Talking about Race
Resources on Race for Formation within Families
First Step – Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Household Self Assessment for White Christians written by Lucy Breidenthal of the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City.
Jennifer Harvey was a speaker at the 2018 Forma Conference. Her book Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America serves as a guide for parents to navigate these times. She spoke with NPR on May 31st. For a deeper dive into her book, Dr. Harvey was a guest on May 21, 2020 on the Integrated Schools podcast.
Children’s story books are a great way to have difficult conversations with your kids. Embrace Race offers resource lists for children and youth around race.
Finally, Books for Littles has a step by step guide for parents to begin talking about race complete with books to read with your kids and questions to ask.
Resources for Adults
Books:
Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S. by Rev. Lenny Duncan. Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan's denomination (ELCA) and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. The book includes a discussion guide.
How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Instead of working with the policies and system we have in place, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it. The website includes a discussion guide for book groups.
Me and White Supremacy: A 28-Day Challenge to Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad. This book leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy, so they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of color, and help other white people do better, too.
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. This is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class, Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the reader to confront apathy, recognize God's ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness--if we let it--can save us all.
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD. This book explicates the dynamics of White Fragility and how we might build our capacity in the on-going work towards racial justice. Website includes a reader's guide.
Seeing my Skin: A Story of Wrestling with Whiteness by Peter Jarrett Schell is a personal journey of a priest’s understanding of his Whiteness widens into an invitation to wrestle with larger cultural issues of race and belonging.
When you can, please buy these books directly from the author or a small, independent bookseller online.
PodCasts:
Seeing White- Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen takes a deep dive into the subject of whiteness, along with an array of scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, in this fourteen-part documentary series, released between February and August 2017.
1619 from the New York Times- A podcast companion to the groundbreaking 1619 Project published by the NYT in August of 2019 that aims to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast features movement voices, stories, and strategies for racial justice. Co-hosts Chevon and Hiba give their unique takes on race and pop culture, and uplift narratives of hope, struggle, and joy, as we continue to build the momentum needed to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture.
Church Level Faith Formation for Talking About Race
Sacred Ground is a film-based dialogue series on race and faith published and supported by The Episcopal Church. If you would like help setting up a webinar or presenting this in your congregation, contact Amy Cook.
Learning for Justice (formerly known as Teaching Tolerance has put together a solid compilation of lessons and learning resources for teachers that specifically name race, racism, and police violence.
Since we cannot visit anytime soon, the National Museum of African American History & Culture has put together and excellent set of tools to inspire conversation. They have sections for teachers, parents, and individuals.
The Thoughtful Christian has some free lessons as well as well-curated books and downloadable lessons for purchase.