Alicia Maldonado-Zahra shares four key takeaways from the 2025 Hope for the Future. This year, the traditionally BIPOC-only event was open to white allies.
Alicia Maldonado-Zahra is a second-generation Puerto Rican, born on the mainland U.S. She was born and raised in southwest Florida but now resides in South Bend, Indiana. She will soon be graduating from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary with a master’s degree in theology and peace, and she will be entering into the Scholar-Activist position at Goshen College. Alicia loves taking walks, reading books and playing games with her family.
_____________________________________________
It’s been a month or so since the Hope for the Future 2025 gathering. As always, it met my expectations as a space of authenticity, wisdom and humor. I look forward to being with people who share similar theology, societal qualms and hopes. In a culture deeply rooted in white supremacy, we regularly experience a lack of equitable, just and welcoming spaces for everyone. Thus, there’s a sacredness to events like Hope for the Future; these conferences are developed and facilitated by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) for BIPOC. So, my discomfort and curiosity were prevalent, as I walked into this year’s event — Hope for the Future “Plus” … plus our white allies.
Together, on the final day of Black History Month and the first day of Women’s History Month, we celebrated 30 years of Damascus Road, now known as Roots of Justice (ROJ). In addition to honoring this organization, we were able to discuss the roles and influences these leaders and trainers have had on Mennonite relationship with racism. The work done by Regina Shands Stoltzfus, Tobin Miller Shearer and others to engage people on such “disruptive topics” like racism, white supremacy and discrimination is significant in the Mennonite world.
We heard of the many hours Damascus Road leaders spent away from family and the heartache that it brought, the frustrations of working with folks in denial of whiteness and racism, the community that anti-racism trainers built with their tears and laughter, and the impact of these experiences on their personal beings. I was struck by the trainers’ vulnerability and courage with which they shared, their continued sense of commitment to anti-racism work, and their convictions. What follows are four learnings, or reminders, that have stuck with me since the Hope for the Future conference that I’d like to share with you.
We begin with the fact that racism hurts everyone. I must admit that I am unsurprised, yet baffled, at the fact that there are still too many individuals and communities that fail to recognize that racism exists and manifests itself in relationships and systems. It is of the utmost importance that my siblings in Christ come to realize the realness of racism. By denying this reality, there is the denial that non-white people within our own communities have to deal with and navigate systems and circumstances that are purposefully built to work against them. This denial is complicity. As followers of Christ, we aren’t called to be complicit to harmful systems, but to do God’s justice and advocate for God’s justice in our systems and communities.
The next takeaway from Hope for the Future is the need for white people to correct white people. This was a new sentiment that I was glad to hear. I have been in many conversations in which microaggressions, gaslighting, discrimination or other dignity violations have been committed from a white person. There is an internal dialogue that immediately fires up in my mind-heart. I begin to debate how to correct this person and whether I’d be taken seriously. I think about the power dynamics and often convince myself that I’m wrong or that correcting the person isn’t worth it. Internalized oppression has led me to tears more than once. Internalized oppression, formally defined, is the understanding that the oppression of social norms and systems on a marginalized people group is wholistic — mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. An unfortunate consequence of internalized oppression is that most non-white people are more or less conditioned to dismiss, self-blame, minimize the wrongdoing, etc. Because of this, white allies are called to correct their fellow white people, with love and courage, when there is an injustice.
The conference speakers also called on the non-white people to dismantle the systems of oppression within our whole selves. This requires that we, as individuals and communities, work toward understanding white supremacy as a social construct, how it impacts social systems, and how to challenge and heal from these systems. Doing this work of dismantling requires intentionality, especially in remembering the “why” of our work and staying hopeful. There is immense emotional strain that comes along with dismantling and restructuring, thus it is important that we find communities that share values and purpose.
Which leads me to the final conference takeaway that I’d like to leave with you: We must get out of our silos. It is only when we start to know people who are unlike ourselves that we see our similarities. This leads to the humanizing of “the other” and increased empathy. For non-white people, we realize that we aren’t struggling alone. And for white people, there’s greater depth of personal awareness and the need for reconciliation and dignifying relationships. There are a number of ways that getting to know each other can be done. Among these, the “easiest” is educating ourselves; there are plenty of books out there that can help us gain insight into our own person and another person’s or people group’s history, culture, etc. Another method to try, which may feel more challenging, is seeking out authentic friendships with people who are different.
At the end of the conference, I was glad my white siblings had the opportunity to join us, BIPOC, in our sacred space. I didn’t leave feeling disappointed or annoyed but rather hopeful. Considering our social context, I’ve wondered whether these pockets of diverse bodies are strong enough to overcome whatever lies ahead. It’s because of the persistence and courage of Damascus Road/ROJ leaders that I was able to witness a semblance of Pentecost.
May we continue these efforts of speaking truth with love to one another, dismantling systems of oppression and building authentic relationship with one another — in Christ’s name.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog belong to the author and are not intended to represent the views of the MC USA Executive Board or staff.