Dear Friends,
Last June at the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) our Co-Moderators, Rev. Denise Anderson and Rev. Jan Edmiston challenged each presbytery to address the sin of racism in a more intentional way than it has in the past. Toward that end, the Presbytery of Geneva, of which we are a member congregation, has formed the Anti-Racism Work Group. One of the Group's first efforts is to support the Co-Moderators' suggestion that we all read Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving.
I have read the book and highly recommend it to you. The author is someone who has dared to look at how she unknowingly contributes to perpetuating racism and gently yet firmly challenges others to do the same. Her chapters are short – four to five pages – and each contains a thought-provoking description of a step she has taken toward becoming more aware of the role racism has played in her white, middle-class, New England life.
