“We need something beyond colorblindness, something that both values beauty in our cultures and also addresses real problems that still exist in our society decades after the civil rights movement.”
Sarah Shin – Beyond Colorblind, page 6.
Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey by Sarah Shin should be required reading for anyone who loves Jesus, but especially for white people who want to do better. This is an excellent resource for anyone who is trying to learn how to come to terms with their own racial identity or place in the discussions around the racist crimes still happening, or anyone who knows what ‘colorblind’ means.
This is a frank discussion about what it means to live in community as a church complete with all our inherent (racial, ethnic, cultural) differences. Differences that when properly acknowledged and celebrated can lead to greater depth in our shared faith and understanding of who God is.
Sarah Shin invites us into a new understanding about what it means for each and every one of us to have a specific ethnic identity and to steward it well. She explains the idea of colorblindness erases key portions of a person’s identity and lacks necessary understanding of historical and current connotations of race. Each chapter teaches things like coming to terms with our own ethnic identities (the good and the bad), moving out of shame and into hopeful learning, problem-solving how being beyond colorblind looks in communities, and continuing on in a way that is whole for all involved.
I deeply appreciated this book and hope it is making it’s way to everyone who needs it. Our culture needs this transformation and it starts in our own hearts, friendships, communities, and churches.
“Though the word dikaiosune can be translated as either righteousness or justice, our emphasis on personal piety makes us under-appreciate the corporate, justice-related aspects of righteousness.”
Sarah Shin, Beyond Colorblind, page 160
Two more amazing books I recommend on this topic:
- Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities in Unity, Wholeness, and Justice by Barbara Salter McNeil
- The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice by Cara Meredith. Releases next week!
(Disclaimers: I received a free review copy of Beyond Colorblind thanks to IVPress. All opinions are my own of course. Also: this post contains Amazon Affiliate Links which means I might make a tiny commision if you buy something. Thank you :) )
Erika Shirk 