Reflection by Katie Evans

I am really thankful to be in a work environment where a pursuit of knowledge and growth is valued in such a way. We had difficult and vulnerable conversations that you can only have with people you trust. As a white woman, it was a time where I could take a look at my own privilege, while also being in conversation with others throughout the journey. 

I have done antiracist work and book studies before, but this book covered some new ground for me. The practices that are written throughout the chapters forced me to be active in my antiracism. I couldn’t just read a chapter and then move on to the next. The author asked me to sit with my feelings. To truly ask myself, how is my body reacting to what is being said? What am I feeling in this moment and what does that mean for me?

I’m so glad that I participated in this study with the rest of synod staff. I think it showed me just how much I didn’t know. It directly connected my body to antiracist work in ways that I hadn’t heard of before. Reading this book through a lens of faith also allowed me to take a look at the church spaces that I am in and question how and why we should continue to do this work. Connecting the reading with the scripture grounded us in the fact that this is holy work. I will continue to use the practices in this book that I have underlined and dog-eared as I continue down the path of antiracism.