Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America Summary
Michael Eric Dyson

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America Overview

This book, written by a black American pastor and academic, argues that the roots of ongoing racial tension in the United States of America originate in what he calls “whiteness” – that is, the centuries-old belief that whites have an inherent right to power over non-whites, particularly *blacks. Utilizing the structure of a Christian church service, the author examines “whiteness” through a series of different lenses, among them the connection between history and the present, the power of language, and how the effects of “whiteness” manifest in the lives and experiences of both individuals and communities. *The term "blacks" is used instead of the more current "African American" to reflect the language used in the book itself.