Pursuing racial justice

What does it look like to persevere in the long, hard work of pursuing racial justice? Author and anthropologist Christine Jeske joins us on the podcast to discuss her recent book Racial Justice for the Long Haul: How White Christian Advocates Persevere (and Why). Christine explores the habits and mindsets that undergird the tenacity of those who persist in justice work, even in the face of discouragement and failure. Christine uses her anthropological lens to examine and categorize the practices of dozens of people who continue in their justice efforts despite all the inherent challenges. And if you listen to the end of the credits you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Christine offers her thoughts on working with her daughter on a project related to this book.

“Don’t forget about the good. Don’t forget that there are stories of people doing things that work out there.”

As our nation and our world continue to reckon with the cost of racism in our societies, we’re beckoned again and again to return to Scripture and its teaching on issues of justice and neighborliness. We’re reminded of Jasmine Obeyesekere’s writing on the Good Samaritan, highlighting Jesus’s clear intent to raise questions of our inner, unspoken biases and invite us into compassion. What kinds of relational risks might God be whispering in your context?

“The Samaritan knew how he was perceived by the Jews, and yet his compassion moves him across the racial divide. He refuses to stay in his assigned cultural box and comes out defying majority culture assumptions. Becoming a Good Samaritan involves taking risks to love sacrificially across the barrier of race.”