Dear #WhiteTooLong readers,

Happy April! Before I share the “WTL Conversations” feature this week, a few updates….

I’m enjoying time at home before hitting the road again next week for two speaking events down South. If you are in the Auburn, AL, or Jacksonville, FL, areas, I hope to see you there; please help spread the word if you have friends in those areas. There will be opportunities to purchase White Too Long and a book signing after each event.

April 4-5: Panel and Keynote Address, Auburn University, “Becoming the Beloved Community” - A collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts, Alabama Mobile Institute funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, Global Outreach and Africana Studies, and the School of Communication and Journalism. Panel is hybrid, keynote is in person only.
April 7: Keynote Address, University of North Florida, “Religious Literacy for a Diverse Democracy” - A conference sponsored by the UNF Interfaith Center. In person only.

ICYMI, I’ve posted two recent columns on key terms in the public debates around racial justice and equity, particular the notions of “white discomfort” and “white Christian innocence.” I invite you to read those pieces below (and if you’re a paid subscriber, leave a comment!).

White Too Long

Moving Lightly Through This World: Reflections on the Weight of White Christian Innocence

Dear #WhiteTooLong readers, I’ve been on the road a lot the last month (Greetings to new readers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Columbia, Missouri!). In addition to a new column today, you’ll want to read to the end for some bonus material: music from my cousin Carl and liturgy from First Baptist Church in Columbia…

2 months ago · 3 likes · Robert P. Jones

White Too Long

The Sacred Work of White Discomfort

Dear #WhiteTooLong readers, Today’s column is a day late and longer than usual. I’ve been wrestling with the complex topic of white discomfort: why a bill in Florida is trying to make it illegal and why white people should embrace it as a sacred gift. I hope you’ll read to the end, where I reflect on my own experiences with white discomfort…

5 months ago · 9 likes · Robert P. Jones

Kelly Brown Douglas, Shane Claiborne, and I on White Discomfort and Christianity

This week, I invite you to tune in to a lively conversation I recently had with The Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas and Shane Claiborne, sponsored by Red Letter Christians. Here’s how RLC described the segment:

Trying to bury or erase some of the harder parts of our history in America has consequences. One of those is the curse of fear, shame, and insecurity from people whose history has been complacent with racial injustice. The truth sets us free, and the way we heal the wounds of our past is by confronting it with honesty and hope.

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Recommended Reading from the #WhiteTooLong Bookshelf

I’m highlighting three great books this week, each newly placed on the #WhiteTooLong bookshelf at Bookshop.com. A reminder: If you buy books there, a portion of the proceeds go to support my writing here.

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White Too Long by Robert P. Jones

WTL Conversations S2E11 [video]: Kelly Brown…