Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct some references to Brentwood United Methodist Church.
Churches are a key barrier between white communities and communities of color, said religious historian Jemar Tisby to an audience of hundreds seated in the sanctuary of a prominent suburban church in a majority white, upper-middle class area.
“White folks, y’all got to build bridges instead of barriers,” Tisby said in a keynote address at Brentwood United Methodist Church on Tuesday night. “And you got a lot of experience with barrier building: neighborhoods, schools, churches.”
Tisby, a professor at Simmons College in Louisville and a well-known speaker and author, addressed Brentwood UMC to kick off a series of events at the church organized by its race and faith team. Tisby’s message was broadly resonant — he largely summarized ideas in his 2021 book, “How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice” — but it was also especially relevant for a church in Williamson County.