Michael Eric Dyson ends his book with a benediction where he offers suggestions for how the people of God can seek to make right the damage done by the sin of racism. His suggestion comes in the form of an acronym: RESPONSIVE. Pray today that God would help you be responsive to the needs of your black sisters and brothers.

REPARATION – We need to seek to make things right. This can look a lot of different ways, but one big way to do so is to contribute to the empowerment of black young people in our community.

​EDUCATE – We need to educate ourselves about our history, which entails seeking to listen to the stories that we have not heard, stories of black lives and contributions in our communities.

SCHOOL – We are responsible for “schooling” each other about the things we have remained ignorant of in our lives. This is the kind of gospel accountability that God calls us to live out.

PARTICIPATION – We all, especially those of us who are not black, need to show up for protests, rallies and community meetings to show that the sin of racism is all of our problem, and that we all bear the responsibility to address it. .

OTHER – We who are not black need to do what Jim Wallis describes as “closing the distance between ourselves and the black other.” This is the ministry of reconciliation.  

NEW – We who are not black need to seek to make new black friends, not in a way that turns people into tokens, but in a way that recognizes humanity in one another and tears down racial barriers. 

SPEAK UP – We need to speak up at the sight of racial injustice in our community. Many of us have been silent for too long, unwilling to face the push back from those who defend the system of white supremacy.

IMMIGRANT – We need to remember that black Americans whose ancestors were brought here as slaves have had very different experiences, and have different worldviews from black immigrants who chose to come to our nation. Knowing people and their stories is important to recognizing the ways God is calling us to show love to our black and black immigrant neighbors.

VISIT – We need to become a concerned presence in the lives of our black neighbors. Whether that means volunteering with a local public school, becoming involved in a neighborhood ministry like Oakdale Neighbors, or visiting people in prison. Even with the barriers presented by COVID, there are ways for us to connect.

EMPATHY – We need to “shed the posture of competence” that we so often rely upon, and rely on God, taking on the nature of a servant, just like Christ did, in order to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Philippians 2:1-11)

This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson. St. Martin’s Press, New York. 2017.