I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Austin Channing Brown

This is a good book to read during your Christmas. It is easy to comprehend and has a good biographical touch.

Austin Channing Brown‘s first encounter with a racialized America came at age 7, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, “I had to learn what it means to love blackness,” a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America’s racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.

In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value “diversity” in their mission statements, I’m Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America’s social fabric–from Black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.

For readers who have engaged with America’s legacy on race through the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Eric Dyson, I’m Still Here is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God’s ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness–if we let it–can save us all.

Review

“Austin Channing Brown introduces herself as a master memoirist, delivering a manifesto on racism in America that will live on shelves besides Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michelle Alexander. This book will break open hearts and minds. It’s an example of how one woman can change the world by telling the truth about her life with unflinching, relentless courage.”

Glennon Doyle, bestselling author of Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior, and president of Together Rising

Review

“I have laughed, I have held back tears, I have reflected with joy, hope, and hurt while reading. Austin captures perfectly the sentiment of many black people in America. She’s not only telling her story, she’s telling our story. Austin is a gift to the body and the culture.”

Lecrae, Grammy award-winning artist and bestselling author of Unashamed

Review

“Austin is one of my most important teachers. I’m Still Here is devastating, beautiful, and haunting and it leaves no room for a tepid reaction. Her crystal clear voice will move you, push you, and break your heart. Prophetic and tender, I plan to put this book in every pair of hands I know and join her in the dismantling of white supremacy. She’s still here and I’m with her.”

Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author of Of Mess and Moxie and For the Love

‘About the Author

Austin Channing Brown is a writer, speaker, and practitioner who helps schools, nonprofits, and religious organizations practice genuine inclusion. Her writing has appeared in outlets like Christianity Today, Relevant, Sojourners, and The Christian Century.