Excerpted from the introduction:
Jesus Christ did some of his most valuable teaching in parables. His parables presented clear stories from everyday circumstances where the listener would be met by the spirit of God alongside plain truths. In thinking on the times in my life when I have had those same profound encounters, those moments have undoubtedly been in my interactions and conversations with black girls. Consequently, I have often wondered what these parables would have looked like with black girls at the center. Parable of the Brown Girl explores the everyday lives of black girls and is written in a way that parallels some of the characteristics of the parables of the gospels. For starters, the names of Jesus’s parables usually emphasize an important feature of either the central character(s) of the parable or theme. In staying true to that manner, I created this book title with an emphasis on the color of the girls’ skin, which many would distinctly see as brown. I specifically use the phrase brown girl in the book and chapter titles to highlight the variety of hues the girls have in their skin complexions. However, when referencing the girls throughout the content of the book, I refer to them as black. Racially classified, they are black; aesthetically the girls are shades of brown.More from the author:
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I hope readers will encounter the spirit of God within these girls’ stories just like they do through Jesus’s parables, which encouraged others to reflect on spiritual truths through the lives of the overlooked. In their stories, the girls reflect on their circumstances, asking tough questions and finding ways to draw wisdom so they can make sense of God and the world around them. Their musings give insight into how God works through the minds of these young black girls, and every story demonstrates how God’s spirit works through each girl to convey a specific message. I hope the truth and wisdom found here changes how people treat each other. These girls’ stories are important to God—these girls are important to God—and they deserve attention.
These girls have been left to navigate adolescence and fight against systemic inequalities on their own, leaving their stories overlooked, ignored, and on the margins of the public discourse. Yet this book centers their experiences so their circumstances can resonate with people, no matter their ethnicity, race, faith, or background. Everyone will learn something from these girls’ stories, questions, and conclusions. As Christie Cozad Neuger says, “Parables are about people having their ordinary lives respected and valued as a way to experience God.”3 I intend to prioritize these girls and their experiences so everyone will begin to respect and value their existence, and to experience God in a richer, more beautiful way.
Writing this book has taught me about trusting the process. I’ve heard the phrase “trust the process” a great deal in the past year. I first heard it at a Philadelphia 76ers game when one of the players stepped to the free-throw line and the crowd kept shouting, “trust the process!” I asked my friend what they meant by that phrase. He told me that it had to do with the strategy that the team used in being patient in how they were going to build a successful team. The key to that success was learning to trust the process. As I started writing I thought about that phrase quite often. The process for writing a book can be quite challenging. It’s not only challenging because one needs to find the time to be able to write, but also challenging emotionally and even physically. I wasn’t sure how the book was going to turn out nor was I sure if I would even be able to make it to the end where I felt like I had a successful piece of work. It took months of writing and sending chapters to my editor and getting feedback and then rewriting. That process went on for about a year. Even now I find myself in a place where I have to learn to trust the process of putting the book out in marketing and promoting it. Parable of the Brown Girl was complete in the summer of 2019, but it isn’t until February 2020 that people will be able to purchase the final product. That is a significant time of waiting which means that patience is also a part of the process. I have found myself anxious and wanting to get out ahead of the process but I have been reminded that God has a plan for how this book will unfold and I have to position myself to trust that plan. I’ve learned a lot about myself and I have grown as a person, not just from the content of the book, but the overall process of writing it has taught me a great deal about trusting God in areas of my life where I am waiting for something. I have learned that running a marathon is much more about how you grow during the training for that marathon as much as when you cross the finish line.
Learn more:
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