The-ones-about-race
How I learned to stop worrying and love discussing race by Jay Smooth.
(TedxTalk) “We deal with race and prejudice with this all or nothing, good person/bad person binary in which either you are racist or you are not racist. As if everyone is either batting a thousand or striking out every at bat. And this puts us in a situation where we’re striving to meet an impossible standard. It means any suggestion that you’ve made a mistake, any suggestion that you’ve been less than perfect, is a suggestion that you’re a bad person.”
What white people need to learn by Mary Alice Daniel.
“Whiteness was never about skin color or a natural inclination to stand on one’s own; it was designed to racialize power and conveniently dehumanize outsiders and the enslaved. It has always been a calculated game with very real economic motivations and benefits.”
To the (Probably White) person who says it shouldn’t be about race by Jelani Greenidge.
“When you say you don’t want to talk about race, you are, intentionally or not, implying that this history is irrelevant to the current state of affairs. This is not only logically inconsistent, but from my vantage point, personally offensive.”
The-ones-that-made-me-think
Why I don’t go to church very often, a follow up blog by Donald Miller.
“I’d say half of the most impactful people I know, who love Jesus and tear up at the mention of His name, who reach out to the poor and lonely and are fundamentally sound in their theology, who create institutions that feed hundreds of thousands, do not attend a traditional church service. Many of them even speak at churches, but they have no home church and don’t long for one. They aren’t wired to be intimate with God by attending a lecture and hearing singing (which there is NOTHING wrong with) they are wired to experience God by working with Him.”
One-dimensional stories by Marilyn Gardner.
“The one-dimensional stories consolidated into 140 characters and labeled #SochiProblems display a troubling ethnocentrism, failing to give valid critique and thoughtful response to a city and an entire country.”
Omaha! Omaha? by Kyle.
“A tale of two cities. I found myself momentarily perplexed after reading two separate articles about the same city. Omaha, NE was featured in an International Business Times online newspaper as, “…The Most Dangerous Place in America To Be Black“… Strangely, as I was thinking about this article my wife brought to my attention another article about Omaha, Nebraska. The following article written by David Cross of Movoto. The article is entitled, “The 10 Best Cities to Raise a Family in America“. This was going to be interesting… It is important to remember that there are human beings dying on the streets of mid western and east coast cities. The problem with Omaha is that both articles are true. We simply need to determine whose reality are we talking about.”
The-ones-that-told-the-truth
Anchorman Christianity by Erik Parker.
“I have seen many churches trying anything to get people to stay, to come back, to be seen. These efforts have resulted in a trend that I have been trying to name, and I have finally come up with something: Anchorman Christianity.”
I hate when I look racist by Nathan Roberts.
“I hate when I say or do something racist. I hate even looking like a racist. I hate it when I use a hurtful pronoun to describe a minority group….I hate it when my ignorance shows through….And I hate when I freeze because I don’t know what to do when other white people say something racist.”
Shit happens and other theological bumper stickers by Kelsey Munger.
“Why do bad things happen? I used to be the girl with all the one-line answers, but now the honest truth is that I don’t know. And I suspect the answers are more complex and messier than we might like them to be.”
Am I a bad mother or did Africa run out of shoes? by Rachel Pieh Jones.
“But may I never make the conceited choice of masking my parenting weaknesses behind living in the developing world, may I never make the selfish choice of blaming my failure to do something for my family on my expatriate status. May I never choose to say ‘Africa has run out of shoes’ so that I will look like a better mother. And maybe, if I learn to speak more wisely and accurately, I can help begin a small trickle of change. Maybe people will begin to see Africa not as a continent of lack but of beauty and strength and power and growth.”
The-coolest-infographics
Interracial Relationships that made History by PBS Black Culture Connection.
America’s Growing Religious Diversity by Emily Fetcsh.
Popular-on-BW
“These days, I lament how frequently I hear this story of us vs. them – a story that says everyone needs to be just-like-us-or-get-the-hell-out; a story that forgets that most of us were immigrants-learning-English ourselves not too long ago; a story that demonizes the other side without ever actually getting to know them.”
Why toys need to reflect racial diversity (Here’s lookin’ at you, Lego!).
“As we’ve raised biracial children, we’ve searched long and hard for toys and books that reflect a wide variety of experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. It hasn’t always been an easy or successful effort, but it’s been an important way we affirm this piece of our children’s identity. As a result, while a few may view such a petition as ‘silly’, I view it as yet another small step toward leveling the playing field in our broken racial history, and an opportunity to tell a new story to our children.”
4.5 tips to help white people talk about race
“One of the most common reasons I hear white people say they don’t talk about race is fear of saying the wrong thing. I know many, many people who don’t want to be offensive, but who also simply have no idea how to have a conversation on race because they’ve never had one. They may care deeply, but without experience or understanding of race in their own lives, they bumble through such conversations, hoping for the best but not really knowing if they’re helping or hurting.”
between worlds 