In 1938 Langston Hughes wrote a poem about lynchings. This month it was set to a new set of images by Frank Chi and Terrence Green, showing how pertinent it remains. Please share it.
Category Archives: resources
Yes, I’m an angry Black woman
Stacey Patton has written a lyrical, eloquent, clear piece that is particularly useful for white people who can’t understand why Black women would be angry this summer. Honestly, as a white woman myself, I have a hard time understanding why white people would think it wrong to be angry in the midst of what is going on. But if you need a piece to help someone “hear” more deeply, this is it.
Black lives matter
Many white people find themselves confronted by the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and respond by saying “all lives matter,” thoroughly missing the point. It can be hard to help them see what’s wrong with their sentiment, but here’s a quick and helpful explanation to which to point them.
Kids talk about race
Here’s a powerful set of reflections from kids talking about race:
What is privilege? exercise and video
Many people in dismantling racism contexts do some kind of “privilege walk exercise” as a way to help participants see the diversity of experiences people bring into this work, as well as the systemic nature of racial oppression. Here’s a video which has been widely shared recently, talking about one such exercise. This link includes the list of questions used.
Engaging the history of enslaved peoples
It often is the case that white people have little or no grasp of the history of enslavement in the US. Here’s a powerful essay by a woman who once led tours at a slavery museum, with the set of questions she was often asked.
Grieving with Emmanuel AME Church
Our hearts are breaking… there are really no words to describe the latest act of terrorism to hit in the US. But words may be our most powerful immediate response as we gather and organize and respond. Here are some of the pieces circulating:
- Emmanuel AME’s 200 years of staring down racism
- more on Emmanuel’s history
- yet more on Emmanuel’s history
- historical context more broadly
- more on the 9 people murdered
- the 9 people brutally killed
- on righteous anger
- on racialized violence
- The race war isn’t coming, it’s here (Jennings)
- a prayer for Emmanuel Church
- a prayer from the metropolitan DC AME church
- questions white folk should be asking
- the cost of white comfort
- biblical resources for preaching
- a reminder of resources for preaching
- bearing witness to pain and violence
- talking with children about Charleston
- a call to action from a “lilywhite mama”
- the #CharlestonSyllabus collection
- information on Denmark Vesey and more history of Vesey
- and yet more on Denmark Vesey
- resilience in the face of hatred
- James Fallows’ on President Obama’s eulogy of Sen. Pinckney
- from Rev. Waltrina Middleton
- the WCC’s condemnation of the mass killing
- ELCA statement
- statement from the Dean at Perkins/SMU
- Ella Baker Center statement
- COGIC statement
- 5 sentences that we must read
- Charleston shooter killed mostly Black women
- Blessed are the peacemakers
- Jon Stewart’s response
- Rev. Fakir’s response locally (Twin Cities)
- Juneteenth is for everyone (NYTimes)
- Charleston and the Age of Obama (New Yorker)
- terrorism in Charleston (New Yorker)
- Peter Marty
- call the shooter what he is, a terrorist
- one wildly different way a senator responds…
- “what this cruel war was over…” (Ta Nehisi Coates on the confederate flag issues)
Please remember that you can make contributions to the church directly on their website.
More stats describing racism
Here’s another useful set of statistics pointing to the ways in which racism is built into our systems, and reinforces biases in ways of which people are not even conscious.
Some responses to the situation in Baltimore
There has been a lot of really thoughtful reflection emerging these past few days. I’m starting a list here, please add to it as you come upon pieces worth sharing:
- four ways we can wrestle with the Baltimore protests
- a profoundly righteous rage, written in order to survive
- grieving with Baltimore
- from Ferguson to Baltimore
- for every 1000 people killed by a police officer, one officer is convicted
- faith leaders respond to the Baltimore riots
- “rules” for maintaining a racially hostile environment (sarcasm!)
- seeing God in the face of Freddie Gray
- David Simon on Baltimore’s anguish
- How do we seek the peace?
- Searing pictures from Baltimore
Racism is Real
Brave New Films has a short pithy film out — Racism is Real — that explores some of the many statistics available concerning structural and systemic racism. This three minute film documents why we need to continue to work on civil rights enforcement — many of the laws currently on the books in MN, for instance, are not being enforced. And charter schools, to give one example in MN, are exempt from civil rights laws. The credits at the end of the film reference the various studies.
UPDATE: The Washington Post has chimed in to affirm this piece, and more than 10 million people have viewed it as of today.