It’s Time to Take Action: PW Talks with Brenda Salter McNeil

Brenda Salter McNeil, an ordained pastor and associate professor of reconciliation studies at Seattle Pacific University, has written four books on racial reconciliation, including Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0. In her latest, Empowered to Repair: Becoming People Who Mend Broken Systems and Heal Our Communities (Brazos, May), the author presents a model for addressing race-based injustice and revitalizing communities. The book draws on McNeil’s own work as well as the biblical story of Nehemiah, who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the fifth century BCE and can be viewed as an example of a person attempting to use leadership and authority to fix a terrible problem.