The book discussed recently, in after Meeting program, was Hope on a Tightrope by Cornell West, a leading thinker about racial issues.

We discussed quotes from the book such as: "When you talk about hope, you have to be a long-distance runner ... Hope linked to combative spirituality is what I have in mind."

There was a lot of discussion about term "combative spirituality."

"How do we radically reform a system while working within it? ... Who will become the major agents of social change?"

Discussion centered around whether Martin Luther King Jr. worked within the system or outside of it.

"(Is there) something different about black America now. They highlight loss of values ... simple choices made by individuals, as though individuals are not shaped by the larger structural and institutional realities in our society."

The history of slavery and its continuing legacy were discussed, as was Jim Crow. Friends mentioned their own cultural traditions and how they are currently affected or limited by them. No conclusions were attempted by anyone present; issues were raised in the spirit of Meeting, where each person listened to others as they tried to react to these quotes.

— Rich Kaufman