Daniel Hill

One of the disorienting things that comes with attempting to reckon with US history happens as you try to make sense of some the jarring contradictions - often coming from the same historical figure. Thomas Jefferson is a great example: The same man who penned "all men are created equal,” also argued against race mixing because black people were “inferior to the whites in the endowments both of body and mind.”

As points out in this post, Thomas Jefferson didn’t agree with slavery… yet owned over 600 slaves… and fathered innumerable children with many of these women.

also importantly notes that, “She was called his ‘mistress,’ but how can you be a mistress when you were enslaved, a child, and could not consent?”

Grateful to participate with this team of amazing leaders in Macon, Georgia this week. This group - pastors, professors, D+I leaders, and even a Supreme Court justice in Georgia - are gifted, committed and resilient in this pursuit of justice for all. I learned a lot and was very grateful to participate

A question remains for those who still reside in this republic: What do we owe the deceased in Buffalo and all those who preceded them? It cannot be anything less than pursuing the truth and unveiling all the interconnected evils that led to their tragic end.

~ Dr. Esau McCaulley

(Please read his eye opening article in the Atlantic at https://bit.ly/3FZCahs)

America Isn’t Ready to Truly Understand the Buffalo Shooting Payton Gendron’s violence was not an isolated incident but one thread in a web of anti-Black hatred.

Appreciated this conversation with Rasool Berry (who you should totally follow) on the importance of developing a Biblical perspective on white supremacy

Isaiah 58 calls on Christians to be repairers of the breach - regardless of how the breach got formed and sustained.

I agree with Dr. Jones - a lot of us who are white and Christian attempt to make that which is simple and straightforward more complicated than it is.

When looking for the deadly ways white supremacy continues to ravage society, let us not go on the search for tiki torches and combat boots. Instead, let’s pay close attention to the insidious ways that everyday systems humanize white people, and dehumanizes BIPOC people.

The degree to which this narrative is embedded in every system is beyond disheartening

I believe Psalm 139 should be the anthem of every white Christian who is serious about confronting white supremacy.

Within this Psalm, David reflects on the fact that he is fearfully and wonderfully made, celebrating that God knows and cares about every dimension of his being. This is critical for sustained efforts in this fight - we must always remember that we belong to God... and are profoundly precious to God.

David finishes this Psalm by saying, "Search me, God.. test me... see if there is any offensive way in me." For David, there was no conflict between the promise that he was beloved, and the reality that he still carried offensive ways within him. In fact, the first required dealing with the second.

We must follow the same pattern: remember who we are as beloved children, and from there, fight relentlessly to discover all the offensive ways that the lies of white supremacy have found safe haven within our hearts and minds.

What a powerhouse combination this will be - Howard University has brought on Nikole Hannah-Jones & Ta-Nehisi Coates onto their Journalism Faculty!

Independence Day is a complicated holiday, because as Americans, many of us have a complicated relationship with our history.

There is always value in remembering the positive parts of history, and we tend to do that well as a nation. For instance, we enjoy freedom at numerous levels in this nation, and that freedom was hard fought for.

However, we also face a national problem of sweeping the ugly parts of our history under the rug. For a host of reasons, many feel threatened by honest retellings of how we got to where we are.

This is one of the biggest reasons why nationalism is so dangerous. Unlike patriotism, which can be positive, nationalism creates a fictitious narrative that denies truthfulness. It is dangerous for a number of reasons.

It took me a long time to develop an understanding of nationalism, and its in**ed relationship between white supremacy and American Christianity.

These slides represent my best attempt at describing what White Christian nationalism is, as well as why it is so dangerous.

Powerful reminder from Joy-Ann Reid

A word.