I’ve heard it said that commitment to anti-racism is like a conversion experience. For white people, the conversion often is a lengthy process of re-examining the internalized narratives we have learned from history and society that tell us that we are superior, and a commitment to be taught by – and advocate in partnership with – people of color for a more just and equitable world. For people of color, the anti-racist conversion takes a different path. This path is often deeply internal, a process of gradually recognizing and uprooting layers of internalized lies about one’s inferiority, as well as realizing one’s agency and potential to advocate for change. For the Christian anti-racist, this journey also becomes a deeply theological one, a path that concludes with a lived practice of lovingly advocating for equity for all the members of the body of Christ.

Today’s episode is the beginning of what is to be a regular feature of the Antioch Podcast – the roundtable discussion. During the City Within a City series, Pastor Reggie and I held many 1:1 conversations about historic and contemporary racism. We now are expanding the seats at the table, and our intention is to be a table where in each episode, a number of antiracism trainers and advocates gather to have discussions about books, articles, ideas, and theology through the lens of Biblical antiracism. And when we can’t get together, we will continue to bring you interviews with Christian thought leaders in the growing Biblical Antiracism movement.

Today Pastor Reggie and I welcome a new regular member of the podcast team, Libby Huizinga, a theologian and anti-racism trainer, who is one of the new voices we hope you become very familiar with in the coming episodes.