By: Julie O'Hara on March 14, 2025
An acquaintance recently shared that she left a mutual group because it was too white. Her perspective was that it was a “sea of white faces.” I experienced the same group as wonderfully diverse. I thought the group looked less like me than the typical Oregon demographic. At over 30% non-white, it was easily twice…
By: Daren Jaime on March 14, 2025
Race has been a factor in my life since my childhood. I remember interacting in multiple cross-racial settings and feeling like everything was peachy. I believed race was just a differentiation of skin color, but as time progressed, I found it to be the source of controversy and conflict. Growing up as a child in…
By: Noel Liemam on March 14, 2025
Introduction What is ‘race’ to me personally? Well, I am a Micronesian from the Pacific Islands which has a certain geographical location on this planet. Race to me refers a group of people with a certain likeness, way of living, same or at least similar language and history or backgrounds. This is not based on…
By: Elysse Burns on March 13, 2025
I grew up in Los Angeles, California, in a pastor’s home where the vision for a multicultural church, united by faith in Jesus, was central to our community. It wasn’t until I was in junior high, attending a school where I was one of the few white students, that I began to understand what it…
By: Diane Tuttle on March 13, 2025
What I believe about race and why. When I was in elementary school the first time I saw children whose skin was much darker than mine I questioned my mother about it. She responded by telling me that skin color was God’s gift to help people whose generations of ancestors spent thousands of years living…
By: Ryan Thorson on March 13, 2025
“I have a dream that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The topic of race has always been something that I’ve been aware of for as long as I can remember. Even though I have…
By: Debbie Owen on March 13, 2025
What I knew about racism prior to this week’s assignment can be illustrated by this story: I was attending a Renovare week-long residency a few years ago. One of our leaders for the week was an Anglican priest with a DMin. He is a deeply thoughtful man with a great sense of humor; he’s a…
By: Graham English on March 13, 2025
What I Believe About Racism and Why Residing in a small town in north-central Alberta, a bedroom community of Edmonton, I am part of a population of approximately 22,000 people, among whom 820 are identified as visible minorities. Despite my upbringing in South Africa, where I was classified as a “coloured” person, I am not…
By: Kari on March 13, 2025
Before reading The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, I understood “race” as categorizing specific features held by a group of people. These features can be physical signs such as skin color, body shape, or specific cultural behaviors. Growing up, I was taught that races came about at the Tower of Babel…
By: Adam Cheney on March 12, 2025
I grew up in a middle-class white home with the understanding that we are all to be colorblind. I understood that we shouldn’t see race, color, or ethnicity but that we should treat all people the same. Since my childhood, I have adopted three black, African children. They are African, not African American, or Black…
By: Shela Sullivan on March 11, 2025
Previous knowledge In Malaysia, the concept of reverse racism is often discussed in the context of the country’s affirmative action policies, particularly the New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced in 1971. The NEP aimed to address economic disparities among ethnic groups by providing affirmative action for the majority Malay population, who were historically economically disadvantaged compared…
By: Jennifer Eckert on March 11, 2025
I am a diamond. At least, that is what my high school history teacher, Mrs. Clara Luper, called me and all her students. We were HER diamonds, and our gender, race, or ethnicity was of no importance. I am Mrs. Luper’s diamond, and just like a natural gemstone, I was formed under intense pressure for…
By: Jeff Styer on March 10, 2025
Previous Knowledge Race is a topic that I am passionate about, but the reality is that race along with ethnicity are terms that I do not like. Today most people understand that race is a concept developed to differentiate people based on skin color and other physical features. For years due to concepts such as…
By: Christy on March 10, 2025
Summary of My Most Deeply Held Convictions Before the Reading I have had a core belief that God values diversity because it is in this diversity that the fullness of the body of Christ exists. In total, we make up the image of God, and if we were all identical, we’d be missing out on…
By: Joel Zantingh on March 10, 2025
Serving in stated Christian leadership for more than thirty years has brought with it the relentless growth curve in seeking to be more like Jesus and inviting others to do the same, coupled with the brutal reality that my ego is really tough to transcend. Despite years of seeking to live with self-awareness about my…
By: Noel Liemam on March 8, 2025
Introduction “As I ordered my steak, I wanted to be medium RARE – for its taste, which is my desired taste. Though often costs me, I enjoyed it. Then, moved on to next agenda with filled stomach. Apologies! I got carried away.” But to be authentic to the definition of leadership, which is to influence…
By: Daren Jaime on March 7, 2025
My first job as a youth landed me at an office with my older sister who had the crazy notion that my teenage brother needed something to do. As a result, she got me a volunteer job at her place of employment. She worked on 41st Street and Park Ave in New York City, in…
By: Elysse Burns on March 7, 2025
I still remember my first week in North Africa. I sat in a small room, staring at my two duffel bags—the only things that held my entire life—and felt a wave of uncertainty wash over me. I don’t think I have the capacity to truly love the people here, I thought. Each time I’ve wrestled…
By: Chad Warren on March 6, 2025
Ted Lasso once said, “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”[1] The most effective leadership isn’t about avoiding problems or playing it safe—it’s about embracing challenges while prioritizing relationships, emotional maturity, and cultivating joy. In Rare Leadership[2],…
By: Julie O'Hara on March 6, 2025
God winked at me when I started reading Rare Leadership. He reminded me of the conversation with my leadership coach less than two weeks ago when I told Stephen that I wanted to press into living from a place of joy. I was motivated by an inner impulse to represent Jesus and attract others to…
