I posted this elsewhere on social media today. Sharing here…

In all of the pushback I’ve gotten over the past yr in statements I’ve made about politics & the white evangelical church, notably a lot has been not about the substance of my message but a continual refrain of “why do you have to say ‘white’ Christians?” 2/11

I’ll share a little to explain why this stands out to me. I’m Indian-American, loosely defined. My dad is from India and my mom is white. I have enjoyed all the privilege of living as a white American, to be clear (lots to unpack there, but have to save that for another day) 3/11

My entire life I’ve been asked to explain myself. “Where are you from?” “Ohio.” “But where are you *really* from?” Or worse, “what *are* you?” I grew up in the 80s and 90s and this is my lived experience. I now know it’s a common one for others like me. 4/11

Again, much more to unpack here, but the point is: I was always “other” because I wasn’t white.

White is just assumed as this default that we have lived with in America, and everyone else has then of course had to be named as something else: black, Hispanic, brown, etc 5/11

So when we suddenly see white being named, I can honestly understand why it would throw people off. If you’ve always just BEEN, without having been forced to define yourself, then you just assume you are the default, and why is everyone suddenly using terms like “whiteness”?6/11

Just because we are now using the word white in talking about subsets of people does not mean it is pejorative. Its just our language for describing people & always has been. White people are just not used to seeing it, and I get that can be jarring. 7/11

All I am really saying is this: if you are white, the next time you see “white” as a descriptor in front of a group (white church, white evangelicals, etc), consider that while it is jarring, it is how so many of us have lived our entire lives- having to explain ourselves.8/11

Its not a demand that you explain yourself - I know that’s tiring. But I am also tired of constantly being asked “why do you have to say ‘white?’” 9/11

I say it because it is an accurate descriptor. And if it offends you, please consider that this is the position many of us have been put in all along. 10/11

After posting all that and getting negative comments, I finally decided to press play on @austinchanning ‘s “I’m Still Here,” which I downloaded on Audible months ago. And then I cried at the end of the 1st chapter. V grateful for others leading in this space, at great risk /end

I posted this elsewhere on social media today. Sharing here because I think there are many ppl who relate, and bc having gotten pushback again today, I have found further reason for hope in some of the support I’ve gotten (thread): 1/11

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