The Pastoral Staff and Session of Grace Church recommend these resources for learning about social justice and related issues. If you have a resource that you would like to recommend, please email gug@gracemontclair.org with the information that will help others locate it, including links to online resources.
Books
Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow — Michelle Alexander’s award-winning book delves into mass incarceration and the truth about the United States’ thriving racial caste system. Ibram X. Kendi describes The New Jim Crow as “the spark that would eventually light the fire of Black Lives Matter.”
Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here — In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value “diversity” in their mission statements, I’m Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America’s social fabric — from Black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer — Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first novel tells the story of the underground war for freedom. Not only is it a beautifully written and imaginative book, but the stories of the American slaves’ struggle for freedom, followed through several generations, also provide for a sense of the depth of the devastation brought upon the Black community.
Brittney Cooper, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower — Author and professor of Gender and Africana Studies at Rutgers University, Brittney Cooper uses her own experience to talk about the power of Black female rage and how it can drive revolution and change the world.
Dána-Ain Davis, Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth — Dána-Ain Davis looks into why Black women have higher rates of premature birth and higher maternal death rates than other women in America. She places racial differences in birth outcomes into a historical context, revealing that ideas about reproduction and race today have been influenced by the legacy of ideas dating back to slavery.
Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility — In her book White Fragility, anti-racism educator Robin DiAngelo examines how white defensive responses to conversations about race and racism reinforce inequality and prevent meaningful dialogue. She then offers ways white people can work against white fragility to engage in more constructive ways.
Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be An Anti-Racist — Historian and New York Times best-selling author Ibram X. Kendi uses a mix of personal experiences, history, and science to show how a person can go from being racist to anti-racist, and how we can all build a new anti-racist society. Kendi’s book is at the top of almost every list we’ve seen.
Ijeoma Oluo, So You Want to Talk About Race — Ijeomo Oluo’s New York Times best seller shows people of all races how to have constructive and useful conversations about race in America. It answers questions about confronting friends and family members while providing a comprehensive education on this country’s racist heritage.
Layla F. Saad, Me and White Supremacy — What started as an Instagram challenge and a downloadable anti-racist workbook encouraging people to examine their own privilege and racist behaviors now comes in book form with historical context, expanded definitions, and more resources. It has been widely recommended for white people who want to make change but don’t know where to start.
Love L. Sechrest, Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, and Amos Yong, Editors, Can “White” People Be Saved: Triangulating Race, Theology, and Mission — This book is a collection of essays showing how “white” Christianity, both in its theology and missions, has negatively influenced the understanding of the gospel. Christian mission, both in the United States and abroad, has presented Christianity in a cultural framework that came from white Western culture. The unintended result was that to be a Christian one had to be “white.”
Isabel Wilkerson, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents — In this newly released nonfiction book, Isabel Wilkerson provides an examination of the unspoken caste system in America — the hierarchy of human divisions — with historical perspective including a study of the origins of the caste system in India. Ms. Wilkerson compares the American version to the caste system in public display throughout Nazi Germany.
Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration — If you are looking to understand how Black lives have not mattered, or how they do matter and always have mattered, The Warmth of Other Suns is a great resource for gaining that understanding.
Lisa Wingate, The Book of Lost Friends — This historical novel connects the post-Civil-War South, Louisiana in 1875, and a teacher living in 1987, beginning with newly freed slaves searching for their family members through newspaper stories. The author successfully ties together the generations that connect these time periods and displays how the white society has remained in control over life in America and particularly the South.
Ken Wytsma, The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege — It’s clear that issues of race and equality have come to the forefront in our nation’s consciousness. Every week yet another incident involving racial tension splashes across headlines and dominates our news feeds. But it’s not easy to unpack the origins of these tensions, and perhaps we wonder whether any of these issues really has anything to do with us.
Periodical Articles
Tish Harrison Warren, “In This Fraught Racial Moment, We Need a Refresher on Human Depravity.” Christianity Today. September 2020. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/september-web-only/racism-discrimination-george-floyd-sin-depravity.html
Online Video Resources
Remembering John Lewis |Oprah’s Master Class — Before he was a U.S. Congressman, John Lewis (1940-2020) was one of the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement. In this episode of “Oprah’s Master Class” the late American hero reflects on his life of activism and his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and offers wisdom for the ongoing fight for justice and equality.
The Next Question — This video web series engages leaders, activists, creatives, and thinkers in imagining how expansive racial justice can be. Each week, hosts Austin Channing Brown, Chi Chi Okwu, and Jenny Booth Potter expand imaginations with the help of incredible contributors. But it’s not just about the show. These in-depth conversations have become the groundswell for book clubs, reading homework, discussion groups, and more. The thousands of people joining the The Next Question are all a part of the TNQrew, learning and leading, every step of the way.
Podcasts and Other Digital Resources
1619 — “In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story.” 1619 is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast.
Anguish and Action — The Obama Foundation recently launched Anguish and Action (www.obama.org/anguish-and-action) as an international resource for the creation of a “more just and equitable world.” The resources provided here include highlights of a workshop on reimagining policing, opportunities to learn about police violence and anti-racism, a report from a leadership conference on civil and human rights with a guide to fair, safe and effective community policing, an equal justice initiative, and others. There is a link on taking action in your local community, and a link to a petition calling for the end to police violence against Black people. Additional assistance resources are provided for mental health care and trauma support, particularly in this time of COVID-19.