Acts 10:34-35 — Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Today, as you will most probably know, is the anniversary of an important waypoint on the path to the eradication of racial discrimination in these United States.
The unanimous opinion of the Justices of the Supreme Court, expressed on May 17, 1954, contained the following key paragraph:
We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other “tangible” factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does.
So here we are, sixty years later. Is prejudice, then, a thing of the past? Of course it is not. It is hard to be comforted or comforting about the topic.
It’s only one part of the picture, but an Associated Press survey published in 2012 declared:
In all, 51 percent of Americans now express explicit anti-black attitudes, compared with 48 percent in a similar 2008 survey. When measured by an implicit racial attitudes test, the number of Americans with anti-black sentiments jumped to 56 percent, up from 49 percent during the last presidential election. In both tests, the share of Americans expressing pro-black attitudes fell.
It’s a hard pill to swallow. Many of us, of course will declare ourselves free of the taint — but we cannot deny that, in contrast to Paul’s clear statement of God’s will, there are two ugly tendencies still rife:
— Prejudice felt by people of one race against those of another
— A resentment of prejudice, even where none exists, arising from a long miserable history of oppression.
So what’s to be done? How is society to be corrected? It is not, until Jesus comes again. All we can do is look at ourselves and consider where we stand on this issue.
First, and I expect some to deny this fiercely, I say that all of us are prejudiced in one way or another and should recognize it. Not all of us hold unfair preconceptions against those of other colors — but sadly I find myself agreeing with politician George Aiken who said “If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other causes for prejudice by noon.” If you have ever drawn conclusions about someone because of how they dress, or how they speak, or even just where they come from, then you know what I mean.
Having accepted that in a fallen world prejudice is inevitable, and that each of us are marked by it, the only course open to us is to watch for it and work consciously to form our opinions and take our actions in a Christlike manner. As for me, I will pray often:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)