Racial Justice and Reconciliation
We are committed to the effort to compile and develop resources to increase connection to each other and our world, equipping us to more fully embrace the transforming power of God’s inclusive love” is part of the scope of work of One in the Spirit — our diocesan engagement across difference initiative.
At this moment in our history, there are no resources more crucial to that work than those which challenge, equip and empower us to dismantle the systemic racism that infects our nation, our church, and our world.
The Episcopal Church offers a list of resources for racial justice and reconciliation curated by members of the Presiding Bishop’s staff: www.episcopalchurch.org/racial-reconciliation/resources
The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles provides links to active programs and resources on its Countering Racism, Building Community webpage: diocesela.org/countering-racism-building-community
In addition to these excellent sources for information and inspiration, One in the Spirit highlights and commends the following:
Articles & Essays:
- The Messy Business of Being White – Anna Olson
- More Than A Black Thing – Kim L. Coleman
- In This Moment – Heidi J. Kim
- Triple Threat — Adialyn Milien
- Speaking of Freedom: A Letter to The Episcopal Church – Kelly Brown Douglas,
Stephanie Spellers and Winnie Varghese - America, Why Can’t You Stop Killing Us? – Stephanie Spellers [English/Español]
- Do We Want To Be White, or Do We Want To Be Church? – Kelly Brown Douglas
[English/Español] - Do You Really Want To Talk About Reparations? – Catherine Meeks [English/Español]
- Christ Beyond the Pale – Jemonde Taylor
- A Word to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles – John Harvey Taylor
[English/Español] - For Such a Time as This – Nadia Bolz-Weber
- Dismantling Systemic Racism in the Episcopal Church – Alan Murray
Books:
- How to Be an Antiracist – Ibrahm X. Kendi
| Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas—from the most basic
concepts to visionary possibilities—that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly,
understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems
and in ourselves. - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle
Alexander
| A stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that
has denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement. Since its
publication in 2010, the book has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for
more than a year — telling a truth our nation has been reluctant to face. - So You Want To Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
| Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality
and affirmative action to "model minorities" in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. - I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown
| From a leading voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up Black,
Christian, and female that exposes how white America’s love affair with “diversity” so
often falls short of its ideals.