Daniel Hill - White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White

As Christians, we must embark upon an awakening journeya path that will lead us into direct confrontation with the narrative of racial difference. We must open our eyes to the uncomfortable racial hierarchy that has been the basis for the structure of our entire society. We must wake up to the ways that the narrative of racial difference played a major role in identity formation in the early days of our country, and to the ways it continues to play a dominant role in our sense of identity here and now.

One of the primary issues we must face, especially in this sociopolitical climate, is the need for white people to do the hard work of wrestling with what it really means to be white.

This points to one of the core messages of White Awake: the poisonous impact of the narrative of racial difference does not land solely on people of color. The narrative of racial difference has also profoundly affected white people. But unlike people of color, most white people remain completely unaware of the ways this narrative has affected their sense of identity. I often see this as a college professor working with young white students who are eager to engage in the work of reconciliation but who seldom realize the degree to which they are also in bondage to the system of race. I am convinced that until they go through a Holy Spiritled process of awakening, they will remain in a state of blindness.

I believe that Daniel Hill is Gods person to lead them into this life-changing process. I have known and walked with Daniel, the founding pastor of River City Community Church in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, for over ten years. Ive observed him in many situations and conversations about reconciliation and justice, and I can attest that he is attuned to his own identity and privilege as a white man. Daniel is not seeking attention for doing and saying what he believes to be right and just. In fact, he was reluctant to write this book at all because he didnt want to be another white person taking up the space that he would have preferred to cede to a person of color. I have seen his convictions and understanding of whiteness stir up both deep emotions and negative visceral reactions in those who have heard him share his heart. He knows that the risk of being misunderstood is great, but despite his initial doubts, he came to recognize that he has been uniquely called to write this timely and sorely needed book.

White Awake is a call to tell the truth. It is a call to follow Jesus. It is a call to find our deepest sense of identity in Christ, but also to realize that those who are white cant get there without breaking free of the distorted sense of identity they have internalized from the narrative of racial difference.

This book will lead people on a transformational journey. As you encounter Daniels story of wrestling with his own ethnic identity, I hope that his honest reflections create a safe environment for others to embark on a similar path. For those who take the journey, this book has the potential to change hearts and minds and help Christians reclaim a message of reconciliation that repairs our interracial relationships and the structures that mediate those relationships. Let the awakening to racial and social healing begin!