On December 10, 1953, tragedy was visited on a family when Nathaniel Allen was murdered on the Sampit River by his white employer, who lured him into the meeting under the false promise of reconciliation. Allen's death was recorded as an accidental drowning, a deliberate cover-up of the bullet hole seen by more than one witness.
Three generations later, Phil Allen Jr. revisits this harrowing story and recounts the "baton of bitterness" that this murder passed down in his family.
Through interviews, difficult conversations, and deep theological reflection, Allen takes up the challenge of racism today, naming it for what it is and working to chart a path toward reconciliation.
Open Wounds, and the documentary that accompanies it, is a transformative experience of listening and learning as a grandson looks, laments, an ultimately leads his family and his society forward toward a just and reconciled future. It's an essential part of our national reckoning with racism and injustice.
About the Author :
Phil Allen Jr. is a pastor, poet, storyteller, filmmaker, and justice advocate. A former All-American NCAA athlete, Phil's call to ministry led him to California, where he is a full-time pastor and a PhD candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Open Wounds (Fortress Press, 2021).
Review :
"Phil Allen's story is as unique as any personal, multi-generational African-American tragedy can be. And that means the narrative is also a painfully common one. Open Wounds names the reality: for himself, for his family, for this nation. What makes Allen's story so powerful is his pursuit of the facts, the implications, and the risks of healing. But in the end, it is less a hero's journey, and more a communal story of lived faith, honest communion, and dogged hope." --Mark Labberton, President, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Phil Allen has written a must-read personal narrative for anyone grappling with intergenerational trauma. Open Wounds highlights unresolved and cyclical pain associated with racism in the American South, while offering tools for embarking on a journey towards healing." --Tanya E. Walker-Bethea, associate professor, Winston-Salem State University
"Phil Allen has written a haunting and painfully honest book. Open Wounds is the story of yet another black family forced to deal with the tragedy of racial terror and the trauma it inflicts on the entire family over generations. Fortunately, the story does not end with racial trauma, it unveils the journey towards racial healing and offers a way for others to experience the process to racial wholeness." --John Williams, Director, Center for Racial Reconciliation
"Phil Allen reveals the pain of racial wounds and the power of the healing God. Allen takes you on a painful journey into healing and wholeness. Allen echoes lingering pain of hidden hurts, and the revelation of the power of the God who heals." --Kenneth C. Ulmer, Presiding Bishop, The King's University
"Phil Allen is among the most gifted leaders I have had the privilege to meet. Everything he does is exceptional, from being an athlete, a model, a poet, a preacher, and now an author. Nothing remains the same after Phil touches it. It is only fitting that Open Wounds and the issue of racial injustice is addressed by this prolific personality. Who better to reach back from his many accomplishments to festering issues others have overlooked, or deliberately ignored and bring redemptive solutions." --Larry Titus, President, Kingdom Global Ministries and author of The Teleios Man
"It is only in the most technical sense of the word that Phil Allen Jr. was once a doctoral student of mine. In actual fact, in numerous ways that extend far beyond the classroom, I am his student. It is an honor to learn from him. Full Stop. But in times like this, his wisdom has never been more necessary and urgent, for it quite literally concerns the difference between life and death. I can't force you to sit at Phil's feet as he teaches us. But I invite you to do so. Speaking from personal experience, I promise you that, if you do, you will never be the same." --Kutter Callaway, Fuller Theological Seminary, Co-Director Reel Spirituality and author of The Aesthetics of Atheism
Open Wounds is a masterfully written gem. Phil writes on a topic that too many of us carry: pain. He captures something that many of us have developed: resilience. He illuminates what we all need: healing. It's a must read! --Johnny C. Shelton Chaplain, Spiritual Advisor & Life Coach, Baltimore Ravens
"Phil Allen weaves a powerful truth of sin, violence, tragedy and pain, which was wrong every which way you see it but prevalent and largely justified by white Americans more than 60 years ago. The ongoing struggles to cope with anger, passing that anger from generation to generation leaves a permanent mark of traumatic distress." --Reena Evers-Everette, Executive Director, Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute
