Dear White Peacemakers

A path to Christ-likeness

Given the author and title, I was already excited to learn the path to peacemaking antiracism from the wise and deep Osheta Moore, but I was blown away by the model of Christ-likeness she brings to this path. I know her faith, her spiritual leadership, her humor, her patience, and her grace, and yet seeing this so clearly stated in the path of peacemaking was truly healing and educational as well as encouraging and humbling. If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be hospitality. Moore is a queen of a host, inviting us in and modeling generosity while keeping clear leadership, boundaries, objectives, and nuance. She converses with the bright minds we are likely to have read in the past and engages with them with authenticity and respect, even where she disagrees.

I not only found myself learning as a White Peacemaker but saying YES THIS and ME TOO about justice conversations in general. The nuances and model of advocacy here apply broadly to my work in another area of marginalization (queerphobia in the church) and how we can make a third way, a transcendent way, toward collective liberation where ALL are free, oppressed and oppressor, privileged and marginalized, those of us whose bodies have been othered and those whose bodies have been homogenized into norms. I am humbled to learn from Moore in this path and I feel less alone walking it, even when those on my “side” say I'm doing it wrong by rejecting the tools of shame and retribution. But peacemaking is not built by shame, and Moore offers us a hope-filled, clear, beautiful, communal, wise, Kingdom-minded path forward to love and true belonging. Thank you for this beautiful book. I truly believe this is the way of Jesus for our modern world.