Talking about white privilege in our circles is difficult. Conversations either become polarizing or they avoid the elephants of injustice and history in the room. Along comes Ken Wytsma, a college president well-versed in the history of race in the United States. But he adds another piece worth noting—he has taken seriously the burden of speaking to Anglos about power and privilege with pastoral honesty and tact.
In The Myth of Equality, Wytsma uses personal stories of failure in his own life and from history as mirrors, inviting white brothers and sisters to see how white privilege and power has worked in American life. This is one of the books I wish to get in the hands of people who choose the road less traveled by stepping into the traffic of racial conversations when they don’t have to. Most would benefit greatly from Wytsma as a conversational partner. Available in bookstores on June 6. (InterVarsity)
About the Author
Reginald Smith is the Director of Diversity for the Christian Reformed Church. He attends Madison Square Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.