Resources courtesy of Rev. Dr. Velda Love, Minister for Racial Justice, Justice and Local Church Ministries, United Church of Christ and leea allen, Minister of Faith and Justice at Virginia Highland Church, UCC in Atlanta
“Race is not Real. Race does not exist biologically nor anthropologically, neither is there any reference to race in the 66 canonized books of the Bible. Race is neither scientific nor sacred. Race is an artificial social construct, and it serves a social function. Racism is Real. Racism originates from the unholy belief that there are human groups with particular social and physical characteristics that make them superior or inferior to another human group.
– Rev. Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister, Justice and Local Church Ministries, United Church of Christ
Where are we today regarding race relations within the Christian Church and Society?
The United Church of Christ remains committed to being an anti-racist church. However, we are facing a resurgence of tactics and behaviors that call for a deeper commitment to eradicate the ongoing practices of oppression, hate speech, individual bigotry, and overt violence against people of African, Asian, Latinx, Native and Indigenous Americans, and immigrant populations.
Restorative racial justice resources invite people of faith into a deeper commitment to engage with biblical, theological, and historical works by scholars invested in critical thinking and expanded narratives as correctives to white nationalism and supremacist history.Some Suggested Resources About Racism
The resources below have been suggested by individuals in our churches as a way for individuals and churches to engage in learning about racism. Several have been used for adult study groups. Additional suggestions will be added.
Resources from the UCC
- Racial Justice page on UCC website
- Sacred Conversations to End Racism – UCC Curriculum
- White Privilege: Let’s Talk – UCC Curriculum
Books
- Decolonizing Christianity Becoming Badass Believers by Miguel De La Torre
- From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
- How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collection by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Menakem Resmaa
- Race and Theology by Elaine A. Robinson
- Reading the Bible from the Margins by Miguel De La Torre
- Shades of Freedom: Racial Politics and Presumptions of the American Legal Process by Leon A. Higginbotham, Jr.
- Spiritual Care in an Age of #BLACKLIVESMATTER: Examining the Spiritual and Prophetic Needs of African Americans in a Violent America by Danielle J. Buhuro
- Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas
- The Combahee River Collective Statement by The Combahee River Collective
- The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone
- The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E. Baptist
- The People’s Companion to the Bible by Curtiss DeYoung
- The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing by Anneliese Singh
- The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde
- Under Our Skin by Benjamin Watson
- What Does It Mean To Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy by Robin DiAngelo
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino
- Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk about Race and How to do it by Shelley Tochluk
Movies/Documentaries
- 13th, a Netflix documentary exposing racial inequality within the criminal justice system
- Just Mercy, a film based on civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s work on death row in Alabama
- Twelve Years a Slave, 2013 biographical period-drama and adaptation of the 1858 slave memoir by Solomon Northrup, a born free African-American man, kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Resources for BIPOC
Counseling
- Therapy for Black Girls
- National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
- Black Therapist Network
- Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
- Inclusive Therapists (reduced fee)
- National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC Network
- The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (free)
- Latinx Therapy
- South Asian Mental Health Initiative & Network
- Asian Mental Health Project
Spiritual/Soul Care
- Midweek Motivational Moments: A 30-minute weekly offering from Faith Matters Network for reflection and conversation led by chaplains.
- Care Circle: Weekly song gatherings and podcast episodes from Irresistible (formerly the Healing Justice Podcast).
- 365 Days of Affirming Black Life and Amplifying Black Love: This list from Harriet’s Apothecary includes daily practices and rituals of compassion.
- The Nap Ministry: A womanist project that installs nap experiences and focuses on the spiritual practice of resting for liberation.
- Brown Girl Therapy: Promotes mental health resources for immigrants and undocumented families.
- Virtual Native Talking Circles: Online and bi-weekly support group for Native/Indigenous people.
- QTPOC Healing Space: Online support group for queer, trans, and intersex BIPOC.
- Decolonizing Therapy: Offerings from Dr. Jennifer Mullan including videos, podcasts, newsletters, and individual coaching sessions.
- Healing In Action: A toolkit on organizing healing actions from Black Lives Matter.
Resources for White people
Support Community Organizers
- Atlanta Solidarity Fund
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- Black Visions Trans and Queer Collective
- MN Healing Justice Network/Spiral Collective
- Louisville Community Bail Fund
- The Bail Project (national)
Other Resources
- Embracerace : www.embracerace.org/resources/26-childrens-books-to-support-conversations-on-race-racism-resistance?
- UCC Webinar Recording: “The Cross and the Lynching Tree: A Requiem for Ahmaud Arbery”. See the UCC website.
- Good video of Dr. James Cone talking about the writing of the book “The Cross and the Lynching Tree”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htj59Cup7Jg&t=3393s
- Podcasts by Nicole Hannah-Jones about: the” New York Times 1619 Project” commemorating the 400th anniversary of the beginning of slavery.
- The Association of United Church Educators: https://www.auce-ucc.org/anti-racism-for-households