Book Review

BIOGRAPHICAL ENTRY

Morrison, Latasha, Be The Bridge. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2019, 238 pp.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AUTHOR

Latasha Morrison is a bridge builder, reconciler, and compelling voice in the fight for racial justice. In 2016, she founded "Be the Bridge," a nonprofit organization that equips more than one thousand subgroups across five countries to serve as ambassadors of racial reconciliation. A native of North Carolina, Tasha earned degrees in human development and business leadership. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

FORWARD, by Daniel Hill: We are at another turning point in the history of our nation that is faced with racial injustices. People of faith must deal with the challenge of Jesus’ last prayer that calls for unity. Jesus commissioned the church to be the healing agent in the ministry of reconciliation. There is a need for racial reconciliation so that racial justice can become a way of life in America and around the world.

1. How We Begin, A Posture of Humility: The author recounts her experiences as a college student hearing and learning for the first time about the full story of African history. Then, she serves as a staff of member of a predominately white church. She discovers that the white church has different beliefs and practices in regards to race. Both Black and white churches need to learn the history of the opposite races. This makes humility possible. From these experiences the author founded a global movement, “Be the Bridge.”

Part I:

The Bridge to Lament

2. History Keeps Account. Awareness of the Truth: Morrison learns and recognizes that she is experiencing “cultural loneliness” because she is living in “cultural isolation.”Morrison learns that white people put Black folks into two types; whether assimilated into white culture or non- assimilated. White people falsely believe that passing and enforcing laws eliminate racism. Laws have been written to technically free slaves, but they are worded in ways that allow for the unjust treatment of minorities. White people are unaware of the truth of history of slavery; thus having no humility they are unable to seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

3: An Invitation to Empathize, Acknowledgement and Lament: Morrison begins by giving an account of a strained relationship between her mother and herself. She learns that her mother’s difficulty in expressing love results from a family legacy of abuse. Hurt people, she discovers, hurt people. When her mother begins to lament, she is able to acknowledge her pain and the pain that she has caused to others. In like manner the majority culture must learn to lament past and present acts of racial injustices. They must acknowledge guilt, seek God’s mercy, and they must seek reconciliation with those that they have harmed.

A Liturgy of Lament:

Part II:

The Bridge to Confession and Forgiveness

4. Removing Roadblocks to Reconciliation, Free from Shame and Guilt: Morrison learns in church about the Black National Anthem. She becomes aware that Black history that contains acts that bring shame and guilt are avoided by both Black and white people. The biblical characters Ezra and Daniel feel the shame and guilt of their community. They acknowledge and lament their communicable sin leading to repentance. Morrison tells of her visit to the Whitney Plantation where the truth about slavery is told instead of being whitewashed. We must examine our own family histories, our systemic advantages and disadvantages, and our personal participations or capitulation in acts of racism.

5. Where Healing Begins, Confession: As a little girl Morrison fell from a swing and injured her face. Through her mother she learns “colorism.” She discovers that white supremacy meant that Blacks with lighter skin were considered to be superior to their darker skinned brothers and sisters. Blacks adopted colorism as a truth that causes division within the Black community. Through participation in Build the Bridge Morrison has learned that confession requires owning our part in racism and racist and oppressive structures and systems. Confession is not just for the majority culture; it’s for people of color too.

6. The Healing Balm, Seeking and Extending Forgiveness: Morrison is reared in an unsettled home. Her parents divorced, and Morrison blamed her mother. She gives her life to Christ when a sophomore in college. This leads to her understanding of extending and receiving forgiveness and reconciliation. Morrison is hurt by her church. She learns that refusing to forgive gives power to the perpetrator; the victim looses power. Morrison recounts the experiences of victims of Mother Emmanuel AME church. Members acknowledged their pain, took time to grieve, and forgave the shooter. Morrison concludes that forgiveness is the balm needed to bring about healing.

A Liturgy of Confession and Forgiveness:

Part III:

The Bridge to Restorative Reconciliation

7. Facing the Oppressed, Facing God, Repentance: Morrison tells the history of Stone Mountain, Georgia. People may verbally confess that racism is evil. All people need to repent of their part in racism, White Supremacy, and colorism. Repentance is an about face in our actions; our behaviors. Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery. He became a voice calling for America to repent of the sin of racism. He wrote letters calling for justice; including a letter to his former slave owner. After the Civil War, white southerners adopted Jim Crow laws, police brutality and set up inferior systems in education as ways to continue to oppress former slaves. Canada has repented of its racism, but the American government and white church have never apologized for its racism and the harm done to the victims.

8. Righting the Wrong, Making Amends: A Facebook article about the Declaration of Independence motivates Morrison to critique the language in the Declaration of Independence and the reality that the language is hateful and demeaning to Native Americans and African Americans. Failure to acknowledge these truths make reconciliation impossible. The Old Testament scripture Numbers 5:7 and the New Testament character Zacchaeus are examples of reparations. Reparation is acknowledging that historical injustices must be repaid so that equity is restored. Native Americans, Japanese Americans, Latinos, and African Americans have all been oppressed by not only American people, but, also the American government. Be the Bridge seek to make the sacrifices necessary to bring about justice and equity. This requires giving up personal opportunities of privilege for the sake of justice, equality, and equity in the community.

9. Relationships Restored, Reconciliation and Restoration: Morrison is visited by her mom and dad on Easter Sunday. Divorced for several years they were willing to drive together for sixteen hours to see their daughter. They had grown and matured; and they thought it better to see their daughter than to continue to hold grudges. Morrison learns that restorative reconciliation requires forgiving others for the sake of relationship. Jesus took measures to restore His relationship with Peter and His relationship with Thomas. Morrison recounts how descendants of slaves sold by Georgetown University and the university began the process of restorative reconciliation. Restorative reconciliation is hard work requiring both the oppressed and the oppressor to give space to work at restoring relationship even when they are not sure where to begin.

10. Building More Bridges, Reproduction: Morrison strongly advocates for reproduction of Build the Bridge groups. Reproduction causes pain and often causes relationship break-ups. Build the Bridge to accomplish restorative racial reconciliation is grounded in the work and teaching of Jesus. Jesus came to restore our relationship to God and others. Restorative reconciliation is not just for individuals; rather it is the breaking down of oppressive systems, structures, and governments that hinder the building up of communities consisting of all people.

A Liturgy of Restoration and Reproduction:

Afterword: Jennie Allen, founder of IF:Gathering writes this account of the beginning of Be the Bridge. She tells of the difficulties and challenges encountered in building the bridge to restorative racial reconciliation. Building bridges is accomplished by the grace of God. God sent Jesus into the world to begin the ministry of reconciliation between humanity and God and extends to reconciliation between all of God’s children.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

In this book, “Be the Bridge,” the author, Latasha Morrison, tells the story of how she started a nonprofit “Be the Bridge.” This book is well written for the following reasons. Morrison writes from her personal experience. This includes her relationships with the most significant people in her life. Morrison lays bare her feelings and understanding of the things that are taking place in her life. She learns and matures, and she does not run away from the truth about her life.

In Be the Bridge, Morrison gives us a systematic method of how we can be agents of restorative racial reconciliation. She uses historical events that have taken place that promoted and supported oppression of African Americans, Latinos, Japanese Americans, and Native Americans. She explains that racial injustices are grounded in systems and structures of oppression, and historically these have been given power by the government.

Morrison learns that racism is supported by the church in America. The white church refuses to acknowledge its guilt in oppressing minorities in this country. The bible calls for the people of God to involve themselves in reconciliation to God and to all of God’s children.

This book is divided into three sections and includes ten chapters. At the end of each chapter there are questions that the reader or group can use to review and reflect upon the contents of the chapter. There is a prayer at the end of each chapter. Each section ends with a liturgy that challenges us to take action to do something that will help bring about restorative racial reconciliation.

This book will help anyone that takes seriously the task of bringing about racial reconciliation. Such persons are challenged to investigate their own life, including their beliefs, understanding, and their own participation in racial injustices. The final challenge is that the reader will join a Build the Bridge group, or even better, start a Build the Bridge organization in their community.

In this book Morrison has written about some things that support some of the things that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Colorism and racial injustices are found not only in the white culture; it is also in the Black community. Thus, the same things that the white culture must do to bring about racial reconciliation must be done in the Black community. Many Blacks have taken advantage of the oppressive systems and structures that give them a chance to succeed. At the same time many of these Black Americans have failed to seek justice for the least in the African American community. African Americans that have succeeded must seek reconciliation with their suffering brothers and sisters. If we do not love our brothers and sisters, why do we expect anyone else to love them?