Mother to Son: Letters to a Black Boy on Identity and Hope by Jasmine Holmes
A review
Jasmine Holmes has written a powerful collection of letters to her black son on how the world will see him and gives advice on how he should behave in this world. However, the book of letters is also written for the white evangelical church who tends to ignore the issues of race and justice. Holmes’ book echoes other notable epistles like Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time and Coates’ Between the World and Me. It also has elements that reminded me of Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Unlike Coates but like Baldwin and Brown, Holmes’ book comes from a Christian perspective, one which is needed now more than ever.
This book is written primarily to her son. She encourages and warns him of various things. For example, she writes to her son that God made him black on purpose and that it is a good thing. She also warns him of the racial insensitivities that are sure to come his way as he gets older. One example Holmes uses occurred in the past when various white people remarked on her son’s cuteness by asking “how much do you want for him?”. The author and her husband unfortunately had to educate these people about how that question sounds to a black family who lives with the history of slavery everyday.
Holmes is very powerful when she criticizes the white church on its antipathy to talk about racial issues. One powerful moment in the book was when she wrote about how white evangelicals tend to mention that slavery was a blind spot in American history. She argues that blind spots do not lead to the dehumanization of a people who are made in God’s image. Slavery she argues is not a blind spot it's a sin.
In another episode she mentions the buzz phrase that white evangelicals use when racial issues are discussed, “just preach the gospel”. In her experiences in mostly white evangelical spaces, “just preach the gospel” means “just shut up”. They wanted her to just talk about the salvation that Jesus brings to all and let the racial issues take care of themself. But as Holmes effectively argues, talking about Jesus’ salvation is good and important but racial issues are never solved by ignoring them, they must be addressed and faced head on.
Near the end of the book Holmes gives advice to her son about the importance of speaking out about the issues he cares about. She highlights the challenge that she faces when she speaks before groups and how she is viewed by people on the political left and political right. Both groups try to pigeon hole and label her as being the opposite of their own views. I’ll be honest, there were times in this book that I did the same thing from my own political perspective. However, her advice to her son is to not worry about this and encourages him to speak out with conviction.
Lastly, Holmes focuses on the importance of representation not just in the media but also in theology. Holmes introduces three pastors, only one of whom I was familiar with before reading this book (Lemuel Haynes, Charles Octavius Boothe, and Francis Grimke). After mentioning them she writes a powerful line that I believe was written not just to her son and the white evangelical church but to black Christians like myself. She says that the truth of God is not limited to only white voices. It was a powerful quote to me and it has now challenged me to go out and read the works of these black theologians that I’m not familiar with.
As I read this book, I imagined what my own black mother would have written to me. My mother’s experiences were unlike Holmes in that they grew up during different times (I’m in Holmes’ generation) and experienced different albeit similar experiences. But the essence of Holmes’ message would be the same as my mother. The racist society that you live in will view you one way because you are a black male, it's your job to challenge and show them how they are wrong, using your Christian faith as your anchor.
Holmes’s book is a must read for black Christian sons, black Christian mothers, and the white evangelical church. It will definitely bring about fruitful discussions amongst its readers.
Thanks to NetGalley, InterVarsity Press, and Jasmine L. Holmes for the free ARC copy in exchange for a honest review.
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