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

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