I don’t remember how I first came across Jerome C. Crichton. The good doctor holds a D.Min from United Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University-San Francisco Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, with a 2008 dissertation titled An Examination of the Role of Spiritual Intelligence in Transformational Leadership: A Qualitative Study.
It is no surprise that I would run into interesting thinkers here and there within the SDA community because social media has made all of that possible. People you otherwise would never have come across are now accessible for connection sometimes simply through mutual contacts and shared interests. That is the beauty of allowing oneself to crawl through the world wide web.
It would be criminal on my part to fail to mention the incredible generosity on Dr. Crichton’s part in ensuring that not only Spitting into the Wind: White Pathology and the Struggle for Racial Habilitation but that Measuring Twice, Cutting Once: Theological Reflections was also available. He went several steps further by including a personal note and signed both books. It felt like Christmas in May.
So, what is this book on white pathology about, and why (despite the foreword being written by Ganoune Diop, which would primarily matter to Seventh-day Adventists) should nonspecialists of every persuasion be interested in it?
Before answering those two questions, I can’t help but note the stylistic presentation of this book. Upon removing it from its mailing container, I was immediately greeted by the cover art, credited to Debra Brewer. I was then treated to a distinctive use of spacing throughout the text, making the reading experience that much more enjoyable. This is especially important considering that Crichton’s work functions simultaneously as an accessible introduction to the subject and a scholarly rigorous treatment intended to engage readers seeking a deeper understanding.
Crichton defines white pathology as “a historically conditioned set of behaviors, ideologies, and institutional reflexes that have normalized domination, denial, and detachment.”
Beginning with thinkers such as Cheikh Anta Diop and Nell Irvin Painter, Crichton walks us through the traumas he identifies in early European migration and settlement, whether arising from the struggle for self-preservation amid the harsh conditions of northern Europe or from the scarcity of resources. He then moves through significant events in European history that contributed to how Europeans understood themselves and related to those they perceived as different. Eventually, we arrive in America. And by this point, there is considerable historical baggage aboard those ships, so to speak.
I often come across discussions of trauma as it relates to the individual, partly because of my familiarity with people working in the field of social work. In fact, the term has become nearly impossible to escape, particularly on social media, where content creators employ it in whatever manner seems suitable on any given day, sometimes with little regard for its meaning. Beyond these everyday encounters, my own reading has exposed me to the historical, social, and psychological dimensions of racial oppression through the works of Ibram X. Kendi, Achille Mbembe, Frantz Fanon, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Ruha Benjamin, Zakiyyah Iman Jackson, and a host of others who, through their respective disciplines, have examined the experiences of people of African descent.
The collective trauma stemming from slavery, Jim Crow, and the ongoing racism that continues to hold America in a chokehold is familiar territory for anyone whose library contains such works. What distinguishes Crichton’s approach, however, is, firstly, his decision to direct attention toward the European historical experiences and developments that contributed to the formation of white racial pathology. Rather than concentrating solely on the trauma experienced by those subjected to racial oppression, he turns his attention to the historical conditions that helped produce the attitudes and behaviors responsible for that oppression.
It isn’t that others haven’t done it. Rather, it’s that, as a nonspecialist, I haven’t personally encountered many treatments of the subject quite this comprehensive. And dare I say, most of those I know haven’t either. This suggests that a substantial number of people would benefit from exposure to what is arguably a tour de force on the origins of the problem and its various manifestations throughout the years, or rather, the centuries.
Secondly, Crichton provides a way forward. This isn’t simply a matter of declaring, “Hey, there’s a terrible problem, and something ought to be done about it.” The good doctor provides what is so often missing: a way forward. This is good news for both the oppressed and the oppressor. The latter, in particular, is reminded that “No one likes to be told they are sick, but it is far more palatable if they’re told there is a cure that can save their lives.” That process begins with coming face to face with the history and theories they have for so long denied.
While Crichton acknowledges that his work is not the final word on the matter, I find his book to be a substantial contribution that draws upon the scholarship of earlier thinkers who have identified and examined the problem. He brings their insights together to substantiate his diagnosis and build a foundation for the remedy he proposes.