The past year has been filled with a lot of tensions as we continue to grapple with the history of racism in America and the systemic injustices that Black people still face. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked protests demanding an end to police brutality while highlighting the systematic racism Black people deal with regularly.

As many of us continue to cope with the loss of these and many other Black people at the hands of police officers, we are left wondering what the Bible says about racism. 

The Bible is clear that we should treat each other fairly and with dignity. With terms like brother, sister, and neighbor, it is obvious that we ought to see each other as important people in each other’s lives. 

“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” – 1 John 4:20

The Bible notes various races and ethnicities but also reminds us that we are created in God’s image and likeness. Colossians 3:11 states, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.” 

If Christ lives in all of us, we cannot hate what we say we love and yet we see this every day. Taking the time to read the Bible will guide us in the way we treat each other and remind us of how we ought to be treated. It will cause us to pursue justice for Black people in the way that Jesus pursued justice for those in need.