St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Oak Harbor

By God's Grace, All Are Welcome

Hey, Bill, Tell Us Something Cool: Late September 2022

In last Sunday’s Adult Formation class, Pastor Fannie Dean recounted some of her own experiences as a Black woman who has lived in Oak Harbor for over 40 years. They were passionately yet tenderly reported and certainly painful, though likely not surprising, to hear.

Toward the end of Pastor Dean’s testimony, Val Roseberry asked the right question, “What can we do?” I heard this question to mean “what can this group of white people do?”

I said to myself, in answer, “learn what it means to be white.” That is, for white people to confront racism, we must first discover and come to terms with being white.

In aid of that learning, I would recommend two books, best read and considered in a small group. The first book is The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege by Robert Jensen, City Lights, 2005. The second book is White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, Beacon Press, 2018. There is discovery and discomfort available in each of these.

I own both books and would be glad to lend them. They are also both in print and available on Amazon. Might be worth a look!

Benedicite!

 

wsa

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