with a few assumptions already attached to it, as if there must be some hidden motive behind the concern.

Sometimes people say, “He has white guilt.” Not true. I don’t even believe in that idea as it is usually presented. No one is asking you to feel guilty for things you had nothing to do with. We are asking you to care about people—all people.

Others say, “He’s trying to win points with Black people.” Nope. In my experience, Black folks can see through patronizing behavior a mile away. Nothing turns people off faster than fake concern.

Some joke, “He just wants Black women to like him.” Nope. They already do. Always have.

Others might say, “He’s just being political.” But this is not about politics.

“He’s trying to be trendy or progressive.” But caring about people isn’t a trend.

Some even say, “He’s stirring up division.” But talking about real human struggles is not what divides people—ignoring them is.

So if it isn’t guilt, and it isn’t image, and it isn’t some kind of strategy, what is it?

The truth is much simpler than people think.

You and I may simply see the world differently.

What some people call “Black issues,” I see as human issues. When a group of people carries a particular burden in history, in culture, or in society, their story deserves to be heard. Not because their pain is the only pain that exists, but because their experience is part of the human story.

And when people respond by saying, “Well the white story needs to be told too,” they are missing something important. The white story has been told—over and over, in books, in movies, in classrooms, and in the shaping of culture itself. And it has been carefully constructed to conceal a lot of truth.

Listening to another story does not erase your own. In fact, it expands your understanding.

The Bible consistently reminds believers that we are called to see one another as neighbors, not categories. The apostle Paul wrote that God made all nations from one blood and placed them upon the earth (Acts 17:26). Our backgrounds may differ, but our humanity is shared.

The Word of God also teaches that we are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). That means when a community carries wounds, the Christian response is not dismissal, but compassion.

Sometimes the most Christlike thing a person can do is simply listen. And CARE.

Jesus constantly moved toward the people others overlooked. His life was a steady reminder that human dignity is not determined by status or majority opinion.

So when someone asks why I talk about these issues, the answer is not complicated. It is not guilt. It is not performance. It is not strategy.

It is simply this: all are human beings made in the image of God.

They are my brothers and sisters.

And their story matters.

So we see things differently. We are not the same. The question is, whose worldview is more compatible with the Jesus of the Bible?

BDD