Hello Beloved Faith Lutheran Community:
February is here, and with it comes Black History Month—a time for us to reflect, to listen, and to take seriously our Christian commitment to justice and love. As a community of faith, we are called to participate in the ongoing work of equity and liberation. Many of my own Black friends have relayed to me that this month is an annoying one for them. They remark that they are only asked to guest preach this month, that they are only asked to perform this month, that they are only asked to be a guest speaker this particular month. This is a shame- because the message that is sent as a result of these actions is one that says that, on the whole, our Black siblings are still being treated as objects to be called in for a specific celebration during a specific time of the year as is convenient to White folks’ schedules.
One way predominantly white communities can engage meaningfully this month and do so without doing additional harm to our Black siblings is by making long-term commitments to anti-racism and anti-bias work. White supremacy is an insidious force, one that adapts and shifts in order to survive. This is precisely why we must remain vigilant, educating ourselves and growing in awareness so that we can be good tenants of God’s world and stewards of God’s blessings in the most just and equitable ways possible.
Jesus sets the example for us in Luke 4:18-19, when he declares:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The way of Jesus is the way of freedom and life. It is an active, intentional, and ongoing work of opening our eyes to the (sometimes painful but always important) truth. These truths are often the very things that remind us that we do, indeed, need God. If we are to follow in the way of Jesus, we must be willing to examine our own role in systems of oppression and ask hard questions about our own motivations for service.
Too often, predominantly white churches engage in service work without deeply examining the power dynamics at play. Without careful reflection, our efforts to help can slip into a “white savior” mindset—one that reinforces white supremacy rather than dismantling it. The way of Jesus calls us to something different. It calls us into relationships built on mutuality, respect, and deep listening. It calls us to be aware of how we serve and why, ensuring that our service is not rooted in our own assumptions but in actual relationships and close listening to the people who are asking for help, and who are in need.
To help us in this journey of learning about how white supremacy tends to function, and how we can learn to detect it and help ourselves be better Christians and allies, I have compiled a list of twelve books written by Black authors, many of whom are contemporary voices speaking directly to the ways white supremacy shapes our lives and theologies. These books will challenge us, open our eyes, and equip us to be better Christian siblings. I can personally vouch for every one of them—they are excellent, and their authors are brilliant, prophetic, and necessary voices for our time. Let us commit to reading them, discussing them, and allowing them to transform us, so that we can serve in ways that truly allow for life-giving freedom and transformation to freely flow through all of us throughout God’s creation.
As we embark on this work, I leave you with the words of Audre Lorde, a Black feminist poet, and activist (and another of my favorite poets). I encourage you to look up her poem A Litany for Survival, and I leave you with her poem Who Said It Was Simple. I hope you’ll read this and reflect on the intersections of gender, skin color, and social class that clash here in her writing:
There are so many roots to the tree of anger
that sometimes the branches shatter
before they bear.
Sitting in Nedicks
the women rally before they march
discussing the problematic girls
they hire to make them free.
An almost white counterman passes
a waiting brother to serve them first
and the ladies neither notice nor reject
the slighter pleasures of their slavery.
But I who am bound by my mirror
as well as my bed
see causes in colour
as well as sex
and sit here wondering
which me will survive
all these liberations.
Let us take these words to heart. Let us do the work. Let us follow the way of Jesus toward true justice and liberation.
with joy,
-Intern Pr. Sam
The Book List— you can get these used almost anywhere:
My Grandmother’s Hands, Resmaa Menakem
Black History Saved My Life, Ernest Crim III
God Is A Black Woman, Cristena Cleveland, PhD
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness, Austin Channing Brown
Jesus and the Disinherited, Howard Thurman
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
Stand Your Ground, Kelly Brown Douglas
This Here Flesh, Cole Arthur Riley
Unearthing Us, Joe Davis
Call to Allyship, Angela T. !Khabeb (Editor)
See Me, Believe Me, Yolanda Denson-Byers
Fierce Love, Rev. Dr. Jaqui Lewis
Bonus Book: Womanist Midrash, Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney