“How do you change a systemic injustice?” you may ask. Many times, what politicians and protesters focus on are redundant methods and cannot change anything. If they did change anything, why have racism, inequality, poverty, corruption and injustice flanked us for hundreds of years? 
 
You have to first understand that these injustices are systemic and become systematic. People are not racist, tribalistic, poor or corrupt because they are bad people. Most of the time, even very nice, good people are racists, tribalists or corrupt. The reason is because these problems are "systemic" and not just "systematic." 
 
A thing is systemic if it is embedded in a self-sustained system. It forms part of a whole. Something is systematic if it has become a method, a part of doing and accomplishing certain things. Racism, tribalism and corruption may become systemic. In that sense, they are self-sustaining systems. They may become systematic, and in that sense, they form a methodology of getting favors, benefits, riches or perpetuating and advancing their status, position or influence. Once a thing becomes systemic, and then systematic, it then graduates and becomes a dominant culture – a way of life. 
 
Racist, tribalists or corrupt individuals are hopeless because they have become "slaves" of the system or their way of life. How do you change a systemic, systematic culture like police brutality against Black people or racism? The answer is actually in the Bible, but not for the reasons you think. How did Jesus Christ change a sin system? He had to totally replace it with a new one. He did not cover it, wash it or redefine it; He changed it altogether. The old had to die for the new to become effective. He used words like, "death", "born again", "renew", "anew", and "redemption," among many. All these words mean doing away with the old completely and embracing a new system totally. Consider Numbers 14:29-30, everyone 20 years and older had to die. God had to change a system by death; He did it ultimately at Calvary.

Now think of a racist system. You cannot change it by mending it, amending it, painting it or crying and mourning or protesting (unless protesting leads to a revolution) over it. There are only four (4) things (other than death) that change systemic, systematic cultures of injustice and inequalities: (1) Elections; (2) Revolutions; (3) Legislation; and (4) Education.

Revolution is the most aggressive and the quickest method, but it has a high rate of casualties, and unless the new leaders are not complacent in the end, it ends up resorting to the old system. 
 
Election is neutral, the more moderate form of change than revolution. It is effective only if the "right" people are elected. If the people elected came from the old system or have benefited from the old system or are mentally infused in the old system, they will still perpetuate the same old culture. The only way an election succeeds as a means of change is if totally new people with good ideas, who are moral and have an ethical campus are elected. But these people, too, should be decisive and strong, otherwise after a while, they may succumb to the old ways of life.

Legislation is an ambitious and beneficial method of change. It requires that the laws created are interpreted fairly and applied and enforced equally. However, if the laws are interpreted, applied and enforced unequally or corruptly, the law becomes redundant and only perpetuates the same old injustices. Law must itself be fair and interpreted fairly and applied fairly and enforced fairly to produce an equal society.

Education is the slowest method of changing society, but by any means the best, durable and effective method of change. Curriculum that begins at birth (from zero age) to post-secondary education and that instills love, amity, civility, equality, candor, respect, hard work, freedom, honor, valor and the Golden Rule, among many, is the only method that will permanently heal, cure and remedy injustices in society. Because when a mind is renewed and a heart is changed, good actions just follow.

I hope I am being helpful here.

By Charles Mwewa