FSR Team’s Weekly Recommendations | July 13

In support of our vision for ELPC to live into its designation of being a Matthew 25 Church, the Facing Systemic Racism team recognizes that we cannot achieve this vision absent all of us being better informed about issues related to race, and, specifically African Americans in the United States. There are many resources available, so we will suggest a few options each week. 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.

Below are resources for the upcoming week. Let us know what you and our family have watched, read, or listened to in the comment section!

Read

The Slave Ship: A Human History – Pittsburgh author Marcus Rediker shines a light into the darkest corners of the British and American slave ships of the eighteenth century. Drawing on thirty years of research in maritime archives, court records, diaries, and firsthand accounts, The Slave Ship sheds light on a world nearly lost to history: the “floating dungeons” at the forefront of the birth of African American culture.

Watch

Active Bystander Training – The webinar shared by Ohio State University provides virtual training for how to respond if you are a bystander to an act of racism or discrimination.

Listen

Jesus Was Divisive: A Black Pastor’s Message To White Christians – Nationwide protests are forcing many Americans to think about race in new ways. In this podcast from Code Switch black pastor in one of Christianity’s whitest denominations is asking his congregants to take an especially hard look.

For Kids & Families

CNN/Sesame Street Racism Town Hall – Family-friendly town Hall with strategies to start conversations with kids about race, racism, protests, and policing.