'When Did You Become White?': The Question All 'White' Americans Must Answer
Julia Mapilisan spray paints "Black Lives Matter" on a wall as people gather at Lents Park in Portland, Oregon, on September 5, 2020, to mark the 100th day of protests denouncing police brutality and racism. (Allison Dinner/AFP via Getty Images) Some years ago, I was walking in the Public Garden in Boston with an African American scholar, writer and Unitarian Universalist minister named Thandeka. I had earlier that day introduced her at a conference where she was speaking, I moderating. Our conversation was animated; then there was a pause. She turned to me and asked, “So, Janna, how did y...