Intersections with Phil Allen, Jr.    

Episode: 026 “The Call For White Allyship”

Airdate: April 12, 2021

Length: 1:07:45

Guests: Sarah Dornbos

This week’s guest Sarah Dornbos takes us on a ride down the rode of what it takes and why it’s necessary for white people, especially white Christians to be allies in the fight against racism. She begins with transparently sharing her experience growing up as not having much interaction at all with people of color in her all-white community in Michigan to the series of experiences being immersed in various communities of color (Indigenous, Latinx, African, and Haitian). She confesses, “I didn’t know what I didn’t know!” when considering the history and reality of the impact of racism and whiteness on not only her life, but all lives in the US. She is secure in who she is as a woman of Dutch background, a Christian and an American and she has done the work to disentangle her identity from the construction of the racial code, “white.”

With thoughtful criticism she unpacks what hinders white people from engaging the cause of racial justice. She offers something for white Christians to reflect on, “A gospel without action is an unfaithful gospel.” She drops pearls like these and much more in this episode. But she doesn’t just offer critique, but encouragement, particularly for our white brothers and sisters who are engaged in the cause or not, to get in and stay in “the game.” Listen to this episode carefully and reflect on her wisdom.

Be on the lookout for the documentary short film Expedition Ayiti directed by Richard Serrao that features Sarah. You can follow Sarah on IG @sarahdornbos or you can follow her on Facebook.

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Phil Allen, Jr. is a Los Angeles-based pastor, social justice activist, filmmaker and author. Allen’s book Open Wounds explores the murder of Nate Allen—Phil Allen’s grandfather—in the Jim Crow era of South Carolina and how that traumatic event resonated through generations of his family. Open Wounds – which is based on the Allen-produced documentary of the same name – was published on February 9, 2021. Allen is a Ph.D. student studying Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.