All God's Children reaches the Warehouse

Getting closer to launching my first book that deals with racial justice

I just received word from InterVarsity Press that my book, set to launch on June 20, 2023, has arrived at the IVP warehouse. I have to admit that excitement and angst are running through my body.

If you signed up for the launch team, you should be receiving an early digital copy soon.

While I celebrate having my third book in the world in just 67 days, I must also acknowledge that writing a book on race and my experiences as a Black man was difficult.

In fact, while writing this book, I had to recall many painful experiences with racism growing up and how hard I fought to learn my own history as a Black man.

For many Black authors, like myself, writing on issues of racial justice means reliving traumatic experiences and exposing oneself to potential harm from those who may disagree with our lived experiences.

Not only did I have to recall painful moments of mistreatment, but I also found myself in a hospital while writing this book after almost losing my life in a near-fatal car accident, as I shared in my last blog.

After I got out of the hospital, my publisher and I decided to entitle the book, All God's Children: How Confronting Buried History Can Build Racial Solidarity.

This name best represented my heart to not only deal with a complex subject but to communicate my belief in the transformative power of solidarity work in achieving real change.

In a world where systemic racism and inequality continue to plague our society, building solidarity between communities is crucial to the fight for racial justice. It is my hope that this book will inspire readers to join in this important work and to stand in solidarity with those who have been marginalized and oppressed.

If I am honest, I wrote it for the Black or Brown person who has struggled to understand their own history because of systemic oppression. I wrote it for those who have experienced verbal or physical forms of racism, microaggressions, and racial gaslighting. I wrote it for people to understand that we cannot and must not sweep history away.

Additionally, I wrote it for those who truly want to move past performative justice and relationship building with BIPOC people but need to find tangible, healthy ways to stand in solidarity with Black and Brown people who experience injustice on a daily basis.

I also wanted to unpack why it is important for people to understand others' unique historical shaping to see their humanity.

In work I have done with Love Beyond Walls, I have discovered that if you do not know someone’s full story, you are missing an opportunity to love your neighbors in ways that honor all of them.

Therefore, I want to thank you for your support in reading this newsletter and for those of you who are here to join me on this journey to launch an important book into the world.

With this book, I aim to contribute to the ongoing conversation on racial justice and amplify the voices of Black and Brown communities. I hope it serves as a resource for those who seek to deepen their understanding and take meaningful action toward a more equitable society.

P.S. The book itself will be used to advance the work we do at Love Beyond Walls. If you decide to purchase a copy or two after receiving your free copy, many of the proceeds will go back to Love Beyond Walls, an organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of those who have been made invisible.

Let us come together and continue to fight for a just society, where all are valued members of the Beloved Community, and where love and solidarity triumph over hate and oppression.