The Content of My Character

Although it's just an ordinary Monday here in Dar, today marks the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday back in the U.S. Before the focus of this day shifted to a 3-day weekend and MLK Day sales at the mall, the intent of this holiday was to honor a man who was instrumental in helping to bring racial equality to a troubled nation.

One of his most famous speeches is the “I Have a Dream” address from 1963, in which he shared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

This year, for the first time, I understand a tiny bit about what it means to be judged on the color of my skin rather than the content of my character. I'm sure people have made assumptions about me based on my skin tone for my whole life, but because the color of my skin is white, this means education, privilege, majority in the U.S. It's not always easy to notice when you are being judged if it's in a favorable light. 

However, here in Africa, it's apparent that I am judged on the color of my skin every day. There aren't a lot of white folks around and so being one (especially one with blonde hair) makes me stand out in every crowd. A common occurrence is to be greeted, “Habari, mzungu” (How are you, white person?) It's not culturally offensive here and in most cases the person asks the question with a smile. But it really bothers me every time.

The Swahili word “mzungu” literally translated means “foreigner” or “aimless wanderer.” Although the more common usage is simply to describe people of Western descent, the use of this word really highlights the fact that I am different. The word can also be loaded with all sorts of other assumptions: money, education, privilege on the positive side; selfishness, entitlement, wastefulness on the negative side.

To be sure, I'll never understand what it truly means to be discriminated against. Even in Africa, white skin means power. Although I'm a “minority” here, I'm still educated, rich by the standards of most of the world, and I hold a U.S. passport. In my case, the stereotype of “mzungu” is fairly accurate: I am incredibly privileged. However, I don't like it when people assume that I am a wealthy vacationer with tons of money to throw around. I am a missionary here and a long term resident – I'm here to invest in the culture and I am more than just a consumer. I also don't want people to assume that I think I'm entitled to all this privilege. While I'm grateful, I understand that being born white was nothing I did myself and I hope that I never take any of this privilege for granted.

Although it's uncomfortable, I'm thankful for this small glimpse into a world that I've never seen before and I pray that this will help me to become more compassionate. And I fervently hope, along with Dr. King, that one day we will all be judged only on the content of our character.