For the third year in a row, the IF:Gathering conference in Austin, TX featured Tasha Morrison and Be the Bridge. Tasha hosted a table of diverse women, who got to share their experiences navigating life in America in 2017.

Tasha opened with an overview of Acts 6, highlighting how the early Church grew when the marginalized were given a voice.

Here are some notable quotes from the table:

“To be a woman of color is a double blessing, and a double burden.” ~Amena Brown

“[As white women], we are called to be listeners…I encourage everyone to create a safe place for women of color to share their experiences.” ~Jen Wickstrom

“Sometimes [when I’m in a group of mostly white women] I withhold those parts of me [where I have been hurt] because I worry that the friendships are too fragile to go there.” ~Manijeh Huereca

“I don’t think we’re able to name what we’re reconciling to…A mentor of mine told me, ‘You can never reconcile what you do not recognize’…All comprehension starts with conversation.’” ~Robyn Afrik

“There is tension that needs to be moved through. Sometimes we talk about peace as the absence of conflict, but really it’s the pursuing of the presence of shalom…There are strong racial divides in our country right now, but we as the Church should not treat it as something to shy away from, because we know that Jesus says in Ephesians 2, ‘I tore down the wall of hostility.’” ~Kristy Robinson

“As women of color, we’ve had to fight to really own our full spectrum of womanhood…But this is the thing, sisters: We don’t want to wear the mask. We want to be our authentic, full selves at the table with you.” ~Tasha Morrison

As Tasha closed the Be the Bridge segment, the audience gave her a standing ovation.

You can watch the whole conversation here:

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