Why Not Today, Matthew Cork

For most of us living in the U.S., it's easy to imagine that slavery ended with the Civil War, racism is waning, and equality is on the rise.  That's true in most of the West.  We don't have slaves plowing the fields, apartheid is in the history books, and our president has brown skin.  But in one of the world's most populous countries, a sizable minority still faces racism, slavery, and inequality, with the imprimatur of the culture, government, and religion.  Matthew Cork, pastor of a large church in Southern California, paid a visit to the Dalit people of India and became convicted and convinced that the American church can have a role in freeing them from systemic cultural discrimination and oppression.

In Cork's new book, Why Not Today: Trafficking, Slavery, the Global Church . . . and You, which he co-authored with Kenneth Kemp, Cork tells the story of his involvement with the Dalits, with Indian activist Dr. Joseph D'Souza, and his church's commitment to build 200 schools for Dalit children.  More generally, he recounts the history of the Dalit people and the burgeoning movement in India to bring equality and civil rights to this huge minority group.  To an American, post-Civil-Rights-era reader, the status and conditions of the Dalits, or untouchables, in India make any stories of racism in the U.S. pale in comparison.  The caste system, reflecting centuries of tradition and supported by the Hindu religion, is used to condone persistent poverty, slavery, the sale of children for labor and the sex trade, sexual slavery, and any other human rights abuses you can think of.

There is hope, as Dalits leave Hinduism and groups like Dr. D'Souza's are focusing on education to free Dalit children from the cultural shackles of their caste.  Cork's story will sweep you up in his passion for freedom for the Dalits, as he demonstrates the huge impact that one church can have.  Granted, his church is large and wealthy, but still, what a difference they have made in India!  And they will continue to raise awareness, as the church has produced a movie telling the story of a Dalit girl whose father sells her and the American man who tries to rescue her.  (Not Today, hopefully coming to a theater near you!)

Why Not Today is a great introduction to the Dalit people and their plight.  The narrative is a bit disjointed, as Cork's passion for telling the Dalit story and his church's story runs spills out onto the page, but I was willing to look past that and embrace his vision.  I can see why he was able to rally his church so effectively to the Dalit cause. Why Not Today will have you longing and hoping for the day when India's casteism is relegated to the dust bin of history and the Dalits have true cultural and economic freedom.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!