Resources
The issues of race and racial reconciliation are at the heart of the Gospel and are important to us at SPC. We encourage you to learn, ponder, have your heart broken, and commit yourself to this important work and conversation. To assist you on that journey, we have put together a list of resources to get you started.
Read
- “The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, New Haven” by Willie James Jennings, Yale UP, 2010.
- “White Fragility” by Robin Diangelo. Available on Amazon
- “Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice”, by Brenda Salter McNeil. Available on Amazon
- “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”, by Beverly Daniel Tatum. Available on Amazon
- “One Blood” by John Perkins. Available on Amazon
- “America’s Original Sin” by Jim Wallis. Available on Amazon
- “Between the World and Me”, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015. Available on Amazon
- “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison. New York: Vintage International, 2007.
- “Let Justice Roll Down” by John Perkins. Available on Amazon
- “Unashamedly Black, Unapologetically Christian: A Devotional for Black Faith and Life” by Lee Hall-Perkins and Jana Hall-Perkins. Available on Amazon
- “The Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change” by Brenda Salter McNeil and Rick Richardson. Available on Amazon
- “Redeeming Mulatto: A Theology of Race and Christian Hybridity” by Brian Bantum, Waco: Baylor UP, 2010. Available on Amazon
- “The Ministry of Reconciliation” by Robert J. Schreiter. Available on Amazon
- “So You Want To Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo. Available on Amazon
- “Crucial Conversations; Tools for Talking when Stakes are High” by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler. Available on Amazon
- A curated list of resources on diversity, race, and reconciliation.
- “The House Behind the Cedars” by Charles Chesnut New York: Modern Library, 2003. Available on Amazon
- A series of articles expounding on historical segregation in Seattle:
Watch
- Biblical Justice and the Death of Black People – A conversation between Pastor Aaron Williams, Rev. Chipo Johnson, Chris Thurton and Chris Nichols: on YouTube
- America in Pain: What do we Do Next – ABC News special report
- Systemic Racism Explained: by act.tv
- A talk given by SPU psych prof Paul Kim on microaggressions: on YouTube
- A series of videos on the everyday effects of implicit bias: from the NY Times
- A historical survey of Christianity’s problematic relationship with racism.
Other Resources
- Blogs, Newsletters, People to follow on Social Media – This is a partial list highlighted in a newsletter from Sarah Bessey.
- Austin Channing Brown’s newsletter, The Roll Call
- Osheta Moore – her series Dear White Peacemakers available to everyone on social media for free.
- Be the Bridge with Latasha Morrison. A discipleship group working towards racial healing and reconciliation. If you’re not sure about white supremacy, start with their four-lesson whiteness intensive plan to understand the basic tenets in order to better engage with good conversations.
- Lisa Sharon Harper – Speaker, Writer, Activist, Artist
- Black Coffee with White Friends – an Instagram account that is doing deep work on that platform that is hopeful and strong.
- Rozella Haydée White is a spiritual life and transformational leadership coach and creator.
- Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes – author of “I Bring the Voices of My People: A Womanist Vision for Racial Reconciliation”