Thomas R. Kelly writes in A Testament of Devotion, “We are trying to be several selves at once, without all of our selves being organized by a single, mastering Life within us.  Each of us tends to be, not a single self, but a whole committee of selves. There is a civic self, the parental self, a financial self, the religious self, the society self, the professional self, the literary self.  And each of our selves is, in turn, a rank individualist, not co- operative but shouting out his voice loudly for himself when the voting time comes.”

So, how many selves do you have and which self serves as chair of the committee?  And are any of those selves a response to race, racism, prejudice and stereotypes?  Who is on the committee of racialized selves? Who nominates them? How often do they meet?  What’s on their agenda?  What do they vote on?

In the American racialized society, there are many and often competing selves.  I will merely list them as I have yet to fully comprehend their roles, terms and length of service on the committee.  These selves would include the mammy self, the buck self, the brute self, the hyper-sexualized and asexual self, the Uncle Tom and Black Nationalist self, the house and field negro self, the integrationist and segregationist self, the hopeful and suspicious self, the passing self, the mulatto, quadroon and octaroon self, the coon self, the shuckin’ and jivin’ self, the African self, the nigger/nigga self, the Negro self, the Black self, the African American self.  Each has its own personality, position and power.

So, what do we do with these selves when we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  How do these selves fit into the divine community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?  What do the presence of these selves bring to our faith and do they cooperate?  Is Christ organizing them and in turn, prioritizing them? Is Christ’s life leading them?  If not, then, it’s time for them to step down.