Past Dialogue in Action Speakers

May 15, 2024

Robert P. Jones

The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future

The First Lutheran Church Foundation was privileged to host celebrated author Robert P. Jones on May 15. His visit was a significant event, drawing over 200 attendees to the sanctuary. Jones shared his insights into race, religion, and social justice, a topic to which he has dedicated his career as the founder of the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington, DC (prri.org).

During his presentation, Jones focused on passages from his recent New York Times best-selling book, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future. He traced the roots of white supremacy and Christian nationalism back to the nation’s history of colonization, slavery, and systemic racism. These roots have deeply ingrained racial hierarchies into our social, economic, and political structures, perpetuating forms of discrimination and implicit biases.

Click on the link below to watch the event video, which begins with powerful musical selections played by Erin Aldridge, violin, and Alexander Sandor, piano, followed by Robert P. Jones’s presentation, moderated by Pastor Dianne Loufman.