Racial Justice Resources

Selected primary sources from the history of white supremacy and racial paternalism in modern Christianity and resistance to it by Christians of a different way.

Resource Spotlight:

Alabama Slave Code of 1852: Includes sections of law requiring certain white men to form vigilante “patrols” in addition to the existing law enforcement officers managed by a minority of the population.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Sources by scholars about white supremacy and racism in modern Christianity.

Resource Spotlight:

Blum, Edward J. and Paul Harvey. The Color of Christ: The Son of God and the Saga of Race in America. Blum is the author of Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism. Harvey is author of Freedom’s Coming: Religious Cultures and the Shaping of the South from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Era.

Tisby, Jemar. The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism. For general audiences. Watch the video series available on Amazon. Good for church groups.

Sources exploring whether the freedom to travel – to work, to worship, to vacation, to minister, to visit – is something taken for granted – or not? And why?

Resource Spotlight:

McGuire, Danielle. At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance — A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to Black Power. One of the most important books for everyone to read. It will transform the way many white people understand Rosa Parks. The author’s archive of sources about individual women and their families is available here.

Sorin, Gretchen. Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights. Sorin’s book, a pleasure to read, is full of fascinating, heartbreaking, inspiring history as well as hopeful programs for all. She weaves personal and family histories with broader business and cultural history, connecting the antebellum era to the twentieth century to the present. View the documentary here.

These resources offer reflection and guidance for people of faith to follow “a more excellent way.”

Resource Spotlight:

Higginbotham, Evelyn. Righteous Discontent: The Women’s Movement in the Black Baptist Church, 1880-1920. 

Hill, Kimberly D. A Higher Mission: The Careers of Alonzo and Althea Brown Edmiston in Central Africa. A must-read for white Christians to understand Christianity and Christian missions as well as U. S. history in general. Look for virtual opportunities to hear more from Dr. Hill here.

Reflection and resources on the processes of reckoning, repairing, healing and moving forward.

Resource Spotlight:

Jardina, Ashley. White Identity Politics. This is probably one of the most important pieces of scholarship on the complexities of this subject to read at the moment. Pair with Dying of Whiteness.

Metzl, Jonathan M. Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland.

Resources especially for Christians shaped by a majority “white” culture and theology, willing to engage honest reflection and critique of one’s culture and self.

Resource Spotlight:

Jones, Robert P. White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity.

Sims, Angela D. Lynched: The Power of Memory in a Culture of Terror. What is the meaning of Christianity when some Christians perpetuate violence on other Christians?

Sources that consider how we can participate in sustaining “the most excellent way.” How can we cultivate and apply our character strengths to ending white supremacy, mending and transcending the wounds of moral injury and being part of building a just society and beloved community?

Resource Spotlight:

Cannon, Mae Elise and Andrea Smith, eds. Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice.

Walker-Barnes, Chanequa. I Bring the Voices of My People: A Womanist Vision for Racial Reconciliation. One of the best “how-tos” for those seeking as Cory Jones says not just to say “black lives matter” but “how black lives matter” and realize meaningful, transformative living and community.

A combination of online articles, videos and other resources related to racial justice and anti-racism.

Resource Spotlight:

“Becoming Less Racist: Lighting the Path to Anti-Racism.” A video series produced by Religion News Service, featuring  Anthea Butler, Jacqui Lewis, Austin Channing Brown, Kelly J. Baker, Kaitlin Curtice, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Simran Jeet Singh, Robert P. Jones and others.

Good Faith Forums on Racial Justice, especially episode 3: Contemplative discussions about racial justice led by moderators with a variety of expertise “who are not afraid to dig into the most tender elements of this important topic,” including what people mean by systemic racism, systematic racism, white privilege, Christian nationalism, and reparations. “Listen. Learn. Leverage your resources.” Meet panelists and moderators, and share their conversation with other Christians here.