I Am Not a Black Man · A new book by Elmo Winters
October 13, 2026
Before you decide what the title means, hear the man behind it.
What happens when a label becomes the first thing we see in ourselves and one another? In I Am Not a Black Man, Elmo Winters invites us to look beyond categories and consider the dignity of the whole person.
"Who has the authority to tell you who you are?"
A deeply personal, faith-grounded invitation to see the person before the label.
Look beyond the first impression
Why “I Am Not a Black Man”?
The title is an invitation to a deeper conversation. It is not a denial of skin color, African ancestry, American history, discrimination, or injustice.
Growing up in the segregated South, Elmo Winters experienced racial barriers firsthand. He also learned that another person's prejudice did not have to become his identity.
In these pages, he examines the labels America created, the expectations they carry, and what happens when race, pain, politics, history, or group loyalty begins to tell us who we must be.
Go inside the book ↓The journey inside
Identity is more than a category.
Drawing from lived experience, Scripture, history, and decades of ministry and reconciliation work, Elmo asks us to tell the truth about what has happened without imprisoning the future.
A life shaped by history
Elmo writes about growing up in the segregated South and the barriers he encountered firsthand.
The weight of a label
He considers how categories can shape expectations and narrow the way we see ourselves and others.
What comes next
He calls readers to face difficult truths and choose dignity, unity, and meaningful action.
Available October 13, 2026
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Complete the reminder form and we will send you the purchase link when I Am Not a Black Man: Embracing True Identity is released.
An invitation to the reader
Come willing to think.
I Am Not a Black Man makes room for careful reading and an honest conversation, whether you read alone or with others.
- Consider the words we use to describe one another.
- Listen to a perspective shaped by lived experience and Christian faith.
- Discuss a difficult subject with honesty and respect.
- Ask what dignity and reconciliation require of us now.
For readers and groups
The conversation continues beyond the last page.
If your church, men's group, book club, or organization would like to read and discuss I Am Not a Black Man together, we welcome the conversation.
Invite Elmo to Your GroupAvailable October 13, 2026
I Am Not a Black Man
Embracing True Identity · Elmo Winters
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