Systemic injustice is not the cause of racial inequity in the United States,
though it clearly is a contributing factor.
But when one thinks about systemic injustice, one must be honest enough to acknowledge that,
not only does it stem from racists who pervert justice for the sake of advantage and to salve their fragile egos,
and the comfortable apathetic who’ve mentally washed their hands,
it also stems from well-meaning paternalists who’ve systematized dependency,
as well as those who’ve profited nicely from that dependency, and who lobby hard to maintain that profitable position in spite of the harm done in the name of kindness.
Racial inequity, all inequity, cannot be corrected without a societal commitment to a making the dependent independent. This is systemic justice.
Even more important, however, is the need of the dependent to resolve to achieve independence, which is only possible when responsibility is recognized as a key virtue.
And, finally, understanding the meaning of responsibility is only possible by listening carefully and following the directives of the Lord of all, Jesus, the author of the only true system of justice.
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