Get Educated: Join the Conversation on Racial Injustice
In a time when images of racial injustice are opening more eyes to the magnitude of the problem, we know it can leave many evaluating (maybe for the first time) what their role can or should be in moving toward change. Fortunately, we also find ourselves in a time when reputable resources are more accessible than ever as well.
Whether you’re new to the conversation on race in America or have been talking about it for a while, one thing we can all do is educate ourselves. Last year, our staff began going through many of these resources and discussing them in groups. We encourage you to join us as we continue to learn what we can all do to understand racism and how it affects us all—and love others the way Jesus loves us all.
Below are some great resources to start with as well as books that can help you talk to children about race. The conversations can start here, but they don’t need to end here. Although the events had to be rescheduled due to COVID-19, we plan to hold a series of events called Conversations on Race and Unity, in partnership with the Peace and Justice Institute and other local churches in the fall. These conversations will help us hear and understand perspectives and experiences that are different than ours. If you would like more information on when these will be rescheduled, you can let us know here.
Resources for Adults
If you’re not sure where to start, our top three recommendations are:
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Generous Justice by Timothy Keller
If you’re looking to gain a better understanding of historical context:
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
And if you want to learn more after that, look into:
Strength to Love by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Where Do We Go From Here by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
The Minority Experience by Adrien Pei
Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Eni Eddo-Lodge
Divided by Faith by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith
Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby and Lecrae Moore
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
How to Be an Anti Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Many Colors by Soong-Chan Rah
New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Hinton
Waking Up White by Debby Irving
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
“13th” (Documentary, Netflix)
For Young Adult Readers
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
For Elementary-Aged Kids
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
I Am Enough by Grace Byers
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
For Preschoolers
Whose Toes are Those? by Jabiri Asim
The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown
When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner