white awake

"As Christians, we must embark upon an awakening journey- a path that will lead us into direct confrontation with the narrative of racial difference.  We must open our eyes to the uncomfortable racial hierarchy that has been the basis for the structure of our entire society.  We must wake up to the ways that the narrative of racial difference played a major role in identity formation in the early days of our country, and to the ways it continues to play a dominant role in our sense of identity here and now.  

One of the primary issues we must face, especially in this socio-political climate, is the need for white people to do the hard work of wrestling with what it really means to be white.  

This points to one of the core messages of White Awake (by Daniel Hill); the poisonous impact of the narrative of racial difference does not land solely on people of color.  The narrative of racial difference has also profoundly affected white people.  But unlike people of color, most white people remain completely unaware of the ways this narrative has affected their sense of identity."

-Dr. Rev. Brenda Salter McNeil (wrote Forward to White Awake: an honest look at what it means to be white by Daniel Hill.)

This weekend I read through the forward and the first two chapters of Hill's book, White Awake.  To my white friends who are trying better to understand what is happening around race in our country, I urge you to order this book and embark on a journey.  It will be a journey that will interrogate what you've grown up believing about racial difference.  It will be a journey that leads to transformation by the renewing of your mind.  It will be a journey that is necessary for the healing and liberation of ourselves and our neighbor.