About This Episode

How will we overcome systemic racial injustice in America? In this deeply personal conversation, Sojourners President and Founder Jim Wallis and James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schlow talk with Debbie and Billy Shore about poverty, equality and race relations in America. “Abraham Lincoln said that ‘leaders should appeal to our better angels’, but this president appeals to our worst demons and he calls them up and they’re right below the surface,” says Wallis about the prevalence of racism in America. Schlow learned the power of being open-minded at a young age. “My mother and my dad felt that an open house was an important component of the community. You’re not supposed to be building walls right now, you’re supposed to be opening doors,” he says. Wallis cites research that 75% of white Americans don’t have one significant relationship with a person of color and therefore do not know how much they may have in common with one another. “We’ve got to start having dinner together and hearing about our hopes and dreams for our kids. Right now, the soul of America is at stake,” he cautions. “In my company we’re not just here to take care of the guests, we’re here to take care of each other. When somebody has a crisis… our restaurant family comes to each other’s aid,” notes Schlow. Feel empowered by part 1 of a poignant conversation about the connections between our personal values and the social and political change we want to see in the world.