Did You Think Jehovah’s Witnesses Were Typically “Racists”?

minimus

I was a JW from infancy. We had a melting pot type of congregation. I grew up with all types of Witnesses , all with different backgrounds. I saw no prejudice toward black Witnesses I would say a third of the congregation was black. However, in the Hall we shared, there was the Spanish Congregation. Overall, the elders in the other 2 congregations looked down on the Hispanic congregation. They regarded them as materialistic and lazy. They were unfairly singled out because they were different .

Butterfly607

I can say in the area I grew up in there was a lot of racism. Still is. In the English congregation there is against anything non-white. In the Spanish congregation there were prejudiced between ethnicities and racism against blacks. But, hey, if you read the magazines and literature from the early days all the way up to the seventies- it was a blatantly racist organization. Top down nonsense. All during the civil rights era in the US, the society was writing about how slavery was good and slaves should stay with their masters. They refused to fight apartheid in South Africa and shamed those who did...Hard for me to understand how they’ve attracted so many black people.

minimus

Our congregation servant was a black man and he was very close to our family. He was very fatherly toward me. Perhaps, because of him. I didn’t clearly see signs of racism in our congregation.

rickroll

I can say a lot of crap about the Jws but I saw no racism in any of the halls I was in. In fact I lived in one area that there was almost no blacks for 200 miles. A friend of mine who went to bethel and came home married to a black every one bent over backward to her. If anyone was racist it was the black sister from NYC. She would dress her kids like some Bush mandingo robes and those round coffee can hats in wild colors. She had never been to Africa and was getting into the who Roots thing. Even the world treated her with kid gloves. I knew a worldly girl who was as straight as an arrow, she took turns driving to work with the black sister and stopped. She said that she was drunk half the time she would drive to work and it scared her. The black sister also had a horrible driving record she must have wrecked 4 cars in a few years. No one would question her because they did not want to get accused of being racist so she got away with murder.

Tameria2001

I don't remember any JWs who were racists.

minimus

The term racist is thrown around today like crazy. I wonder though if different areas make a difference. I’m from the northern part of the USA. Perhaps in the south , the vibes are different

Simon

I remember we had a number of different ethnicities in our hall, we use to all hang out and I don't remember anything remotely 'racist' happening, certainly nothing I was aware of - in fact I can't remember ever thinking too much about race at all back then.

I'm sure the UK was quite different to the US and probably our part of the UK was different to other places as well. Manchester was quite central to the abolitionist movement, siding with the Union in the US civil war (against their own interests in the cotton trade, which resulted in local famine). I believe this may have attracted a higher colored community as a result or it may have been post-war migration and cheaper housing (working class, northern) where people settled.

https://confidentials.com/manchester/a-short-history-of-manchester-americans-slavery-and-fellowship

SnakesInTheTower

I wish I could say the same. Our area is 66% white, 27% black. We had many mixed couples in the hall. But in later yesrs, or maybe I became more aware as an adult, then especially as an elder, I seen first hand the subtle racism that simmered beneath the surface.

I watched an especially explosive argument betweem a younger black elder and an old school white elder in an elders meeting. Don't even remember the cause, but it was awful.

The congregation territory I was in for a few months after MTS was 88% white, 3% black. They sent me (white guy), a black guy, and a hispanic guy from our class. We were not welcome. I left pretty quick.

Moved back to a cong. near the first, and it 95% white territory. White elders ruled the congo. Only blacks were transplants. Awful.

For the last 21 plus years I rented the same house in a fairly diverse neighborhood, but it leans black. Mostly no trouble. I recently bought a house, 2 doors down, same street. Doubled down invested here.

Less trouble and racism here than some JW congos I was part of.

Snakes (Rich)

punkofnice

Did You Think Jehovah’s Witnesses Were Typically “Racists”?

I didn't know any racist Jobos. They just didn't associate with 'worldly(TM)' people.

Of course a lot of them were loonies but not racist.

Of course I can only speak for my neck of the woods.

I mean. after all, how would the 'paradise Earth(tm)' cope with all the national dress pictured in the dublications, if the Jobos were 'typically' racist?

I'm sure even Smurf costumes will survive 'armageddon(tm)'.

BluesBrother

One good thing I have seen is that they are free of racism. The inter congregation rancour that Min described is typical of two congregations sharing. The bodies often fall out . It would be the same if the second one was white.

Did You Think Jehovah’s Witnesses Were Typically “Racists”?

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