Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community

by Crystal Blanton, Taylor Ellwood (Editor), Brandy Williams (Editor)

Bringing Race to the Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community is an anthology which explores the topic of racism and how it shows up in the Pagan community, as well as what we can do to discuss it and bring it out in the open. Each section of the anthology explores different facets of racism and how the Pagan community respond to it. Section 1: People of Color's experience with Racism shares candid stories of how people of color have experienced racism in both subtle and overt forms, as well as how they have handled it. Section 2 Historical/Mythological Racism focuses on how Racism has shown up in mythological and historical contexts, as well as how it continues to show up in counter cultures. The final Being an Ally focuses on sharing suggestions and ideas on how white people can be better allies to people of color and how to be more aware of racism in both the Pagan and mainstream communities. With essays from Xochiquetzal Duti Odinsdottir, T. Thorn Coyle, Crystal Blanton, Clio Ajana, Erick Dupree, Amy Hale, Lilith Dorsey, Lasara Firefox Allen and many others, this anthology explores racism and offers opportunities for us to engage this topic and proactively work to change our communities for the better.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism, Race, Essays, Social Science

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2015

About the author

Crystal Blanton is an activist, writer, priestess, mother, wife and social worker in the Bay Area. She works with disenfranchised youth in Oakland, and is in graduate school at a California State University for Social Work.

Crystal has published two books (Bridging the Gap and Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World) and she is the editor of the anthology Shades of Faith; Minority Voices in Paganism. Her work is also published at Sage Woman, and on the Daughters of Eve blog at Patheos.

Crystal is passionate about the integration of community, spirituality and healing from our ancestral past, and is an advocate for true diversity and multiculturalism within the Pagan community. She continues to work in her local community and within the Pagan community by facilitating and participating in discussions on topics of social justice, diversity, leadership, and the use of restorative justice practices to empower the community voice.

Reviews

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important topic. As with most anthologies I've read, some sections were good, some lackluster.

I wish the authors/editor used footnotes/endnotes because in-line citations made some essays extremely difficult to read. One essay I had to bow out of because in-line citations inside of nested parenthetical thoughts spanning multiple pages made it impossible to follow. A reader shouldn't have to map out a paragraph on a separate piece of paper like a mathematical equation to understand it.

I was impressed with the range of identities and perspectives throughout the essay collection, especially since many of the authors were willing to share their personal experiences, which helped ground a lot of the ideas discussed.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book -- while I'm not new to studying racism and anti-racism nor am I new to Paganism per se, I *am* fairly new to Pagan community / spaces / online groups, and I learned a ton about how racism has operated, and continued to operate, in distinct ways in these kinds of spaces. I did find the collection a bit uneven -- which is not unusual for an anthology for me: I did find some essays stronger than others, and some more relevant to me than others (though I'm sure for different readers this will vary) -- but overall I think this is a great, and important collection. I appreciate the endnotes and bibliographies (I've found some further reading there!); a few pieces I wish had some additional sources mentioned (ex. including primary sources rather than citing things like Wiki summaries). I envision recommending this book (or some of its contents) frequently; there are essays in here I'd readily call 'required reading' for white Pagans.

[Coco Carré · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers important, and not often discussed, ground - but it has some technical errors that needed an editor, and some of the essays are written for beginners, while others require a good bit of knowledge about different occult sects and ancient cultures to be accessible. A second edition of this with some stricter editing, and possibly wraparound analysis of the essays inside of it, or even essays with roundtable discussions between POC pagans and occultists, could easily bump this up to 5 stars for me.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! I read it for a book club, (though I’m a little late in finishing it) and really learned a lot!

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing styles and perspectives vary, as you might expect from an edited volume. This is necessary reading for all pagan group organizers.

[Jaina Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a vital and useful collection of voices from a great diversity of backgrounds in the general Pagan community, formatted somewhat like a talking circle. Lived experience informs the pieces here, with plenty of varience in style and opinion that this would suggest. There's a lot to discuss and much to learn, and this is just the opening of the wider conversation on racism into which all Pagans, Heathens, Witches and so on need to participate. I felt shock, anger, sorrow, hope, inspiration, and sparkling motivation reading to the very last page. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars for excessive typos that really mar the overall quality of this book. That does not detract from the wisdom herein, and I am very grateful that this book is out in the world. Put it in your hands and look inside.

[Mills College Library]

133.43 B8583 2015