As soon as I posted “On being a white man in leadership” on Sunday I emailed Christina Martinez (see Christina’s bio below) and asked if she’d be willing to read it over and write a response.  Christina is a co-worker in mission at New Community Covenant Church and someone whose insight and instincts I highly respect.  I appreciate Christina’s willingness to push this conversation further along and hope some of you will respond to her thoughts.

Let me first say that I don’t think that I (as a white, Cuban American who is light skinned and most often assumed to be white) have too much ‘authority’ to speak to these questions, but I’ll give you my initial thoughts nonetheless. I think that IzumiBayani makes valid and important points on both accounts. Taking into consideration his background, I would be interested in what he sees his role to be in leadership as I think his background (as my own sometimes does) provides him an opportunity to vacillate between roles and ‘groups’ making a significant impact. I think your first question is interesting, because I think oftentimes, the leadership that IzumiBayani speaks of tends to be to more homogenous communities, rather than diverse ones. Many factors affect the validity of IzumiBayani’s view that a white man “can’t be a dominant leader in a social justice movement.” I believe trust is a huge factor that affects this. If a white man comes in as ‘the leader’ to a community of color, trust is not and would not be automatic and would take a long time to build. Coming in as a ‘dominant leader’ could possibly erode the trust further, making it even more difficult for the white man to begin building trust. Even in a diverse community, trust is a factor and relationships between both the white man leader and the people of color whom he is leading as well as relationships between white people and people of color (whom he is leading) would need to occur in order to slowly build the trust necessary for redemptive and liberating leadership that could benefit others.

I have heard an example of a white man attending a predominately black church, and the white man being asked to join the all black preaching staff of the church, to which he was extremely hesitant. It took a lot of humility and mentoring (from the black preaching staff) and grace from the congregation to allow this leadership to occur, but it did and was fruitful. I think the difference I identify, though, is that he was invited to be on the staff and in a place of leadership after having built relationships and trust, and it was not something that he sought. I’m not sure that it’s wise to have a white man begin in leadership in something new, and that maybe that would be OK and accepted and helpful/beneficial to everyone if it occurs after relationships, trust, understanding, etc have been built to the extent that the white man is asked to step into that role.

I think part of equipping and empowering others for leadership requires one to encourage those who are a part of a certain community to take leadership within the community. Dr. Wayne Gordon’s 8 Components of Christian Community Development (Relocation, Reconciliation, Redistribution, Leadership Development, Listening to Community, Church-Based, Holistic Approach, and Empowerment; http://www.ccda.org/philosophy) come to mind in this conversation and seem especially important for a white-man in leadership with a diverse community.

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– About Christina Martinez: I am a white, Cuban American Resident Director who cares about learning more about and engaging in diversity and feel I have a responsibility to speak and act against injustice and oppression, especially as a white person, though I am still learning what that means in both ideology and practice.