A few years ago I was in downtown Saskatoon and saw a billboard that was unlike any I had ever seen before. The Lone Ranger’s sidekick Tonto was pictured with a simple caption, ‘Tonto pray for you.’

I do not know what it was in reference to, but it touched a nerve that left me asking questions about our national relationship to our First Nations people. Every nation has to wrestle with its own history of race relations.

Let’s go back to 1967 when I was starting school.

My grandparents were visiting our family in the small town of Southampton, ON. It was a school day and I was walking from the front door of our house and down the street two blocks to my kindergarten class.

My grandfather saw that I was carrying something and asked, “Kevin, why do you have that big stick in your hand?”

I replied matter-of-factly, “It’s in case I meet any Indians on my way to school.”

I do not remember that particular incident, but I do remember hearing my grandfather retell me that story and him laughing each time.

Perhaps it was watching cowboy movies and other TV shows that inspired my young mind to play cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians and boys against girls when we were hanging out together.

A really important question to ask is whether at five-years-old I was racist toward Indians. At that age I was already aware of the Saugeen Indian reserve nearby and in the habit of listening to adults in conversation.

Remembering that story makes me a little sad to think that I would be afraid of a people group and feeling that I needed to defend myself. We fear what we are least familiar with.

Nelson Mandela said,

No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.[1]

It's very likely that we have all discriminated and pre-judged others based on ethnicity, social standing, lifestyle or religion. To have a true understanding of the mission of God, we need to understand God’s love for all people of the world. If we are to be about the mission of God, we must also be cleansed of our prejudice.

On today’s episode we are going to start a conversation with a party of five. Joining me today is Chris Cobbler, Nelly Latchman, Kellen Brooks and Joshua Bowers. We are all involved in ministry in the border cities of Windsor and Detroit. This was our small way to talk about race relations and the difference that we are called to make.

Meet Our Panel:

Christopher W. Cobbler - https://www.onechurchwindsor.com/pastorchris

Nelly Latchman - https://paoc.org/donate/nellylatchman

Kellen Brooks - https://www.kellenbrooks.com/

Joshua Bowers - https://www.crossandanchorchurch.com/lead-family