Dear Osheta,
Thank you for writing this compassionate, loving and important book. Your love for the white community is evident in the way you write, yet you don’t hold back. Your authenticity and hopefulness are woven together to tell stories that are hard to read, but oh so important for the reader to hear. Thank you for offering hope in the necessary anti-racism conversations and keeping it Christ-centered with the Sermon on the Mount as our guide. You inspire me to listen more carefully and love others more fully.

Osheta Moore is a gifted writer and thoughtful communicator. She writes with honesty, courage, and gentleness, a rare combination in this moment.

Osheta Moore lovingly calls in white allies to actively make peace in our communities. Moore weaves in her own experiences as she guides and loves white peacemakers with action steps. This book is a great bridge for those new to racial allyship.

It's here it's here it's here!

@oshetamoore's new book is out tomorrow and my pre-order arrived a few days early (yay!). Friends, this book is a gracious third way through the "what can I possibly do?!" and the "look at how good I am at doing allll the things!" extremes of confronting and dismantling white supremacy, all centered in beloved community, the Beatitudes, and spirituals.

If you're a person of faith and you want to know better and do better -- this book is a perfect place to start.

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This is one of the most important books I've read. I literally just bought a copy for my brother. Osheta Moore brilliantly walks the line between grit and grace. She asks us to look racism in the face and honestly examine how we have contributed to it, indirectly or directly. But she also miraculously, generously holds space for the discomfort that comes with realizing the way we've viewed the world isn't accurate and that we have been actively doing harm. Truly she is an inspiration. I was blown away by how much empathy she demonstrated. It was next level--the kind of empathy that makes you think only of Jesus: love your enemies! But that doesn't mean she ever goes easy on us white folks. No, on the contrary, she slices right to the truth and calls for us to actively combat injustice in realistic ways.

Early on Osheta Moore describes anger threatening to overwhelm her activism. She wants to take out her pain and hurt and fury on the white people she is teaching about racial inequality. But she recognizes this and asks God for help to not let her anger consume her. She strives for her antiracism work to be rooted in peacemaking. That's something I really relate to because it's so easy to get so, so angry with others who have different--and often hurtful--views. Osheta Moore offers a path that is steeped deeply in irrational, unconditional, holy love while still holding people accountable and telling the truth. It sounds too good to be true, but it isn't. It's just really, really hard work. And I want to honor that work and thank her for her contribution, for her grit and her grace.

This was my favorite book in the category of Social Issues for 2021. Osheta has a gentle yet commanding voice and I love her call to balance grit and grace in our pursuit of racial reconciliation. I learned so much from her personal stories, experience as a racial justice advocate, and pastor. We are blessed that she has generously taken the time to share her wisdom with us.

“An anti-racism peacemaker, then, is a person who actively works toward holistic restoration of the interpersonal and systemic effects of white supremacy through non-violence and empathy. It’s a way of doing this work that holds in tension relational unity and systemic change—grit and grace.”

I'm already using this in my internship program, and have added it to our resource list as a "must read" for my students who are trying to wrestle with theology and anti-racism.

In Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace, Osheta Moore models what it could look like to truly be a peacemaker, to come alongside white people where they are, encourage and nudge them, and motivate them to grow and change.

Moore is quick to affirm and build up, to offer friendship and kindness, and to use that foundation to speak frankly and remind us of our charge as Christians. She speaks how she uses Jesus's relationships as an example of how she herself chooses to live and pulls lessons from the Sermon on the Mount.

Moore pulls frequent stories from her life, some of which she knows show her at her weakest, as she admits the difficult lessons and experiences. Such transparency, though, helps humanize her and offers practical lessons and reveals that we can indeed trust her and her words. Also included is an open letter Moore wrote to/about Rachel Held Evans to commend the impact Rachel had in showing up and modeling to her community how to keep learning and changing.

This exploration requires a fine balance: "I want to be angry at the systems and I want to disrupt those systems in direct action like Jesus, but I never, ever want to weaponize my anger towards others." How do we enact change? How do we ensure it's not just performative but genuine and true?

This contribution is a solid addition to recent antiracist works, particularly to those in faith communities.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

As I journey through learning more about anti-racism and unlearning some things, this book has been a huge help to me. The grace and thought that was invested into this book helps people actually engage with others and kindly pushes us closer to Jesus in the process. I was blown away by the framework and depth that this book has. I will continue to come back to it! Thank you NetGalley for the free copy - I am eternally grateful!

Osheta Moore’s heart is present on every page of Dear White Peacemakers - her heart for Jesus, her heart for shalom, her heart for racial justice, her heart for wholeness for every person, her heart to find the Jesus-third-way between white-shaming and passivity. She roots her anti-racist work in the fact that every single human being is Beloved and follows in the footsteps of others who seek the reality of the Beloved Community. And she also does not shy around from naming white supremacy, but does so with complete compassion and respect for those who have “white” skin. I loved this idea from the beginning of her book: that even before Jesus started his public ministry, he was baptized by John and soaked in his beloved-ness. Our work for racial justice must also come from an identity of knowing that we are beloved by God — and also that everyone else is, too.

Osheta Moore has written a gift of a book to those who are wanting to learn and grow into better peacemakers in this world as we seek to become and create the Beloved Community that MLK Jr. talked about. Osheta is a pastor and it shows in her tone throughout this entire book. Rather than shame us, Osheta reminds us that we are all God's beloved children and invites us in with "grit and grace".

Upon finishing this book I feel encouraged, convicted, inspired, and re-energized for this good and holy work - seeking Shalom and healing, restoration, and redemption.

Having followed Osheta on Instagram for a couple of years, I always look forward to the wisdom she shares. She is gracious and kind, and her book is no different. Chock full of wisdom and grace, Dear White Peacemakers is such an incredible resource for anyone on the journey of learning more about racial reconciliation - what it means, where to begin, and how to be an ally. I will recommend this book to everyone I know, it's so important.

Dear White Peacemaker takes on the discussion of racial reconciliation from a Christian perspective. It offers encouragement, with a focus on bridging the divide between those who may be considered "other". Osheta Moore uses her experiences and expertise to challenge the reader to show love and grace in a way that is needed in today's world. She uses a lot of simple words with heavy meaning, that need to be at the center of this work "mercy", "grace". "grit".... and calls the reader back to Jesus's work.

Thank you to Osheta Moore, Hearld Press, and NetGalley for and ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book. It’s so uncomfortable and so so good. Osheta Moore bravely shares with us her experiences as a Black Christian woman in America and invites us in to something deeper. To the way of Jesus that looks absolutely nothing like this world and challenges the status quo.
Living the life of Belovedness isn’t easy, but Osheta Moore reminds us that this is at the heart of reconciliation and in vulnerably looking at ourselves. Honest and poignant, written mostly during a pandemic, this book reminds us we are not alone and that the work of anti racism is a long journey not a quick fix. I can’t recommend this book any more highly.

Before seeing the description for the recently published book Dear White Peacemakers, I wasn't familiar with Osheta Moore. After finishing this book, I am definitely more familiar with her as she addresses her readers as friend. As her writing comes from her heart and her experiences, she definitely wries as one frend to another and frequently mentions the drinks or food she would serve if we were at her table. I have followed her on social media and encourage you do so too!

Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace has so many "WOW!" moments throughout the book. I was reading an e-copy, and my notes option was being used frequently. I would often stop to read a section out loud to my husband or other family members. Moore does a wonderful job of meshing her own experiences, current events, and some research. As she lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, she had a front row seat to George Floyd's tragic and untimely death and draws upon that as well as other racially fueled deaths and instances over the last few years. This experience combined with her own experiences and leading an anti-racism study tour provides numerous resources for her to draw upon.

I don't want to give away all of Moore's best content, but I do want to provide a taste of what you will learn. A key concept Moore emphasizes, as you can tell by the title, is the importance of peacemaking rather than peacekeeping. Moore explains that peacekeeping is status quo while peacemaking is "partnering with God to create shalom." She also emphasizes throughout the book that an importance part of peacemaking is to refrain from dehumanizing other people. Moore indicates that White Supremacy has dehumanized others and that as peacemakers we much remember that everyone is a human created in the image of God and that we must reclaim humanity for all people. Throughout Dear White Peacemakers, Moore references the Sermon on the Mount frequently as well as other scripture passages.

As a librarian who teaches information literacy and evaluation of information, several sections of Dear White Peacemakers stood out specifically. In one section, Moore notes that white supremacy emphasizes researched information that has been writeen and published over lived experiences. This was a great reminder of how publishing and information in general privileges certain populations and disadvantages others and the importance of seeking out diverse opinions and viewpoints. Moore also cautions individuals who may wish to express solidarity with individuals of other ethnic backgrounds by appropriating holidays, celebrations, and symbols. Moore emphasizes a difference between appreciating other cultures and appropriating it into your own. She encourages individuals to "cite their sources" by naming the specific person or place from where it comes.

Each chapter begins with a scripture passage and a letter from Moore to Dear White Peacemakers where she shares personally an introduction to the chapter's content. Likewise, each chapter ends with a scripture and a breath prayer based on the scripture passage. My one regret while reading the book is that I didn't stop to write each of the breath prayers down for later use. Dear White Peacemakers is not a book you read quickly but is a book you need to sit with for a while. I feel it is a book I will return to frequently.

Osheta Moore is passionate about the Hebrew concept of ‘Shalom,” a multi-directional, relational wholeness between us and the earth, each other, and God. And shalom cannot hope to be achieved until Christians start talking about race. In this epistolary book, Moore writes to the Christian who has watched the events of the last year unfold and found themselves with lots of questions. She writes as a Black American, as a wife and mother, as a pastor and ultimately, as one who deeply yearns for unity. Moore shares her wisdom and stories in an honest and gracious way. She tackles subjects such as peacemaking vs. peacekeeping, White supremacy, Black hair, Black joy, and Black grief. Her underlying theme is God’s great love for us, that we are all Beloved in his sight. And as we begin to recognized that belovedness in each other, we can start to work toward unity and reconciliation. This book is vulnerable, raw, emotional and instructive. I read an early copy of the book and thought that it could have used some editing for clarity, but overall the message of the book came through. I found her thoughtful commentary and wise words inspiring. A must-read for anyone interested in becoming an ally and advocate.

Dear White Peacemakers is a book we all need to read. Osheta Moore, is a black pastor, with a white husband, whose passion is speaking about shalom.
In the introduction pages, Osheta explains the reason for the title of this book. As this book is not only for white peacemakers, but for all people who need to understand antiracism. With a balance of grit and grace Osheta writes to white peacemakers about recognizing white supremacy. How ingrained it is in our thinking and what it means to all colors of our nation. She speaks from the heart, about times, because of their skin color, blacks have been automatically targeted. And the stories she tells are not easy to digest, especially if you put yourself in their place. But their there to give you some insight into a black persons world.
Not only does she write about the black struggles, she speaks how we are to treat each other, because it’s not just white people who need to change. She writes about the importance of forgiveness. And the goal for all colors, as beloved children of God, to seek shalom.
Somewhere near the end of the book, she writes “It’s a call to all those with the temerity to believe in promise of peace because Jesus went first and secured that everlasting peace, shalom. Everything we do on this road of peacemaking is following in his legacy. We’re walking the road he paved for us. We bring the air of the Kingdom here with every prayer, every conversation, every protest; every moment we use our breath to dismantle racism, we are resisting the knee of white supremacy.”
I must thank Osheta Moore, Herald Press and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this book, and I highly recommend it! I've read a lot of social justice books and have a human rights degree, so I find some of the material in the genre a little redundant. In the best way, Dear White Peacemaker is unlike anything I've ever read before! Even with such a difficult topic, Osheta delivers such a powerful message wrapped in such grace and kindness that I found myself tearing up from the tenderness I was receiving in her words. I have a list of books that I keep in mind for people at various stages of their anti-racism journeys, but this book is unique in that it applies to people at any stage of their journey toward freedom and s shalom work. I believe Osheta's message and delivery are both a balm for the weary soul and a call to action, and I hope to persuade as many people as possible to read and apply her teaching. Thank you, Osheta, and congratulations to Eishet Chayil on a job well done.

I was not able to finish this book. There are good points that were made in the first 50 pages, I just found it hard to read. I struggle to continue reading books that don’t have true chapters. Being a whole person, I know that systemic racism is pervasive. I just don’t feel that this book gave me any info on what I can do about it. Thank ended up abandoning this book.

Edited to add: I ended up going back and finishing this book.. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It is a difficult read because I didn't like the way it made me feel. It stepped on my toes and made me think about how I deal with racism. I wouldn't say that I am racist, but after reading this book I realize I'm doing very little that demonstrates that I am anti-racist. I think this is an important book and Osheta talks to us white people as gently as she can while stating the truths that are happening in our country right now.

I admit, when I started reading this book, I had some skepticism. Could there really be a way to talk about the belovedness of all people and still address the issue of racism with truth and honesty? Wasn’t this just another kind of “all lives matter” nonsense, dressed up in church talk?

But no. Osheta Moore has written a book that does exactly that. If you find yourself as a white peacemaker experiencing shame as you read her words, that is brought entirely by you, because Osheta’s writing is bathed in grace and love. She affirms the value of her white readers while never giving an ounce of her own dignity as a black woman away. I left feeling more energized for the work of anti-racism than I have from any other book I’ve read.

If you’re a person of faith who may feel beat up by some books on anti-racism, I cannot recommend Dear White Peacemaker strongly enough. You will know your worth, you will know the worth of your black neighbors, and you will want to work for the dignity of all. Well done.