Resources on Anti-Racism

We are grateful to see people across America and now the globe, exercising their rights to peacefully protest and speak out against injustice and racism.  If you find yourself suddenly more aware that racism is a real problem or even wondering why the movement has grown so large so quickly, we encourage you to use this time to explore resources that may educate you more on the history and experiences of minorities, of systemic racism, disparity, and of the thousands of stories that compel hearts to action.

This post is not comprehensive, and is mainly reflective of the North American experience but it will offer the opportunity to read, listen, and learn from a variety of perspectives.  Our hope is that the Holy Spirit can continually open eyes and soften hearts to the beauty and holiness of all created beings and to bind us together in love. 

(Updated: June 13, 2020.)

Practical Actions

Reading

White Fragility - Excellent starter book to begin to dismantle assumptions and excuses that whites often use to prevent exploring racism introspectively. 

Native - Shares the experience of a Native Potawatomi woman and her exploration of her heritage as it intersects with her deep Christian faith.

The History of White People - History of how race and racial ideas developed in our country through analyzing the “race” we think is most “obvious.”

How to be an Anti-Racist - This isn’t about why we shouldn’t be racist, but how to go about dismantling the structures of racism. Vital Reading.   

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America - US History and the challenges of race; very difficult reading emotionally, but a great way to see how ideas evolved in context.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (Anniversary) - This is a classic about the racialized law enforcement beginning after the civil war and continuing through the war on crime and drugs. 

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness - A very personal account of how black Christians in America have to navigate institutions and relationships with the majority culture.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson’s work in defending those on death penalty and commemorating lynching sites should be well known; this is his story discussing the racialized way our criminal justice system works. It frontlines his Christianity and his faith is beautifully articulated.

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Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America - Dyson’s work is NOT for the faint of heart. It was hard to read as a do-gooder white lady, but the emphasis on the need to stop and lament was one of many vital elements to take away from this short and difficult read. 

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration - This history of the movement of black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century out of the terrorist-ridden South to the cities of the North and West is really engaging. It follows 3 people and reads as their stories, interspersed with context regarding the societies of the time.

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin’s classic is gently and beautifully written, centered on the black experience of the mid-twentieth century and the anger as well as the resignation of many black Americans. We may be living in the times that fulfilled Baldwin’s warning about the “Fire next time.”

At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power - This is a very difficult book to read, trigger-warnings. It’s a needed corrective for those of us who have only seen black women as sidekicks to the “great men” of the civil rights movement. It’s also clear that black women were dealing with and acting against sexaul assault long before white women took it on. Very inspiring.

The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism - Jemar Tisby is a young historian who is rising to prominence with his ability to speak to Christians in the US about our support of racist structures and policies. The history here is hard to read and take on board. I recommend using it with the group study guide.  

Bone and Sinew of the Land: America's Forgotten Black Pioneers and the Struggle for Equality - Anna-lisa Cox tells the history in a very readable way, no need to be a scholar to learn so much here. It’s  both encouraging and upsetting to see how many free black Americans helped move the American “dream” forward in the American “West” before the Civil War (that’s the territory now known as the Midwest) until the 1830s when their freedoms were gradually dismantled. 

On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-first Century - This isn’t only a history of lynching, but a helpful list of actions for how to make sure we remember this legacy in a way that leads to justice and then healing.

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nahesi Coates is a beautiful writer, and these challenging words that he writes to his son are vital for understanding a bit of  what it is to be in the world in a black male body.

Critical Race Theory: An Introduction (Delgado & Stefancic, 1995/2001). “...while the critical race theory movement has spawned dozens of conferences and numerous books, no concise, accessible volume outlines its basic parameters and tenets. Here, then, from two of the founders of the movement, is the first primer on one of the most influential intellectual movements in American law and politics.”

The Cross and the Lynching Tree (James Cone, 2011). “The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and black death, the cross symbolizes divine power and black life, God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era.”

Jesus and the Disinherited (Howard Thurman, 1949/1996). “In this classic theological treatise, the acclaimed theologian and religious leader Howard Thurman (1900–81) demonstrates how the gospel may be read as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. Jesus is a partner in the pain of the oppressed and the example of His life offers a solution to ending the descent into moral nihilism. Hatred does not empower—it decays. Only through self-love and love of one another can God's justice prevail. ”

Podcasts:

Adventist Peace Radio podcast episodes on racial issues:

Sermons, Presentations, & Conversations:

Social Media Accounts/Hashtags:

  • #dearwhitepeacemakers

  • Claudia Allen  @camaal365

  • Osheta Moore @oshetamoore

  • Austin Channing Brown @austinchanning

  • Tasha Morrison @latashamorrison

  • Tamika D. Mallory @tamikadmallory

  • Jemar Tisby @temartisby

  • Adventists for Social Justice @adventistsforsocialjustice

  • Sojourners @sojogram

  • Lisa Sharon Harper @lisaharper

  • Rachel Elizabeth Cargle @rachel.cargle

  • The Great Unlearn @thegreatunlearn

  • Parade magazine’s top 25 on Instagram - https://parade.com/1045757/stephanieosmanski/anti-racist-instagram-accounts-to-follow/ 

Movies & Documentaries:

RECENT ADVENTIST STATEMENTS ON RACIAL INJUSTICE

BONUS

In addition to our curated list, please also see these lists: