Elation, Fear, and a Litmus Test: See Me, Believe Me, Updated Edition's New Chapter on the Election of Presiding Bishop Curry and Secretary Mills

See Me Believe Me: An Updated Guide to Deepen Allyship with Congregational Leaders of Color is now available with the added chapter "July 30, 2025" which delves into the the joys and fears following the historic elections of Presiding Bishop Curry and Secretary Mills. Author Rev. Dr. Yolanda Denson-Byers speaks below about the new chapter of this book, of the chapter of the ELCA this election prompts us to, and concrete suggestions to the ever present feelings of "What can I do?".

What happened between the election of Yehiel Curry as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and having his interview as a new chapter in yourbook?

I knew immediately upon his election that I wanted the opportunity to speak with Presiding Bishop Curry. I believe he was elected on July 30, and by August 2, I had met with my editor and sent a Facebook Messenger request to Presiding Bishop Curry asking if he would consider allowing me to interview him for an additional chapter in the second edition of See Me, Believe Me. He graciously agreed, inviting me to get in touch with his executive assistant to find a time for the interview, despite his busy schedule as our new presiding bishop.

What were your goals/motivations for adding this chapter to the book?

Excerpt:
Fortunately, I was able to interview Bishop Curry shortly after his election. It was important to me to include his historic election in the second edition of this book, because it will serve as a litmus test for our anti-racism work in our denomination. I knew that his election would call us to new ways of being together, communicating across race and ethnicity, and growing our capacity for being actively anti-racist Jesus followers.

This quote encapsulates my reasons for wanting to interview and write about Presiding Bishop Curry’s historic election. While I was overjoyed by his election, I was also concerned about the inevitable racism that would accompany his new call on a national stage. I wrote because I wanted to educate the members of the ELCA about what he may face, how we can be faithful and effective allies, and how our anti-racism work matters on a micro and macroscale both inside and outside of our denomination. As Christian-Lutherans, we continually work for “justice and peace,” and as Jesus followers, we are committed to the liberation of all of God’s people and the created cosmos.

The truth is, we have so much to learn as a denomination about being good, actively anti-racist allies to our siblings of color. I really wanted to give people language and tools to “call people in,” as Presiding Bishop Curry advises, and to confront poor choices and hurtful behaviors in the moment that they happen. I am hopeful that my advice to say something like, “STOP! You will not talk this way in my presence,” or “I do not agree with you,” or “I choose to love and support our leadership and pray for their ministries among us,” will open up courageous conversations in churches throughout the United States and abroad.

For leaders of color in places like the ELCA, having faithful allies present when we are being verbally, emotionally, or even physically assaulted can be a life-or-death issue. I wanted the denomination to take the safety of our presiding bishop seriously and to do the important and life-giving work of anti-racism in God’s church. What I know about Jesus is that he consistently chose to dwell among the marginalized, excluded, forgotten, and hurting. To me, this means that God is especially present in the suffering endured by BIPOC folks in our denomination, which is consistent with the theology of the cross to which we adhere as Lutherans.

What is the importance of reading the new chapter in the context of the book?

What I have tried to do in every chapter of See Me, Believe Me is root the conversation in our biblical and theological traditions as Christian-Lutherans. I have also tried to give concrete suggestions that would allow any white person of goodwill the opportunity to immediately begin specific interventions toward a more anti-racist church, whether or not they have people of color among their membership. One of the things I am clear about is that racism is a white-people problem, and it is white folks who need to fix it. For anyone who has been wringing their hands asking, “What can I do,” this book has over 80 concrete suggestions regarding things that you can do to begin to make an immediate impact in the lives of people like Presiding Bishop Curry, Madame Secretary CeCee Mills, and others, like me. Ministry should advance the sake of the gospel and the good of the neighbor. We have been given grace from God to practice our vocations as peace and justice makers. Daily, we live into our baptismal promises as we do this important work. Thanks be to God!

What parts of the new chapter do you feel is most important for readers to note?

• These are the types of allies that I, as a BIPOC leader, want to have around me. I really appreciate actively anti-racist allies who eschew the white supremacy culture of perfectionism and are willing to “fail forward,” making mistakes and learning in the process. I have found that some of my best allies often dwell in shame due to feeling like their best efforts are insignificant or unworthy. I really wish they knew what I know—that even the smallest effort, given from the heart, makes a big difference. As we engage the actively anti-racist muscle, we become stronger and braver as we go.
  

• What joy! But alongside my joy, I am deeply concerned. One of my greatest fears is for Bishop Curry’s survival. I’m not talking about mental health; I’m talking about his physical health and safety. As a young college student protesting against police brutality in my university’s town, I received a death threat. When I moved, two decades ago, to the community where I still live, I heard stories about crosses being burned in the yards of my Black neighbors. Today, these types of threats still befall friends who speak too loudly about issues of peace and justice in all the earth.
  As the presiding bishop of our denomination, Bishop Curry will have a large platform to speak truth to power. But we all know that this is not without risk and it is not without cost. What will it cost him? What will it cost his wife and daughters? What sacrifices will he make to lead us? How can we best serve as actively anti-racist allies to our new leader, who is also of color?

• This book is just a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1) if it does not call European American Christians into a posture of repentance and action toward becoming faithful allies to siblings in Christ who are people of color. At a time like this, silence equals complicity. Inaction is action. Unless you purposefully interrupt the flow of racism in our denomination, it will continue unabated. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.

What audience do you think most needs the second edition of your book?

I think all folks need to read this second edition. For my siblings of color, this chapter is an affirmation of our ministries and of the possibilities that are ours within this denomination when we allow God’s Holy Spirit to empower us to communally discern, aright, what She is really up to in our midst. It is a harbinger of hope for those of us who have suffered the ravages of systemic and personal racism within our denomination and are at times tempted to give up. Presiding Bishop Curry’s and Madame Secretary Mills’s lives stand as a testimony that nothing is impossible for our God and that God affirms and strengthens our ministries for God’s own glory.

For my European-American siblings (read white), this edition of my book is important because of the sense of urgency with which I wrote it, due to my very real and legitimate fears for the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of our new African-American leaders on the national stage. So many of my white friends simply do not understand the cost of serving in positions like Presiding Bishop Curry and Madame Secretary Mills. They don't know about the tears that stain our pillows at night as BIPOC leaders in this very white denomination, and I am hopeful that as they read this new edition, they will see the risks we take to serve and also hear the clarion call to take their own risks to help create a safe(r) environment for us all. After all, in our affirmation of baptism we affirm that God sends us to “care for others and the world God made,” so help us God!