You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tealmango 's review for:
Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace
by Osheta Moore
“We should remember that the work of dismantling racism is not only recognizing, repenting of, and repairing the damage done after four hundred years of oppression of Black and Brown people. Yes to all the above, and this work is a deeply interpersonal one that requires grace, nuance, kindness, and empathy. This is the work of healing a fractured relationship. … Let us agree to be boldly, lovingly honest. Let us be fully human, fully empathic, and fully committed to our collective shalom.”
I highlighted so many quotes from Dear White Peacemakers, but this one really embodies the book for me. Grit and grace are the heart of this book. Osheta does not shy away from describing her experiences with the horrors of racism and white supremacy, but she is generous with White people (I’m capitalizing as Osheta does throughout her book) who are ready to learn—it struck me at first as a radical approach, but Osheta is not being “nice,” but rather showing sacrificial love, grace, and honesty even for those who have hurt her deeply. The stories she tells throughout the book are deeply moving; you can see how much work she has done to get to this place in her faith and her antiracism journey.
Osheta doesn’t offer the usual list of things for White antiracists to do, but instead shows readers a way of approaching antiracism that centers what she calls the Beloved Community and healing the pain that white supremacy and systemic racism continues to inflict on Black Americans. Often, she calls White Peacemakers to sit with Black suffering rather than ignoring it or thinking we know how to fix it.
I’m still absorbing everything that I read in this book. It is powerful, painfully honest yet also incredibly generous. It’s a timely book for all White people, but especially those who consider themselves Christians. I will be thinking about Dear White Peacemakers for a long time to come.
*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.
I highlighted so many quotes from Dear White Peacemakers, but this one really embodies the book for me. Grit and grace are the heart of this book. Osheta does not shy away from describing her experiences with the horrors of racism and white supremacy, but she is generous with White people (I’m capitalizing as Osheta does throughout her book) who are ready to learn—it struck me at first as a radical approach, but Osheta is not being “nice,” but rather showing sacrificial love, grace, and honesty even for those who have hurt her deeply. The stories she tells throughout the book are deeply moving; you can see how much work she has done to get to this place in her faith and her antiracism journey.
Osheta doesn’t offer the usual list of things for White antiracists to do, but instead shows readers a way of approaching antiracism that centers what she calls the Beloved Community and healing the pain that white supremacy and systemic racism continues to inflict on Black Americans. Often, she calls White Peacemakers to sit with Black suffering rather than ignoring it or thinking we know how to fix it.
I’m still absorbing everything that I read in this book. It is powerful, painfully honest yet also incredibly generous. It’s a timely book for all White people, but especially those who consider themselves Christians. I will be thinking about Dear White Peacemakers for a long time to come.
*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.