Recommended Reading

There are many excellent books and films devoted to racial justice and understanding. The following list, while not exhaustive, offers a starting point for individuals seeking to grow their racial understanding.

Books:

  • Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
  • Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
  • The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice by Cara Meredith
  • Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
  • Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
  • White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson

Articles

  • “White Southerners, our souls are at stake. We must speak up now.” by Rev. Dr. Joanna Adams

Films

  • Just Mercy
  • Selma
  • 13th
  • When They See Us
  • The Hate U Give
  • Hidden Figures

Talking to Children about Race

As adults, we are often wary of saying the wrong thing, particularly when our own understanding of an issue is evolving.

But it’s important to realize that, while children do look to us for wisdom and guidance, it’s okay not to have a final answer to some questions. It’s okay to walk beside them as learners, to share thoughts and feelings and to encourage their prayer and reflection.

When engaging racial justice with children, others’ voices are essential. The books below can help facilitate age-appropriate conversations about complex but urgent issues.

Books:

  • Lovely by Jess Hong
  • I Am Enough by Grace Byers
  • Come with Me by Holly M. McGhee
  • The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart
  • I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown