Is all segregation racism?

A few weeks ago I attended a training session of the Georgia Association of Law Enforcement Chaplains, or GALEC. The several day sessions took place at the beautiful Baptist campground and convention center in Toccoa with about 60 chaplains from across the state in attendance.

If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that about 35 of the chaplains were white and 25 were black. We had Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Independents, and a generous mix of other denominations.

The fellowship among the chaplains was wonderful, warm, and enthusiastic. We trained together, served on work groups together, made fun of each other together, prayed together, and worshipped together. And by “together,” I mean that it didn’t matter if one was black or white or Catholic or Pentecostal or Baptist. What mattered was a common relationship with God through Christ.

Some chaplains served in metro areas like Atlanta while others served tiny agencies that policed in Georgia’s rural backwaters. Some were evangelical, charismatic, or liturgical while others were a blend of all three. All, however, had a unity of purpose and a common calling.

Yet on the last day during breakfast, a friend pointed out that we were segregated. As I looked around the cafeteria, I realized that there were four or five tables occupied by white chaplains. At the other three or four tables the black chaplains were sharing a meal. In fact, as I looked back on it, nearly every meal had been that way.

Racism? If a stranger had walked in the room at that moment, he might have thought so. After all, this is Georgia, a Deep South state with a history of racial problems.

But if the stranger had drawn that conclusion, he would have been wrong. While there was an unconscious segregation occurring during meals, there was no racism — on anyone’s part.

My table would have been delighted to have black chaplains eat with us and I am certain that the black chaplains would have been equally delighted to have whites at their table. But I also noticed that the Baptists tended to sit together while those from sacramental backgrounds did the same.

In a combined military operation, Marines tend to eat with Marines while soldiers, sailors, and airmen also tend to be drawn toward each other. We drift toward people that we believe are “like us,” however that may be.

We don’t usually make a conscious effort to do so, it just happens. In fact, we have to make a conscious decision to do otherwise.

The breakfast observation let me know that, while we have come a long, long way in our relationships with each other, we still have room for improvement.

Is segregation always wrong? I don’t think so. An enforced segregation that demeans some while elevating others is diabolical, cruel, and wrong — even sinful.

But, sometimes, people just want to relax with people with whom they feel comfortable, secure, and at ease. Sometimes, breakfast is just breakfast.

[Father David Epps is the founding pastor of Christ the King Church, 4881 Hwy. 34 E., Sharpsburg, GA 30277, between Peachtree City and Newnan. Services are held Sundays at 8 and 10 a.m. He is also the vicar of Christ the King Church in Champaign, IL. He may be contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org. The church has a website at www.ctkcec.org.]