Wednesday, April 1, 2020
When white people stop short of reconciliation, it’s often because they are motivated by a deep need to believe in their own goodness, and for that goodness to be affirmed over and over and over again. These folks want a pat on the back simply for arriving at the conclusion that having people of color around is good. But reconciliation is not about white feelings. It’s about diverting power and attention to the oppressed, toward the powerless. It’s not enough to dabble at diversity and inclusion while leaving the existing authority structure in place. Reconciliation demands more.
 
― Austin Channing Brown
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

What is your emotional response to this quote?

Can you play a role in diverting power and attention to the oppressed?

How is God inviting you to respond?

Prayer
Most high God, you urge us to advocate for justice for the widowed and the orphaned. For our contemporary times, one form of oppression is against people of color through white privilege. Open our eyes to the impact racism has on the widowed and the orphaned...the African American woman brutalized by police...the Mexican American student being told derisively to go back to Mexico. Use us to face white privilege and dismantle racism. Amen.
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We provide these daily Interruptions to you for each day of Lent, as we journey together in the Spiritual Work of Resisting Racism. Believing that God is active through a variety of voices and media, we trust the Holy Spirit to aid our reflection and transformation. If you’d like to share these reflections and experiences with others, please do so on our private Facebook group . If you’d like to reflect further with a pastor, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected] .
First United Methodist Church
1201 Lavaca St.
Austin, TX 78731