Racism in America: A Heavy Boulder

by Fran Withrow 12.2022

Andre Henry is a Black activist, artist, and writer. In his book, “All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep,” Henry shares how his close white friends and family do not truly understand how racism undergirds the foundation of our country. The heartbreaking ways his white friends dismiss racism eventually leads him, with grief and reluctance, to drop them from his life.

Henry explains that racism is so systemic in our society that whites do not even notice it. It also changes as society changes, which makes discrimination more difficult for white people to see. And even those whites who consider themselves anti-racist can actually get in the way of Blacks’ work toward true equality.

It is disturbing to read how Henry’s white family, friends, colleagues, and fellow students at Fuller Theological Seminary either dismiss Henry’s concerns, make light of them, or expect him not to discuss racism because they consider it impolite. 

As he leaves his white friends, Henry becomes more intentional in combating racism. The deaths of George Floyd, Philandro Castile, and other murdered Blacks grieve Henry so much he decides to lug around a boulder in a wagon. This boulder is a literal symbol of how Blacks live under the heavy burden of racism all the time. 

The struggle to end racism faces many challenges, and overcoming it will not be easy. From the election of an overt racist to our highest office, to police brutality, to unjust application of criminal laws, and to the often misguided attempts by white people to address the issue, this problem will need to be tackled on many levels. Henry says Black people need to find a way to unite together in the fight, since from unity comes strength. They will need to find ways to use peaceful disruptions (like the Black bus protests) to create change. They should not bother engaging with hard core racists, but they can work to galvanize white people who are sympathetic but not active in the movement.

Henry warns that his book is not an easy read. And it isn’t. Henry is totally honest about the heartache he experiences when the white people he loved betray him. That sense of deep loss, coupled with the senseless deaths of Black people, compel him to call for a non-violent revolution, as only through revolution will things change.

“All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep” is a sober look at what needs to happen in our society to give Blacks true equality. Henry’s deft description of his life and the loss of his white friends should be a wake-up call to white people. Black readers will no doubt identify with much in this intelligent look about the heaviness of racism. White readers will learn more about the ways we fail the Black community and how we must contend with this. Though our country was built on racism, Henry remains hopeful that change can come, and that some day Blacks can put down the heavy boulder of discrimination and truly be free.