FSR Team’s Reading Recommendations for July 2020

In support of our vision for ELPC to live into our designation as a Matthew 25 Church, the Facing Systemic Racism team recognizes that we cannot achieve this vision without all of us being better informed about issues related to race, and specifically, African Americans in our country. There are many resources available, so we will suggest a few options each month for you to read, listen to, or watch.

This month, we offer a selection of books for you to consider.

• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  Ta-Nehisi Coates’ memoir to his son about being a Black man in America. Gripping.
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
  The history and impact of mass incarceration of Black men in America.
• Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
  Debby Irving’s book about her journey to understand her own bias, privilege and racism as a middle-aged WASP.
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
  Gripping historical account of the Great Migration as Black Americans left the South and settled in Northern cities from 1915–1970.
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
  In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
• Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
  Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s study of the impact racial identity has on children, particularly children of color. Research based and incredibly compelling.

Whether you chose from this list or have other books, films, etc., on this topic, please consider making time for this important faith work this summer. The FSR team challenges us to as a congregation read, watch, or listen to 1,000 books, TV programs, webinars, podcasts, or articles by Labor Day, September 7, 2020. Let us know what you and our family have watched, read, or listened to in the comment section!