ABOUT THE BOOK
American culture is struggling to find its bearings on the historically polarizing topic of racism. After the death of George Floyd in 2020, the entire world awakened to deafening cries of injustice. At the same time, livestreams of media clips catapulted worldwide sentiments into a fierce intolerance of police brutality. The reality that has emerged in the aftermath is a culture more divided now than ever before. Many people do not realize the depth of the pain involved in the dynamics of racism, because it is not a one-size-fits-all situation. My story about racism is really a story about redemption—the battle between good and evil, not Blacks and Whites.
Therefore, I invite readers to join me in exploring this complex subject by breaking it down into smaller segments to see how racism intersects with redemption. This approach has helped to broaden my own understanding of how certain aspects fit together to become the whole. In doing so, I filter my observations through the book of history, the Bible, just as I would use a GPS for guidance. I evaluate my route, observing the sequences of twists and turns along this journey called life. I’ve also learned to filter my lived experiences through the multifaceted lens of the Bible as well.
The challenge is not for everyone to become colorblind, but to embrace the reality that God created each of us uniquely and for a divine purpose. The focus of this book is not on slavery, but on the impact slavery had on the world I grew up in. I view my greatest contribution toward racial reconciliation as setting myself right in my own personal thoughts and actions, not by being an advocate or expecting governmental laws to solve such a complex problem. At the same time, I do agree with the sentiments of Martin Luther King Jr.’s observation that the law could not force a person to love you, but it could keep him from lynching you.
My story is not rooted in recognizing the historical legacy of America’s past. It only touches upon a small part of it. Nonetheless, I believe it powerfully reaffirms the truth of forgiveness and reconciliation as a means of restoring us to one another, because racism is a matter of the heart. In the face of so much injustice being perpetuated upon Americans of all colors in our land today, I hope my story will resonate with readers and expand its reach to all people in our country—not just People of Color.
