Shani E. McIlwain
I must admit that I have written and rewritten and rewritten the rewrites of this introductory paragraph at least a dozen times. I am not qualified to make analogies, discuss my experiences, or relate my own feelings on the sins of racism, injustice, prejudice, and chosen ignorance, as I am a middle aged, white, cisgendered female. I grew up in a diverse setting, lived in such for most of my life, and am serving in a community that reflects this. But do I have to worry about my 17 year old, blonde haired, white son when he heads out for the evening in the same way as I do about our neighbor’s 17 year old son, who is Black? No, I do not. But I can emphatically say that I despise that this is reality and that I am working towards a world that does not work this way. I was incredibly happy to have Shani McIlwain’s book, Awkward Silence, hit my desk from the publisher, as it has proved invaluable in my own work towards practicing anti-racism and allyship.
Ms. McIlwain lays out her resource, guiding the reader/study participant through the important aspects of the work of white ministry leaders to confront anti-racism. The resource is written in accessible language, written as if you were having a one-on-one conversation with the author. She explains what commitment to the work of anti-racism looks like, provides key language and definitions, and describes what microaggressions are. Ms. McIlwain continues the resource with two sections that describe the process that she has found to yield positive results. Her SHARE acronym is used in two separate formats to help the reader learn strategies to be better in their quests to actively confront racism. The resource includes helpful reflection questions and activities that assist in a greater understanding.
Awkward Silence is valuable for a variety of uses in ministry. It is a wonderful choice for leadership teams to use together, creating a body in the church that is committed to being better listeners and allies. Keeping a few copies in your church resource library will make sure that it is available for congregants that want to use their faith as the foundation of anti-racism work. I would not limit this to adults; this is written in a way that is also accessible to youth.
