writing the journey
I’ve watched my friends express their shock, their hurt, their anger, their outrage, their fury, their fear, their hopelessness, their isolation, their understanding of their own oppression in a society that does not see them. Does not value them. Does not, from beginning to end, love them.
The liberation of letting go of my self-image. Choosing to engage in the effort to dismantle racism promises to bring … More
Learning to listen and speak across differences Before I start into this chapter, I wanted to update this series on … More
If you haven’t been tracking the news, there’s been a dust-up in the American Evangelical world. An influential publishing outfit … More
ETA: I misnamed Ms. Ally Henny in this article & have corrected it. My apologies for misnaming her. I follow … More
I write and edit for a living, and I write for fun. I have a few novels in progress, with … More
I don’t think I’ve ever been called a racist—not because I’m not, but because the people in my life are … More
It’s been a while since my last post (7/29/19!). I’ve been busy over the summer, far busier than I expected. … More
Text composed by Sister Ruth Fox, OSB, from the Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton, North Dakota, in 1985.
The process of “waking up white” isn’t just to be aware of whiteness. It is to wake up, and then to leave it. To go to something that’s better and more life-affirming and full of health. And to not even be sure where the destination is, but with the calm assurance that it’s out there.
This is a prescient verse from 3000 years or so ago: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve … More
Before this day in 1957, Hazel Massery (white) had never met Elizabeth Eckford (Black). After this day, they did not … More
This chapter explores the meaning behind not only identifying as white (which is simple enough when we check off the … More
Today is June 19th, a day when we remember that our American experiment with freedom included over 200 years of … More
This was a fascinating chapter for me, in that I hadn’t really dived into this before: what is it that … More
This chapter is about the tendency of white folks to feel like they belong everywhere. Ms. Irving focuses on the school environment, because she was a volunteer or participant at so many levels, including being on committees to help bring about and embrace “diversity.”
So here’s what’s going down… Some of you might know that I’ve been thinking about and writing about issues of … More
I’m involved in a group that’s digging into American white racism, and I gotta say, there are times when I … More
“How it was possible that I was both a ‘good person’ and utterly clueless.” It’s possible because being “good” does … More
“The monumental cognitive task of processing the millions of pieces of information that flood us daily requires that we sort … More
Note: I first wrote this when I was asked to give the community welcome to the Muslim community in our … More
If you don’t know by know I’m a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, then I’ve done a damned poor … More
“One of the most powerful tools of racism is stories.” More broadly, all history is stories, sometimes told in a … More
“We were pushed hard to be cognizant of what we did and did not notice. And most importantly, why?” This … More
“Hope always breaks my heart. And yet hope always restores my soul.” One of the difficulties of any endeavor is … More
I don’t usually participate in Lent, the season marking the weeks before Jesus’ last days. It’s kinda “churchy” and I … More
It was a hard day today. I spent much of it reflecting upon the journey and upon my words and … More
