Fighting Racism Resource List
(Not all of these resources have been previewed by the Social Justice Ministry but are presented for exploration of this vital topic)
Books on American Racism
America’s Original Sin, Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis :A 2015 look into the United States' issues with race and a call to action in overcoming the racism ingrained in American society.
Between the World and Me - a 2015 non iction book written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and published by Spiegel & Grau. It is written as a letter to the author's teenage son about the feelings, symbolism, and realities associated with being Black in the United States.
Black Like Me, by John Howard Grif in, Written in 1961 White writer darkened his skin for 6 months and traveled through the south to experience the true situation that people of color faced.
The Color of Water by James McBride bout his life as a black man raised by a white, Jewish mother, named Ruth. The book is the product of fourteen years of research, including the author's interviews with his mother about her heritage.
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America is a 2012 non- iction book by the American author Gilbert King. It is a history of the attorney Thurgood Marshall's defense of four young black men in Lake County, Florida, who were accused in 1949 of raping a white woman.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond: 2016 non- iction, Princeton sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” follows 8 families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads.
Ferguson and Faith, Sparking Leadership and Awakening Community: by Leah Gunning Francis, 2015: Stories of the eclectic group of faith leaders -- many of them young, most of them black women -- who have been leading the response to Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri.
How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi: 2019 non- iction book by American author and historian. The book discusses concepts of racism and Kendi's proposals for anti-racist individual actions and systemic changes.
The Known World by Edward P. Jones : A 2003 historical novel by Edward P. Jones. Set in Virginia during the antebellum era, it examines the issues regarding the ownership of black slaves by both white and black Americans. Just Mercy ( ilm also on Prime video) by Bryan Stevenson: A Story of Justice and Redemption. by Bryan Stevenson. A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to ix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and in luential lawyers of our time. The last 3 chapters speak strongly for an end to the death penalty as well as for an end to injustice in our prisons, and are spiritually inspiring.
Just Water, The Theology and Ethics of Fresh Water Crises by Christiana Z. Peppard: A study of the necessity and availability of a supply of fresh water from the perspective of Christian ethics, this revised edition includes new data and updates on social developments related to water.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander - A New York Times Best Seller, this book came out just after Obama's irst election, and talks about institutional racism and the brokenness of the criminal justice system. The 10th anniversary edition that includes a new preface by the author.
Rest in Power - by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, re: the killing of Trayvon Martin, written by his parents. This killing is what touched off the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. NOTE: There is a six-part documentary “Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story “that recounts the life and tragic death of 17- year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012, the polarizing trial of George Zimmerman and the rise of Black Lives Matter, produced by Paramount ilms.
So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo - guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and af irmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible, namely, honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life (a book currently being read by the Sisters of St. Joseph!)
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi -a 2016 non- iction book about the history of race in the United States by Ibram X. Kendi that won the National Book Award for Non iction. .
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: A 1937 novel by African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston. It is considered a classic of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, and it is likely Hurston's best known work. The novel explores main character Janie Crawford's "ripening from a vibrant, but voiceless, teenage girl into a woman with her inger on the trigger of her own destiny".
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup: An 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and edited by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details his being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. He was in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before he was able to secretly get information to friends and family in New York, who in turn secured his release with the aid of the state.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson: This work tells the story of the Great Migration and the Second Great Migration, the movement of African Americans out of the Southern United States to the Midwest, Northeast and West from approximately 1915 to 1970. The book intertwines a general history and statistical analysis of the entire period. It includes the biographies of three persons: a sharecropper's wife who left Mississippi in the 1930s for Chicago, an agricultural worker who left Florida for New York City in the 1940s, and a doctor who left Louisiana in the early 1950s, moving to Los Angeles.
The BLM website also offers a 4 year anniversary report from the BLM organization which is 33 pages long. It appears to be a bit dated but may be of interest. Black Lives Matter - Albany, NY - Home | Facebook www.facebook.com › ...
White Fragility, Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin Di Angelo Also Workbook available
White Trash by Nancy Isenberg, A 400 Year Untold History of Class in America
Videos - Film, Documentaries, TV
“4 Little Girls” - ilm on the fatal Birmingham church bombing resulting in the death of 4 little children, by Spike Lee; Free Meek - a ive-episode PRIME offering - docudrama.
“13th” -Net lix and now available for free on You Tube - is a documentary with the title based upon the 13th amendment that was supposed to free enslaved persons and an accompanying program: “13th: A Conversation with Oprah Winfrey”
"Amplifying Black Stories”- Some great titles: a ilm based on a book: The Hate U Give - teens especially will like.
“Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise “ - 2016 Leaving Amazon Prime 6/30 but available if you have PBS Passport: 4 episodes, 55 min. each - Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (does Finding Your Ancestors on PBS) “Reconstruction”- PBS 4 part documentary that explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction, and revolutionary social change.
“Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story” six-part documentary that recounts the life and tragic death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012, the polarizing trial of George Zimmerman and the rise of Black Lives Matter, produced by Paramount ilms.
“Selma” - ilm based on the historic Selma civil rights march of the 60’s;
“The Talk: Race in America” - PBS 1 hr 55-minute documentary Rosie Perez and several others discuss the reality of parenting and attempting to keep safe the non-white child growing up in a racist US
“Two Black Men: A Week” -2016, 50-minute documentary: In the USA, a young black man has 21 more chances to get killed by the police than a young white boy. Every week, two black would be shot by the police. So what's going wrong between the police and the black community in the US? Why this disproportionate use of force? What are the authorities doing to ight the police's abusive behavior?
“The Uncomfortable Truth” - 1 hr 25-minute documentary
“When They See Us” - Ava DuVernay's ilm - including 3-part series done for Net lix,- about the Central Park Five the 3-part Net lix ilm about the Central Park Five who were wrongly arrested and jailed for assaulting "the Central Park Jogger" back in the late 1980's. The Internet says, as of 6/19/2020, you can see this "in front of Net lix's paywall."
“Where do We Go from Here?” Amazon Prime: OWN Spotlight: in 2 parts - produced by Oprah Winfrey for her network - each 51 minutes long - Black leaders respond to the recent protests generated by the murder of George Floyd by police.
Online Articles “The assumptions of white privilege and what we can do about it” National Catholic Reporter-Amy Cooper knew exactly what she was doing. We all do. And that's the problem. Jun 1, 2020 by Bryan N. Massingale OpinionJustice. Available on line at ncronline.org
“How White People Got Made” by Quinn Norton, at medium.com
“ The Remarkable Story of John Howard Grif in” Author of Black Like Me http:// www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/06/black-like-story-white-journalist- john-howard-grif in/
“White Fragility”, by Robin Di Angelo, Presents another perspective on white privilege. https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116 On Line Study Courses
“21 Days Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge” https://www.debbyirving.com/21-day-challenge/ Large amount of resources of articles, videos. Choose one each day for 21 days.
NETWORK, a Catholic leader in the global movement for justice and peace, educates, organizes and lobbies for economic and social transformation. “Recommit to Racial Justice Guide” (Download the full guide as a PDF." • We Are Called to Work for Racial Justice • Establishing a Common Understanding of Racism and White Supremacy • The Origins of the Racial Wealth and Income Gap • Perpetuating the Racial Wealth and Income Gap In Our Policies • The Legacy of Injustices Against Native Americans • The Impact of Racism on U.S. Immigration Past and Present • Health Equity Is a Racial Justice Imperative • Hope for Our Liberation networkadvocates.org
“From Freedom Rides to Ferguson: Narratives of Nonviolence in the American Civil Rights Movement” Emory University Free Online Course at Coursera, https://www.coursera.org/
“Open Wide our Hearts - the Enduring Call to Love, a Pastoral Letter”: At usccb.org/racism, 2-pagers exploring many aspects of institutional or systemic racism are available: What Is Systemic Racism? | Racism and Economic Inequality | Racism and Education | Racism and Employment | Racism and Housing | Racism and the Criminal Justice System | Racism and the Native American Experience | Racism and Voting | Racism and Immigration
Toolkits "Resources" on Black Lives Matter website menu includes several down-loadable “A Healing Action, Con lict Resolution, and Talk about Trayvon” (young boy killed when he went out to get candy and a drink)
Toolkit -speci ically for White People (5 pages) and one for POC Organizers 6 pages; these appear to be geared toward the anniversary time of his death, either that or Black History Month (Feb).