Young Ethnic Minorities Need to Know Their Cultural Identities Matter

It was an unusually cool Saturday afternoon in Texas when I got a text message from a college student. The text simply said, “Need to talk. Coming over.”

Thirty minutes later, she was sitting at my kitchen table, amid a freshly made pot of chai and a platter of dates and nuts, pouring out a wave of grief. This young woman was navigating personal experiences of racism at her school. Some classmates made some unsavory jokes related to her culture, and she didn’t know how to respond. She just sat there, shocked. This wasn’t the first time she’d been made fun of because of her ethnic heritage, but she hadn’t expected to be teased by people she had considered “close friends.” The grief hit differently, deeper.

“What do I do?” I remember her asking me.

In that moment, I felt the weight of responsibility. Whatever I told her that day could fundamentally impact her view of herself, her faith, and her healing journey.

As a fellow ethnic minority who has experienced my own fair share of racial bullying – especially as a high school and college student – I understood her pain. I knew there was no simple answer I could give her to make things better. I couldn’t tell her, “God’s got this. Just keep praying,” or “God won’t give you more than you can handle. Trust that He’s using this for your good.” Phrases like this would only push her away.

But, at the same time, I also knew that God was the answer to her very real race-related pains.

That day, in my home, I leaned over to this young woman and told her, “God made you on purpose, just the way you are – your skin color, your ethnic roots, your family, all of it. He hates what’s been done to you, and I do too. But know this: God will never abandon you. He’ll give you the strength to get through this if you’ll let him. And one day, his justice will come. It might not be now; it might not be next year. But it’s coming. On that day, people like you and me will never be made fun of because of our cultures ever again.” This isn’t a threat – it’s a statement of eschatological hope.

Beautifully & Wonderfully Made

Young folks today who identify as ethnic minorities need to hear from their faith communities that God cares about their cultural identities and that developing a cultural self-confidence is a healthy biblical form of resilience in the face of racial injustice.

In my own work as a race and culture coach, I am passionate about helping ethnic minority Christians understand the fundamental relationship between their cultural identities and their faith. I was thrilled to see this dynamic as the focus of Springtide Research Institute’s latest study, Navigating Injustice: A Closer Look at Race, Faith & Mental Health.

Two of the key findings in Navigating Injustice was that “positive ethnic-racial and religious identities are associated with good mental health” and young ethnic minorities “wish their faith leaders and communities would acknowledge and celebrate their ethnic-racial identities (ERI).”

The study goes on to explain that “a healthy ERI—one that is meaningful and positive—is associated with greater self-esteem and fewer depressive and somatic symptoms. Young people who take pride in their ERI are also more likely to report peer acceptance, interpersonal functioning, and belonging within their communities. Finally, a healthy ERI can be protective. Social psychologists find, for example, that ethnic and racial centrality and pride significantly offset the negative impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of young BIPOC.” BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, People of Color.

One of the participants in the study, Isabella, shared, “My faith community brought me a lot of confidence and less anxiety [regarding] who I am and where I come from. So, they influenced me in a positive way by honoring my culture, my identity… My faith community has given me the confidence that I belong in this community and with Christ.”

The research conducted in Navigating Injustice reaffirms that churches should be on the frontlines of shaping young ethnic minorities’ ethnic-racial identities in positive and powerful ways. Students of color need to hear from their Youth Pastors and Christian mentors that God made them on purpose (Genesis 1:26-27), that they are wonderful and beautifully made (Psalm 139), that God knows their pains, that He cares for them, and that He wants them to delight in the beauty of their God-given cultures and ethnic heritages (Revelation 7:9-10).

2 Ways To Develop Our God-Given Cultural Identities

Here are two ways to equip young ethnic minorities to develop their God-given cultural identities within your faith community.

1) Help Your Students See Color in Scripture

The students of color that you mentor should see the way Scripture addresses issues of race and culture from Genesis through Revelation. When you study the Bible together, especially biblical narrative, find time to discuss the characters’ ethnic identities. Name their heritages aloud (e.g., Hebrew, Hittite, Canaanite, Cushite etc.), find where they lived on a map, and discuss what they might have looked like. The more we can see and imagine the diverse colors represented in Scripture, the more real and applicable these stories will feel. This exercise isn’t part of a woke agenda; it’s just good exegesis and pastoral care.

In addition, make space for diverse cultural readings of Scripture. Different cultural lenses don’t have to negate historic orthodoxy; rather, it can add to our understanding of the Biblical text. When we introduce youth, and young ethnic minorities especially, to commentaries and Bible-based trade books written by ethnic minorities, such as Jarvis Williams’ Redemptive Kingdom Diversity and The South Asian Bible Commentary, they will be able to see a fuller picture of God’s word and glean a richer theological understanding through global scholarship.

Finally, point students of color to passages in Scripture where God cares for the racially oppressed. For example, I think of the story of Moses’ wife, Zipporah, in Numbers 12. In verse 1, we see that Moses’ siblings, Miriam and Aaron, are upset that he has married a Cushite, a Black woman. Cush was an ancient civilization in modern-day Ethiopia. In other passages in Scripture, the darker skin of the Cushites is contrasted to the fair Israelites (e.g., Jeremiah 13:23). Though the specifics of Miriam’s and Aaron’s complaint against Zipporah are not mentioned, scholars believe that her dark skin is a likely cause. In other words, Miriam and Aaron are most likely exhibiting a form of racial prejudice against their sister-in-law, and God himself comes to Zipporah’s defense. God punishes Miriam with leprosy. He makes her “too-white,” as Pastor John Piper once argued, as a punishment for her preference to fair skin. When students of color have been made fun of, particularly because of their skin color, you can point to passages like Numbers 12 to show how God cares about them, is grieved by their pain, and will come to their defense.

2) Normalize Conversations on Culture

The more opportunities young BIPOC are given to talk about their culture, the easier it will become for them to find positive ways to culturally express themselves.

Youth group offers a unique opportunity to foster fun and respectful conversations on race and culture. For example, you could include questions about culture in an icebreaker at the beginning of the evening, such as What are your ethnic roots? How would you describe your cultural identity? What’s a fun cultural tradition in your family? During down times, such as after church or on youth trips, pursue intentional conversations with your students with questions, like Do you have a cultural comfort food? What is it? What kind of foods do you eat on your birthday? How often does your family go out to eat? And where do y’all usually order from?

If appropriate, carve out time to meet 1:1 with your young BIPOC students and ask them questions such as, What was the most difficult conversation/encounter you had this week? Was there anything someone sad this week that was hurtful to you? How can I support you right now? Sometimes, young ethnic minorities want to hear that you understand their experiences are different from your own, but also that you care and want to be there for them. If you serve in a mostly white context, pray for opportunities when you can ask one of your students of color what it’s like for them to be nonwhite in your youth group.

Changing the Tide

Young ethnic minorities don’t leave their cultural identities at the door when they walk into church or youth group. They long for their leaders to acknowledge and celebrate their cultural identities. They want to know that they matter, that their pains and struggles are not invisible, and that they’re not alone.

Youth pastors are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between students of color’s cultural and spiritual identities and give them gospel-rooted tools for them to develop resilience and God-given cultural self-confidence as they navigate our racially broken world. The more we can see our youth’s cultural identities as a vital aspect of their faith, the better we will be able to help transform their emotions, adopt a God-given and hope-filled narrative for their life, and even become the agents of change our world so desperately needs.