“…God hates any form of partiality (James 2:1–13). And racism is nothing more than partiality based on skin color. God wants to root this out and tear down the structures and systems that perpetuate racism and racial partiality. He wants his people to prepare their hearts and dedicate themselves to the liberation of people and systems. So why haven’t we?”

Latasha Morrison poses this provocative question at the beginning of her new book, Brown Faces, White Spaces. Morrison is the founder of Be the Bridge, an organization that exists “to empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity and reconciliation.” Her work through Be the Bridge has been instrumental in my journey of becoming antiracist as I began to awaken to the problem of systemic racism around 2017. Because of Latasha’s passion, conviction, wisdom, diligence, and willingness to lead discussions with truth and grace, my life is forever changed. Thus, I was eager to read my advance copy of her new book!

In the book, Morrison gives an overview of how systemic racism shows up in areas such as education, healthcare, the justice system, the market place, the military, property ownership, sports and entertainment, and the church. She employs her characteristic combination of personal narratives, facts and statistics from her research, and the biblical basis for Christians to commit to working together to dismantle systemic oppression, for the liberation of all people. Her writing is clear, compelling, informative, and easy to understand. Each of the chapters introduces a topic that readers will want to dive into more deeply, but this is a good survey of the pervasive nature of racism in the U.S. as well as a call to action. Morrison’s book combines truth telling with lament and hope, paving the way for Christians to reimagine a better way.

Contrary to the aphorism “what you don’t know won’t hurt you,” systemic racism hurts all of us, regardless of skin color. A decade-long conversation initiated by a student who wanted to avoid discussing the book Farewell to Manzanar started my quest to understand big questions about race, justice, and equality.

“I get giving some money to the Japanese Americans who spent time imprisoned during the war,” one of my juniors said. “But have you heard about Indian tribes who want to take back the Black Hills? We can’t just give back land Americans have lived on for hundreds of years!”

“Why not?” I asked.

“We own it now. My parent’s ranch has been in our family for five generations. It’s ours.”

“What if I think the land looks empty and decide I want to build a town on your ranch?”

“We have guns.”

“What if I have more?”

“The neighbors would help.”

“What if I have an army with better guns? Your ranch is isolated in a part of Montana no one cares about.”

“I’d get the government involved.”

“What if I paid them off? Maybe I promise them to take care of you and your family because the new town is more important than your ranch?”

“That’s not fair.”

“How do you think the Native Americans felt?”

“We shouldn’t have to give up our land.”

The bell rang, releasing us from the discussion, but the conversation stayed with me. What could a simple high school teacher do about such overwhelming problems?

Covet. Justify. Take

The concept of taking what doesn’t belong to us started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to take and taste what didn’t belong to them. They justified their action (the snake provided them with the perfect excuse) and then took the fruit.

Over the centuries, the story has played out all over the world without pause: coveting, justifying, taking. Sometimes, we take land, and sometimes, we take advantage of people, but the roots remain the same: coveting, justifying, taking.

Latasha Morrison’s new book brings hope and healing for everyone caught up in the vicious covet, justify, take cycle, which is pretty much everyone.

The book highlights nine familiar spaces that make up the fabric of life in the United States. Morrison explains how systemic racism has either founded the spaces or perpetuated inequality for BIPOC people in those spaces. Unfamiliar with the term BIPOC? It stands for Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color—basically, everyone who isn’t white.

Morrison shows how systemic racism continues in education, healthcare, the justice system, the marketplace, the military, property ownership, entertainment, sports, and the church. Each book chapter studies systemic racism in one of the nine areas. Morrison shows how the often-unacknowledged racism hurts both brown and white people. She explains how God calls us Christians to build bridges instead of walls. At the end of each chapter, she tells an inspiring story of someone working in that area to erase systemic racism.

I’m Not Racist. Is This Book Really for Me?

According to Morrison, “We cannot heal what we continue to conceal.” A decade ago, if you would have asked me if I was racist, I would have vehemently denied it.

After all, I grew up in a Christian home, didn’t tell disparaging jokes about other races, and married a man from Cuba. For the first 15 years of my teaching career, I taught English as a Second Language to students from all over the world. So, while I wasn’t overtly racist, I didn’t do anything to combat racism or even notice all the spaces around me where racism blinded me to its existence.

But when I stood in front of a classroom full of Navajo, Apache, and Hualapai students to teach them about U.S. History, I felt gobsmacked. How could I, in good conscience, ask my students to learn about how uncivilized they and other Indigenous tribes were in the 15th century? Eleven years before Columbus arrived in the New World (full of alleged savages), authorities in Spain burned six people alive over religious differences.

Within two decades of the founding of Jamestown, British soldiers trapped Irish women and children in a church in Ireland and burned them alive (1649). People have funny ways of expressing their ‘civilization’ and odd definitions of ‘savagery.’

The Problem with the Textbook Version of History

I ditched the history textbooks and started researching with my students. Teaching this way exhausts me, but history textbook authors don’t go out of their way to highlight the great civilizations that existed in pre-Columbian times.

They don’t show how people from continents other than Europe have contributed to our nation. Authors of those door-stop-sized tomes certainly don’t highlight the barbarity of the British Army, whose Major-General Jeffrey Amhurst ordered troops to use germ warfare against the Indigenous tribes in 1763. Those books leave out the story of how, in 1782, David Williamson, leader of a local Pennsylvania militia, ordered his men to bludgeon to death over 90 Christian children, women, and men. Their crime? Belonging to the Delaware Tribe.

We like to pat ourselves on the back for our civility and enlightenment. But if we search a few branches up our family tree, we would all find a handful (or more) of savage relatives. A history teacher must research history—all of it, and help students draw their own conclusions based on facts, not a pretty picture of history.

Indoctrination or Education?

Because systemic racism exists, we’ve been fed the party line in the United States for hundreds of years. At the same time, we mock communist countries who purged history to fit their narratives. We shake our heads in disbelief at how the Nazis rewrote history and purged Jewish contributions from public places.

It's time to stop believing everything our history books and teachers tell us. History books are not the Bible, nor were they written under inspiration. If you limit U.S. history to what your history teacher taught you, the teacher has failed. You have taken part in indoctrination, not learned about history. Real historians research history from multiple points of view to understand complex behaviors and outcomes. History classes should teach us to be historians, not mindless believers in someone's narrative.

Spoiler alert: George Washington didn’t chop down a cherry tree. Parson Weems, an early social media influencer, created that doozy in 1800. The Pilgrims didn’t land on empty shores. They broke into empty Indigenous dwellings and stole items for their own survival and gain. And Paul Revere didn’t go on a midnight ride that saved the nascent rebel nation. William Wadsworth Longfellow's poem doesn't qualify as a historical document.

American history, the kind we learn in elementary and high school, is nothing more than a narrative of what people want to believe about our history. It’s the kind of story people tell at funerals, with just the highlights and the good stuff. And for decades, I, too, thought it was the gospel truth.

Why I Loved This Book

This book review seems less like a book review and more like a personal narrative of my journey toward antiracism. It all goes back to the question I started with. "I’m not racist. Do I need to read this book?" YES! Yes, you do. We can no longer hide behind the skirts of our undergraduate history teachers.

After all, they were just people doing their job in the easiest way possible: Assign readings from a history textbook, give quizzes, rinse, and repeat. Instead, we must learn to question history. We need to learn how to research, analyze, and think independently.

Brown Faces, White Places gently shows readers a broader picture of history—one you won’t find in textbooks. But do your own research. Search your Bible and look for news accounts from reliable sources. Read books from different historical perspectives. Learn to learn and ask good questions. If you don’t think you’re racist, this book is for you. What you discover might surprise you.

I don’t hate my country; I love it enough to want it to be better. Morrison’s book is a great place to start.

Wow, I couldn’t put this down. I am ashamed to admit that I knew very little of the statistics and stories shared in this book. Tasha has done it again, and I am a better ally because of her work.

Morrison goes through traditionally white spaces such as education, sports, the justice system, and the church (among others). She discusses the racist history and underpinnings still, and heartbreakingly, still present in these systems today. She also gives actionable steps as to what to do about it.

This book is written for both the BIPOC community and white allies. Everyone should read this. I also love that it’s Jesus-focused.

“God hates any form of partiality (James 2:1-13).
And racism is nothing more than partiality based on skin color. God wants to root this out and tear down the structures and systems that perpetuate racism and racial partiality. He wants his people to prepare their hearts and dedicate themselves to the liberation of people and systems.” - LaTasha Morrison

Morrison also ends the book with poignant poetry, which is simply beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of Brown Faces, White Spaces in exchange for my honest review.

I am so grateful for the work Latasha has done for many many years talking about race in the christian context. In this book Latasha challenges the readers to examine 8 different topics (ex: education, housing, military, healthcare) from a historical, personal, and challenging lens. Each chapter ends with questions to ask yourself as a reader and how you view the topic and how you can take steps to help shift the narrative in culture today. She mixes personal stories, historical truths, and a biblical viewpoint of freedom. This is a great read for anyone who wants to understand more and take action to helping make change in our systems today.

This is the book we need for all people. We are all of God's children. Some of us need to realize that past actions of suppression should be acknowledged. .

"Brown Faces, White Spaces" by Latasha Morrison is a compelling exploration of systemic racism, offering a profound perspective on the need for healing and restoration in our society. Morrison skillfully confronts the complexities of racial dynamics, encouraging readers to engage in essential conversations. The book provides a roadmap for dismantling ingrained prejudices and fostering a more inclusive future. With a blend of personal anecdotes and insightful analysis, Morrison delivers a powerful call to action, making this a must-read for those committed to understanding and addressing systemic racism.