Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, July 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities
-Craig Steven Wilder
-paperback $16.99
-Kindle $9.99
-hardcover $22.00
-432 pages
-Bloomsbury Press
-2013
-description: A scholar on race in America, Craig S. Wilder, a professor of American history at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and former professor at Williams and Dartmouth colleges, respectively, presents the uncomfortable truths regarding race, slavery, and some of America’s most celebrated institutions. Schools such as Harvard, Yale, and the University of North Carolina would not exist today without labor, tears, and blood of people of color. Wilder shows how some of these leading academies garnered the support of slave owners and slave traders while perpetuating breeding grounds for racist ideology that sustained them.
Wilder, C. S. (2013). Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities. Bloomsbury Press.
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century
-Alice Wong, editor
-Kindle $13.99
-paperback $10.99
-309 pages
-Vintage Books
-2020
-description: This anthology by disability rights activist, Alice Wong, shares tough realities told by contributors who lived these experiences. These disabilities are visible and many less so, but all of them appear underrepresented in the media and popular culture.
Wong, A. (2020). Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century. Vintage Books.
all about love
-bell hooks
-hardcover $45.00
-paperback $9.99
-272 pages
-William Morrow Paperbacks
-2018
-description: bell hooks was an author, educator, and theorist, and known for her writings on race, sexuality, feminism, capitalism, and love. A native of Hopkinsville, KY, she taught at Oberlin College, University of Southern California, Stanford, and Yale before joining the faculty at Berea College as a Distinguished Professor in Residence and later founded the bell hooks institute at the College. A writer of numerous books, poems, and essays, she wrote all about love, an affirmation of how her revelations can spark change in our hearts and minds for a better society. Her path to love is not only sacred and redemptive, but also healing.
hooks, b. (2018). all about love. William Morrow Paperbacks.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, June 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Queer Virtue: What LGBTQ People Know About Life and Love and How It Can Revitalize Christianity
-Rev. Elizabeth M. Edman
-Kindle $13.99
-hardcover $24.90
-paperback $17.00
-216 pages
-Beacon Press
-2016
-description: The Reverend Elizabeth Edman, also an advocate for LGBTQ justice, says that her queer identity taught her more about being a good Christian than the church. The author proposes that queer experience should be celebrated as virtuous and calls allChristians to a more robust understanding of their faith. She says that Christian love is not just tolerance, but queer people can help others understand a sacred space where queer Christians are recognized as gifts to the church.
Edman, E. (2016). Queer Virtue: What LGBTQ People Know About Life and Love and How It Can Revitalize Christianity. Beacon Press.
A Burst of Light: and Other Essays
-Audre Lorde
-Jen Keenan, illustrator
-Kindle $9.99
-hardcover $12.79
-144 pages
-Ixia Press
-2017
-description: This Columbus Foundation National Book Award is a collection of essays where Lorde sends out a call to build communities that can only nurture our spirit. One of her quotations, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare,” a mantra of many who practice social justice activism and see the need for radical politics.
Lorde, A. (2017). A Burst of Light: and Other Essays. Ixia Press.
The Selected Works of Audre Lorde
-Audre Lorde
-Roxane Gay, editor
-Kindle $8.98
-paperback $16.95
-384 pages
-W. W. Norton & Company
-2020
-description: Audre Lorde is a self-described lesbian, mother, activist, and poet. She highlights her contributions of feminism, queer theory, and critical race theory in essays such as “I am Your Sister” and poems such as “Sister Outsider” and “A Litany of Survival.”
Lorde, A. (2020). The Selected Works of Audre Lorde. W. W. Norton & Company.
Beyond a Binary God: A Theology for Trans* Allies
-Tara K. Soughers
-Kindle $12.99
-paperback $16.95
-128 pages
-Church Publishing
-2018
-description: Soughers, an Episcopal priest, parent, and trans ally, reminds us that God is beyond all our categories and gender, and we are made in the likeness of God and not in just ways that we have in common with others.
Soughers, T. K. (2018). Beyond a Binary God: A Theology for Trans* Allies. Church Publishing.
Podcasts
For People with Bishop Rob Wright. (2023, June 2). Pauli Murray with Rosita
Stevens-Holsey [Audio]. https://www.buzzsprout.com/952672/12949903
Strengthening the Heartland. (2021, January 21). How to Affirm LGBTQ+ Youth
[Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/y_U_c87eoJc
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, May 2023
Prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Salvation: The Journey from Here to Eternity
-Kim Brooks
-Kindle $6.99
-paperback $14.49
-136 pages
-Xulon Press
-2023
-description: Dr. Brooks is a wife, mother, physician, minister, Sunday School teacher, and local preacher at Greater Warner AME Zion Church, Knoxville, the oldest African American congregation in East Tennessee and served as a station on the Underground Railroad. After almost losing her infant son in an accident, the author was led to a rewarding relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation is a travel guide to lead one to spiritual maturity.
Brooks, K. (2023). Salvation: The Journey from Here to Eternity. Xulon Press.
Twelve Steps to Religionless Spirituality: The Power of Spirituality with or without God
-Ward B. Ewing
-Kindle $9.99
-hardcover $29.40
-paperback $26.85
-220 pages
-Cascade Books
-2021
-description: Ewing says that Twelve Step spirituality is pragmatic, not focused on theory. This all-inclusive process is intended for all who desire to stop drinking. It seeks honesty, which is often painful, but those who are Christians, atheists, agnostics, Jewish, Muslim, free thinkers, and all faiths will find it relevant and very useful. The Very Rev. Ward Ewing is a former Dean and President of General Theological Seminary and has retired to his native Tennessee. He is the author of several books and adult education programs through the University of South, Sewanee, Tennessee.
Ewing, W. B. (2021). Twelve Steps to Religionless Spirituality: The Power of Spirituality with or without God. Cascade Books.
Standing in the Need of Prayer
-Nikki Giovanni
-Emily Calvo, illustrator
-Kindle $2.99
-paperback $10.00
-48 pages
-On Kindle Scribe
-2020
-description: Giovanni has borrowed the title of the traditional Spiritual to poetically describe the vulnerability of Black men in America, particularly regarding gun violence. This work is a call for prayers to protect those affected by systemic racism, and includes poems by Jordan Holmes and Pulitzer Prize winner, Jericho Brown.
Giovanni, N. (2020). Standing in the Need of Prayer. On Kindle Scribe.
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
-Cathy Park Hong
-Kindle $8.99
-hardcover $13.76
-paperback $11.59
-224 pages
-One World
-2020
-description: This New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize Finalist is a blend of history, memoir, and facts regarding racial consciousness in America in the form of essays using the author’s personal experiences, humor, and reflection.
Hong, C. P. (2020). Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning. One World.
Jesus Has Left the Building
-Peter Keese
-Kindle $9.99
-paperback $10.85
-90 pages
-Wipf & Stock
-2014
-description: Father Keese proposes that good news is larger than any church can imagine, and that good news is everywhere or all-encompassing. He writes that Jesus has invited us to come along where life is to be experienced and enjoyed. The author is a retired Episcopal priest who served in the Diocese of East Tennessee, in addition to serving as Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
Keese, P. (2014). Jesus Has Left the Building. Wipf & Stock.
The Groom Will Keep His Name: And Other Vows I’ve Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance
-Matt Ortile
-Kindle $9.99
-paperback $13.99
-336 pages
-Bold Type Books
-2020
-description: These essays by a gay Filipino man have been described as “witty and captivating.” The immigrant to America was harassed as a kid for everything that defined him, and believed the myth that marrying a white man and shedding his own identity would help him belong.
Ortile, M. (2020). The Groom Will Keep His Name: And Other Vows I’ve Made About Race, Resistance, and Romance. Bold Type Books.
Podcasts
CNBC Television. (2021, February 12). More than 2,500 hate crimes reported against Asian-Americans in 2020 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ptMZfekZNto
The Try Guys. (2021, March 24). We Need to Talk About Anti-Asian Hate [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/14WUuya94QE
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, April 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Talking through the Door: An Anthology of Contemporary Middle Eastern American Writing
-Susan Atefat-Peckham
-Kindle $12.49
-hardcover $13.15
-272 pages
-Syracuse University Press
-2014
-description: This anthology includes writers who are descendants of multiple cultural heritages, backgrounds, and diverse socioeconomic and spiritual sensibilities, such as Egyptian, Iranian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and atheist. There are many vital contributions to contemporary American literature in this resource.
Atefat-Peckham, S. (Ed.). (2014) Talking through the Door: An Anthology of Contemporary Middle Eastern American Writing. Syracuse University Press.
A Country Called Amreeka: U. S. History Retold Through Arab-American Lives
-Alia Malek
-hardcover $12.60
-paperback $6.76
-310 pages
-Free Press
-2009
-description: Malek is an author and civil rights lawyer born to Syrian immigrants. She takes the reader on a journey of the last forty-plus years of American history seen through the eyes of Arab Americans—narratives of love, friendship, family, courage, hate, and success.
Malek, A. (2009). A Country Called Amreeka: U. S. History Retold Through Arab-American Lives. Free Press.
Arabs in America: Building a New Future
-Michael Suleiman
-paperback $39.95
-227 pages
-Temple University Press
-1999
-description: Twenty-one scholars representing different disciplines are featured here and take a close look at the Arab’s status in North America.
Suleiman, M. (1999). Arabs in America: Building a New Future. Temple University Press.
Arab Americans in Film: From Hollywood and Egyptian Stereotypes to Self-Representation (Critical Arab American Studies)
-Waleed F. Mahdi
-hardcover $75.00
-Kindle $28.45
-paperback $29.95
-328 pages
-Syracuse University Press
-2020
-description: This is an original comparative analysis of how Arab Americans are portrayed in Arab American cinema and Egyptian cinema. This resource is a starting point for having conversations about film, representation, and othering.
Mahdi, W. F. (2020). Arab Americans in Film: From Hollywood and Egyptian Stereotypes to Self-Representation (Critical Arab American Studies). Syracuse University Press.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, March 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Hallelujah! The Welcome Table
-Maya Angelou
-Kindle $8.99
-hardcover $21.49
-paperback $20.49
-spiral-bound $43.93
-240 pages
-Random House Trade Paperbacks
-2007
-descriptions: In this cookbook, Angelou states that the preparation and sharing of good food played a central role in life from childhood to her travels and work. The best-selling author’s kitchen became a social center for her generous circle of friends as they ate her meat pies, beef Wellington, bread pudding, caramel cake, and much, much more!
Angelou, M. (2007). Hallelujah! The Welcome Table. Random House Trade Paperbacks.
Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic
-Valerie Boyd, ed.
-paperback $18.22
-256 pages
-Lookout Books
-2022
-description: This anthology of Black resilience and reclamation explores comfort, compromise, and challenge with contributions from greats such as Alice Walker, Pearl Cleage, Imani Perry, and many others. It has been referred to as a “survival guide” for navigating through the intersecting pandemics of Covid-19 and systemic racism.
Boyd, V. (Ed.). (2022). Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic. Lookout Books.
We Are Owed
-Ariana Brown
-paperback $20.00
-100 pages
-Grieveland
-2021
-description: Brown’s debut collection about her childhood in Texas and a pilgrimage to Mexico, We Are Owed explores Black relationality in Mexican and Mexican American spaces and confronts anti-Black erasure.
Brown, A. (2021). We Are Owed. Grieveland.
White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation in the Age of Inequality
-Sheryll Cashin
-Kindle $2.99
-hardcover $14.99
-paperback $16.12
-312 pages
-Beacon Press
-2021
-description: Cashin, a daughter of civil rights activists, author, and Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law at Georgetown University, calls us to change the lens through which society sees residents of poor Black neighborhoods and develop a relationship from punitive to caring. Her scholarship is civil rights, social justice, poverty, and race, and she calls for the end of state-sanctioned processes, and for a new infrastructure of opportunity in poor Black neighborhoods such as richly resourced schools, public transit, neighborhood centers, and more.
Cashin, S. (2021). White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation In the Age of Inequality. Beacon Press.
A House of My Own: Stories from My Life
-Sandra Cisneros
-Kindle $12.99
-hardcover $14.99
-paperback $14.99
-400 pages
-Vintage
-2016
-description: Chicago and Mexico have provided Sandra Cisneros with much inspiration for her works of fiction and poetry. She comes home at last with A House of My Own, an autobiography made up of essays spanning three decades and written with her trademark lyricism. This is a celebration of a life lived to the fullest.
Cisneros, S. (2016). A House of My Own: Stories from My Life. Vintage.
In the Shadow of Selma: The Continuing Struggle for Civil Rights in the Rural South
-Cynthia Griggs Fleming
-Kindle $40.84
-paperback $10.40-$38.94
-320 pages
-Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
-2004
-description: One of the most publicized civil rights demonstrations in American history took place on March 7, 1965, as demonstrators were brutally beaten as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL. Little has been written about the surrounding counties next door to Selma and other sections of the rural south. A graduate of Knoxville College, Fleming has written extensively regarding civil rights. She became the first Black woman to earn a PhD in history from Duke University and is Professor Emerita of History at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Fleming, C. G. (2004). In the Shadow of Selma: The Continuing Struggle for Civil Rights in the Rural South. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Of Women and Salt: A Novel
-Gabriela Garcia
-hardcover $9.52
-paperback $14.49
-224 pages
-Flatiron Books
-2021
-description: This novel is a portrait of political, personal, and self-inflicted betrayals and some done by others as well. This diaspora story is also a meditation on choices, and the tenacity of women who tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them.
Garcia, G. (2021). Of Women and Salt: A Novel. Flatiron Books.
Podcasts
Othering & Belonging Institute. (2021, November 5). White Space, Black Hood
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/live/ldxvujY397A?feature
Politics and Prose. (2021, September 17). Sheryll Cashin-White Space, Black Hood-
with Paul Butler [Video]. YouTube.
The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah. (2021, February 23). Sharon
McMahon-The Important Distinction Between Bias and Lies [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/sZOh-As5mOQ
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, February 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs of items may vary depending on where they are purchased.
Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism
-Derrick Bell
-Kindle, $12.99
-hardcover, $33.00
-paperback, $17.99
-304 pages
-Basic Books
-2018
-description: Bell, a noted civil rights activist presents a radical vision of persistence of racism in America. These essays, with a new foreword by Michelle Alexander, is a classic contribution to critical race theory scholarship, discusses affirmative action, temptation toward violent retaliation, and more.
Bell, D. (2018). Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism. Basic Books.
From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century
-William A. Darity
-A. Kirsten Mullen
-paperback, $19.25
-Kindle, $9.99
-448 pages
-The University of North Carolina Press
-2022
-description: Reconstruction, the New Deal, nor the civil rights movement have dramatically altered racial inequality. This inequality persists in forms of police brutality, housing discrimination, mass incarceration, employment discrimination, and more. This resource addresses economic injustices and makes a comprehensive case for economic reparations for descendants of slavery, and addresses latest developments on the local, state, and federal level for reparations program that is comprehensive.
Darity, W. A. & Mullen, A. K. (2022). From Here to Equality, Second Edition: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. The University of North Carolina Press.
African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals
-David Hackett Fischer
-Kindle, $16.99
-hardcover, $26.31
-960 pages
-Simon & Schuster
-2022
-description: Fischer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian researched extensively to show how enslaved people from different parts of the continent of Africa interacted with colonists and created new regional cultures in the States. Africans brought with them many skills representing different disciplines that produced a new, distinctly American culture. This is a landmark work of history drawing on decades of research, some of it in western Africa.
Fischer, D. H. (2022). African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Ideals. Simon & Schuster.
The Antiracist Deck: 100 Meaningful Conversations on Power, Equity, and Justice
-Ibram X. Kendi
-cards, $20.97
-100 pages
-One World
-2022
-description: New York Times best-selling author of How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram Kendi, has raised awareness of persistent, antiracist work. He is Director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University and has designed these 100 conversation starters to help us engage, learn, and inspire. I must-have for reading and discussion groups!
Kendi, I. X. (2022). The Antiracist Deck: 100 Meaningful Conversations on Power, Equity, and Justice. One World.
Dancing In the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times
-Otis Moss III
-Michael Eric Dyson, narrator
-Kindle, $12.99
-hardcover, $19.99
-122 pages
-Simon & Schuster, Inc.
-2023
-description: Rev. Moss is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, a civil rights leader, and professor in the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. Due to current times of division and violence, Dancing in the Darkness serves as a life-affirming guide to the political and spiritual challenges with help from the teachings of Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King, Jr., sacred scripture, scriptural traditions, justice, love, personal experiences, and practical spiritual resistance.
Moss, III, O. (2023). Dancing In the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times. Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
-Richard Rothstein
-Kindle, $7.99
-hardcover, $19.89
-paperback, $12.53
-spiral-bound, $26.99
-368 pages
-Liveright
-2017
-description: The Color of Law is one of Publishers Weekly’s 10 Best Books of 2017. Rothstein, a leading authority on housing policy, exposes the American government’s disturbing history of imposed racial segregation on metropolitan areas all over the country. He expands our understanding of the history of flawed urban planning that created impoverished neighborhoods that we know of today. Federal subsidies for builders were placed on the condition that homes not be sold to African Americans, in addition to prosecutors supporting violent resistance to Black families in White neighborhoods.
Rothstein, R. (2017). The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Liveright.
Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership (Justice, Power, and Politics)
-Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
-Kindle, $9.99
-hardcover, $23.99
-paperback, $20.00
-368 pages
-The University of North Carolina Press
-2019
-description: Politicians finally worked to end the practice of redlining around the late 1960s by passing the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 and established policies for mortgage lenders and the real estate industry to treat Black homebuyers equally. It has been revealed that racist exclusion remains intact, and Race for Profit uncovers how these practices have continued after housing discrimination was banned.
Taylor, K-Y. (2019). Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership (Justice, Power, and Politics). The University Of North Carolina Press.
John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights
-Brandon K. Winford
-Kindle, $28.45
-hardcover, $40.00 (U of K Press)
-paperback, $29.95
-354 pages
-University of Kentucky Press
-2019
-description: Written by Brandon Winford, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, history professor, this Lillian Smith Book Award winner tells the story of the life and work of John Hervey Wheeler, one of the civil rights movement’s most influential leaders known for urging White financial advisors to steer toward the end of Jim Crow segregation for economic concerns. Wheeler was a banker and lawyer and played a key role in the fight for racial and economic equality throughout his home state of North Carolina. He was also one of the first African Americans to attain a high-ranking position in the state’s Democratic Party and later became its treasurer.
Winford, B. K. (2019). John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights. University of Kentucky Press.
Podcasts and Videocasts
Hinojosa, M. & Varela, J. R. (Co-hosted). (n.d.). The Legacy of Redlining [Audio podcast]. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-legacy-of-redlining/id1083701291?i=1000430216257
Hinojosa, M. & Varela, J. R. (Co-hosted). (2023, January 20). A Civil Rights History Lesson [Audio podcast]. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-civil-rights-history-lesson/id1083701291?1=1000595052724
Muzzio, D. (Host). (2012, March 14). City Talk: Derrick Bell, Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7zYD1q8B30
Who’s Who in East Tennessee
Stay tuned for more features of present and former East Tennesseans in subsequent BBC newsletters.
Jefferson City, TN, native, inventor, computer scientist, and engineer, Dr. Mark Dean,received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Florida Atlantic University, and Stanford University, respectively. A computer scientist and engineer, he has developed landmark technologies for IBM, including the color PC monitor and the first gigahertz chip. He is married to the lovely Ms. Denise Dean, Executive Director, East Tennessee Freedom Schools.
To learn more about Dr. Dean, visit:
Biography.com Editors. (2021, January 13). Mark Dean Biography. The Biography.com website. https://www.biography.com/inventor/mark-dean
Mark Dean. (2022, February 18). Mark Edward Dean [Video]. YouTube/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1GJsijOba4
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, January 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased.
The Little Book of LGBTQ+: An A-Z of Gender and Sexual Identities
-Harriet Dyer
-paperback, $10.97
-123 pages
-Summersdale
-2022
-description: Language is central to awareness and understanding the communities that make up the world. Evolving terminology makes it a little tricky to keep up with correct terminology. Dyer has provided us with this useful, easy-to-use dictionary regarding our LGBTQ+ family and friends.
Dyer, H. (2021). The Little Book of LGBTQ+: An A-Z of Gender and Sexual Identities. Summersdale.
The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing
-Catherine Meeks
-hardcover, $21.84
-216 pages
-Kindle, $17.99
-Morehouse Publishing
-2022
-description: Catherine Meeks has a national reputation of fighting tirelessly to bring needed awareness of racism and ways to combat it. She serves as the Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing housed in Atlanta, GA. The Night is Long is a meditative guide for the weary and frustrated, while including ways to work through fear, rage, healing, and looking toward the future.
Meeks, C. (2022). The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing. Morehouse Publishing.
Becoming REAL: And Thriving in Ministry
-Sandra T. Montes
-Kindle, $18.45
-paperback, $19.95
-160 pages
-Church Publishing
-2020
-description: Written both in English and Spanish, Becoming REAL contains study guides with Bible verses, reflection questions, practical strategies, and examples of what to do and not to do when bringing the good news to all. This resource will assist congregations looking to be more inclusive or attempting to thrive in their changing neighborhoods.
Montes, S. (2020). Becoming REAL: And Thriving in Ministry. Church Publishing.
Understanding Social Justice: To See the End of Bias and Oppression We Need Social Change and True Equity for Everyone
-Eric Nilsen
-hardcover, $23.99
-paperback, $14.99
-149 pages
-Government and Politics Book Series
-2022
-description: This resource tells us why social justice is important and why awareness is such an important step. Advocacy for social justice has grown more and more due to the refugee crises, racial inequality, and disparities, to name a few. Nilsen helps with understanding relevant social justice issues right now and how governments can improve and expand access to basic needs such as food, education, and basic healthcare.
Nilsen, E. (2022). Understanding Social Justice: To See the End of Bias and Oppression We Need Social Change and True Equity for Everyone. Government and Politics Book Series.
A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues: What You Can Do Right Now to Help the Black Community
–Steven S. Rogers
-hardcover, $2.40-$9.50
-240 pages
-Wiley
-2021
-description: Former Harvard Business School professor and researcher, Steven Rogers, writes this informative investigation in straightforward language of the causes of racial wealth disparity and addresses it with extensive historical research, data, and case studies. The reader will be able to understand the root causes of racial disparities and learn ways to contribute to reducing inequality between Black and White citizens in the US.
Rogers, S. S. (2021). A Letter to My White Friends and Colleagues: What You Can Right Now to Help the Black Community. Wiley.
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race
-Beverly Daniel Tatum
-Kindle, $12.99
-hardcover, $20.58
-paperback, $9.48
-464 pages
-Basic Books
-2017, Revised ed
-description: This is a New York Times bestseller regarding the psychology of racism that shows how to get past a reluctance to discuss racial issues. Tatum, a clinical psychologist, received the American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. She serves as Interim President of Mount Holyoke College and is President Emerita of Spelman College.
Tatum, B. D. (2017). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race. Basic Books.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults for December 2022
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs of items may vary depending on where they are purchased.
Against the Hounds of Hell: A Life of Howard Thurman
-Peter Eisenstadt
-Kindle, $19.22
-hardcover, $30.22
-544 pages
-University of Virginia Press
-2021
-description: An inspiration and mentor to civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Howard Thurman was an important figure to African Americans and activists. Against the Hounds gives the theologian, activist, feminist, environmentalist, and first significant African American pacifist the biographical treatment that he deserves. He referred to fear, deception, and hatred as “hounds of hell,”—what so often marginalized African Americans and disinherited people of the world.
Eisenstadt, P. (2021). Against the Hounds of Hell: A Life of Howard Thurman. University of Virginia Press.
The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History
-Brian Jones
-Kindle, $16.50
-hardcover, $30.00
-264 pages
-NYU Press
-2022
-description: Brian Jones gives us an in-depth account of the untold story of student activism at one of the most celebrated historically Black colleges in the US. Until now, history has described students at Tuskegee as passive recipients of their curriculum and infrastructure. Through archival research and interviews with those who were present at the uprising, the author brings to life a pivotal, historical event during the Black Power movement that must be told as anti-history laws are currently being passed to limit the instruction of structural racism in the US.
Jones, B. (2022). The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History. NYU Press.
Reconciling Theology
-Paul Avis
-Kindle, $36.30
-paperback, $38.21
-256 pages
-SCM Press
-2022
-description: Written by leading thinker on Anglicanism and ecumenism, Paul Avis, this work explores the issues of argument, debate, conflict, and search for common ground to work on agreement and harmony. His vision moves the church beyond liberal or orthodox viewpoints.
Avis, P. (2022). Reconciling Theology. SCM Press.
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All
-Martha S. Jones
-Kindle, $12.99
-hardcover, $18.79
-paperback, $18.99
-353 pages
-Basic Books
-2020
-description: The suffrage crusade took place from July of 1848 in Seneca Falls to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, but Black women did not fair as well during this movement and securing their rights required another movement of their own. Jones, a professor in the History department at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the work of icons during this movement such as Maria Stewart, Fannie Lou Hamer, and others.
Jones, M. S. (2020). Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, \and Insisted on Equality for All. Basis Books.
Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism
-Allan Aubrey Boesak
-Curtiss Paul DeYoung
-Kindle, $9.99
-paperback, $20.49
-195 pages
-ORBIS
-2012
-description: As so many reconciliation initiatives possibly fail due to stopping short of completing the work required, this resource calls for reconciliation that is radical and goes to the root of issues. Radical Reconciliation calls out Christians who practice a form of political pietism, favoring the rich and powerful and helping to deprive the powerless of justice and dignity. A must have!
Boesak, A. A. & DeYoung, C. P. (2012). Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism. ORBIS.
365 Days of Walking the Red Road: The Native American Path to Leading a Spiritual Life Every Day
–Terri Jean
-paperback, $10.69
-400 pages
-Adams Media
-2003
-description: This pilgrimage provides the reader with wisdom that Native American elders have passed from generation to generation about navigating through life without fear or doubt. 365 Days of Walking the Red Road lists important dates in Native American history, inspiring quotations, spiritual lessons, and more.
Jean, T. (2003). 365 Days of Walking the Red Road: The Native American Path to Leading a Spiritual Life Every Day. Adams Media.
The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux
-Black Elk
-Joseph Epes Brown, editor
-paperback, $9.83-$17.65
-Kindle, $15.99
-hardcover, $18.00
-172 pages
-University of Oklahoma Press
-2012
-description: The Sacred Pipe is a very useful resource for anyone interested in American Indian life, comparative religion, ethnology, and philosophy. Black Elk, the only qualified priest of the older Oglala Sioux, gave this material to Joseph Epes Brown during Brown’s residence on the Pine Ridge Reservation South Dakota where Black Elk lived.
Elk, B. (2012). The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux. University of Oklahoma Press.
The Marines of Montford Point: America’s First Black Marines
-Melton A. McLaurin
-Kindle, $10.49
-paperback, $14.16
-216 pages
-The University of North Carolina Press
-2009
-description: President Franklin Roosevelt made an executive order in 1941 that the United States Marine Corps begin recruiting and enlisting African Americans. Their basic training took place at Camp Montford Point, a segregated camp near Camp Lejeune and Jacksonville, North Carolina, until President Truman ordered all military forces fully desegregate between 1942 and 1949. This work draws from interviews of 60 veterans who gained wisdom, but also speak of their experiences with anger, humor, and sorrow. It is recommended that readers view the documentary film of the same name.
McLaurin, M. (2009). The Marines of Montford Point: America’s First Black Marines. The University of North Carolina Press.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Adults, November 2022
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased.
Nobody Wants to Talk About It: Race, Identity, and The Difficulties in Forging Meaningful Conversations
-Michael Sidney Fosberg
-paperback, $2.61
-164 pages
-Incognito, Inc.
-2020
-description: Michael Frosberg has performed an autobiographical one-man play for intermediate and secondary schools, colleges, and community groups throughout the country. He grew up White and later discovered that his biological father was Black. This book offers readers tools to help with conversations about race, identity, diversity, in addition to stereotypes.
Fosberg, M. S. (2020). Nobody Wants to Talk About It: Race, Identity, and The Difficulties in Forging Meaningful Conversations. Incognito, Inc.
Revolutionary Nonviolence: Organizing for Freedom
-James M. Lawson, Jr.
-hardcover, $16.29
-160 pages
-University of California Press
-2022
-description: Lawson is a Methodist minister and social change activist who helped launch the 1960s Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, Memphis sanitation strike, and Freedom Rides. Revolutionary Nonviolence with contributions from Angela Davis and others, is a resource on the history of nonviolent teachings of Rev. Lawson and demonstrations of how we can overcome violence and oppression through organized direct action.
Lawson, J. (2022). Revolutionary Nonviolence: Organizing for Freedom. University of California Press.
The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community
-Stephanie Spellers
-Kindle, $9.99
-paperback, $16.95
-112 pages
-Church Publishing
-2021
-description: Spellers guides the reader through the American story and the Episcopal story to find out how communities with a history of racism and privilege can love Jesus, walk humbly with the most vulnerable, and embody a beloved community.
Spellers, S. (2021). The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community. Church Publishing.
Jesus and the Disinherited
-Howard Thurman
-paperback, $16.00
-128 pages
-Beacon Press
-1996
-description: First published in 1949, Martin Luther King, Jr. sought inspiration from this book that helped shape the civil rights movement leading up to the days of the Montgomery bus boycott. Thurman uses this resource to demonstrate how Jesus is a partner with the oppressed, and how only with love can justice prevail for all.
Thurman, H. (1996). Jesus and the Disinherited. Beacon Press.
Antiracism, Social Justice, and Peace Resources for Adults, October 2022
Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Costs may vary depending on where items are purchased.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
-Hallerin Hilton Hill
-hardcover, $18.75
-95 pages
-Wisdom House
-2000
-description: Hill is a radio talk show host, motivational speaker, and lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is also a songwriter who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston and Take 6, an a cappella gospel sextet that formed on the campus of Oakwood College, where Hill also graduated. This easy guide to developing a foundation of wisdom aims to assist one to make choices for a fulfilling life by exploring fear, discipline, love, finances, and more.
Hill, H. H. (2000). Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Wisdom House.
A Separate Circle: Jewish Life in Knoxville, TN
-Wendy Lowe Besmann
-hardcover, $20.99
-paperback, $19.99
-216 pages
-University of Tennessee Press
-2001
-description: Wendy Besmann of Knoxville, TN, tells the story of Jews maintaining their rituals while living among their Christian neighbors in and around Knoxville for over 155 years. She shows through interviews and documentaries how immigrants adapted to East Tennessee and evolved from very humble beginnings to a diverse community of physicians, attorneys, and university professors. One of these Knoxville newsboys became a New York Times icon, and another became politically connected to and advised FDR on The New Deal.
Besmann, W. L. (2001). A Separate Circle: Jewish Life in Knoxville, Tennessee. University of Tennessee.
The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World
-Mason Funk
-Kindle $17.99
-paperback, $18.99
-Audio CD, $25.99
-HarperAudio
-2019
-description: This resource highlights stories of determination during the gay rights movement from the 1960s until present day with interviews of activists, leaders, and ordinary citizens. These leaders experienced personal and political battles and threats of violence without help from family and friends.
Funk, M. (2019). The Book of Pride: LGBTQ Heroes Who Changed the World.
A Head of Cabbage: A Memoir
-Barbara Johnson
-Kindle, $2.99
-hardcover, $39.89
-paperback, $22.99
-370 pages
-Balboa Press
-2022
-description: Johnson always had a thirst for knowledge, but her father never encouraged his children to become educated and only wanted them to help with his tobacco crop where he served as a sharecropper after losing his farm in the 1950s. He had a distrust for White people, education, and the government. When Barbara turned eighteen, he went as far as to threaten to kill her if she went to school without his permission, but somehow, she was able to attend Bennett College, an HBCU for women where she studied sociology. A Head of Cabbage is a personal narrative spanning decades of the struggles of a Black woman who was determined to live differently from her ancestors.
Johnson, B. (2022). A Head of Cabbage: A Memoir. Balboa Press.
A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
-Clayborne Carson
-Kris Shepard
-Kindle, $9.99
-hardcover, $49.00
-paperback, $13.49
-Audio CD, $32.65
-Hachette Audio-2001
-description: These speeches outlined paths to democracy and economic freedom for all. In the audio version, they are voiced by Dr. King and some of the world’s most renowned leaders and theologians share reflections on these speeches in addition to firsthand testimonies. Narrators include Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Dr. Dorothy Height, Rep. John Lewis, and others.
Carson, C. (2001). A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hachette Audio.
Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet
-Gregory C. Ellison II
-paperback
-$22.49
-221 pages
-Westminster John Knox Press
-2020
-description: Howard Thurman was a mystic, educator, preacher, theologian, and one of America’s giants in religion during the twentieth century as he influenced politicians such as President Obama and social activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Marian Wright Edelman, and Barbara Brown Taylor in their quest for social justice and sharpening the thoughts of futures to come. Ellison is a professor in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
Ellison, G. (2020). Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet. Westminster John Knox Press.
Antiracism, Social Justice, and Peace Resources for Adults
Diocese of East Tennessee
Prepared by Alvin R. Blount for September 2022
Cost may vary depending on where purchases are made.
Realizing Beloved Community: Report from the House of Bishops Theology Committee
-Allen K. Shin, editor
-Larry R. Benfield, editor
-Kindle, $20.99
-hardcover, $89.95
-paperback, $28.95
-232 pages
-Church Publishing
-2022
-description: This resource is a study on the theological foundation of Beloved Community. Well-known scholars and theologians including Presiding Bishop Michael Curry address topics such as the legacy and sin of white supremacy, economic disparity, racial healing and more.
Shin, A. & Benfield, L. (2022). Realizing Beloved Community: Report from the House of Bishops Theology Committee. Church Publishing.
African Americans of Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes
-Rita Lorraine Hubbard
-paperback, $16.52
-160 pages
-The History Press
-2007
-description: Chattanooga is a place where African Americans have held historical prominence since the sixteenth century. Being the home to our country’s oldest student to learn to read at age 116, and the hometown of the first African American appointed to lead counsel on a Supreme Court case are just two among many firsts and a long list of accomplishments. Hubbard has loaded this book with information regarding the city’s early physicians, first female dentist in the South, schools, commerce, photographs, lynchings, newspapers, state representatives, and celebrities.
Hubbard, R. (2007). African Americans of Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes. The History Press.
Belles of Liberty: Gender, Bennett College, and the Civil Rights Movement in Greensboro, North Carolina
–Linda Beatrice Brown
-paperback, $18.00
-used copies, $4.10
-230 pages
-Women and Wisdom Foundation Inc.
-2013
-description: Greensboro, NC, is famous for its Civil Rights history in 1960 and similar integration activities soon followed in other cities around the country. Four male students from North Carolina A & T State University are credited for this event and are known as the “A & T Four,” however, historians have overlooked that the initial Greensboro Sit-in was carefully planned on the campus of Bennett College, one of this country’s two HBCUs for women. “Bennett Belles,” as they are affectionately called, sat down at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, marched, and were incarcerated from 1960-1963 with the support of their beloved president and civil rights activist, Dr. Willa B. Player. Linda Brown, Player’s niece, a Bennett alumna, published author, and warrior for social justice was one of those activists during the Movement. She has now retired from teaching at the College and has provided us with unknown facts with the help of others about where, why, and how it all started in this compelling story. A must read and be sure to watch her interview on the C-Span link below.
Brown, L. (2013). Belles of Liberty: Gender, Bennett College, and the Civil Rights
Movement in Greensboro, North Carolina. Women and Wisdom Press.
Brown, L. (Host). (2015, January 22). Bennett College & The Civil Rights Movement
[Video podcast]. C-Span. https://www.c-span.org/video/?324066-1/belles-
Parenting for a Better World: Justice Practices for Your Family and the Planet
-Susanna Snyder, editor
-Ellen Ott Marshall, editor
-Kindle, $18.04
-paperback, $18.99
-176 pages
-Chalice Press
-2022
-description: Parenting for a Better World challenges us that being a Christian is about more than attending church and that living right and having just relationships with others and all of creation is what we are called to do. This book shows ways to make a difference within our homes through spiritual resources for reflection and finding encouragement and a sense of calling from fellow parents through stories of activism, caregiving, practical strategies, and scripture.
Synder, S. & Marshall, E. O. (2022). Parenting for a Better World: Justice Practices for Your Family and the Planet. Chalice Press.
Antiracism, Social Justice, and Peace Resources for Adults
Diocese of East Tennessee
Prepared by Alvin R. Blount for August 2022
Costs may vary depending on where purchases are made.
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
-James W. Loewe
-paperback, $13.99
-hardcover, $22.65
-480 pages
-New Press
-2018
-description: Loewen criticizes the way American history has been taught and presented in current textbooks. His book is a winner of the American Book Award and The Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for Antiracist Scholarship and has ended up being a book that the San Francisco Chronicle calls “an extremely convincing plea for truth in education.” Lauded as “remarkable” by USA Today, it brings a fresh perspective on subjects such as Christopher Columbus, Reconstruction, invisibility of racism and antiracism in history textbooks, the war in Vietnam, and much more. Howard Zinn, a leading American historian stated, “every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book.” A great reference resource to have on your shelf!
Loewen, J. W. (2018). Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New Press.
Cherokee Women in Charge: Female Power and Leadership in American Indian Nations of Eastern North America
-Karen Coody Cooper
-Kindle, $22.49
-paperback, $49.95
-245 pages
-McFarland
-2022
-description: Indigenous women often carried a greater workload inside and outside of the home. They resisted a chief’s authority, mastered trade negotiations, produced crops, but their culture and power were lost due to the interference of White colonists.
Cooper, K. C. (2022). Cherokee Women in Charge: Female Power and Leadership in American Indian Nations of Eastern North America. McFarland.
The 1619 Project
-Nikole Hannah-Jones
-Kindle, $11.99
-hardcover, $22.80
-paperback, $22.80
-539 pages
-One World
-2021
-description: The summer of 1619 marks the arrival of between twenty and thirty enslaved people from Africa on a ship which also marks the beginning of the American chattel slavery system. As this country’s original sin that lasted 250 years, it is a source of what continues to define the United States. The 1619 Project is a collection of eighteen essays, poetry, and fiction that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day American society by addressing politics, music, traffic, diet, religion, capitalism, and more. Contributors include Leslie Alexander, Rita Dove, Nikky Finney, Martha S. Jones, Ibram X. Kendi, just to name a few. This #1 New York Times
Bestseller and NAACP Image Award Winner is a must have for reading and discussion groups. It lends well to groups who want to study and discuss only one chapter at a time or a combination of essays at one time that may have a common theme such as medicine and healthcare.
Hannah-Jones, N. (2021). The 1619 Project. One World.
Song In a Weary Throat: Memoir of an American Pilgrimage
-Pauli Murray
-Patricia Bell-Scott, introduction
-paperback, $18.79
-hardcover, $22.15
-Kindle, $9.99
-624 pages
-Liveright
-2018
-description: This award-winning memoir by Pauli Murray, an Episcopal priest, was published posthumously in 1987. Orphaned at age four, Murray was sent to live with her aunt in segregated Durham, North Carolina. She attended Hunter College in New York and became involved in nonviolent resistance, followed by another stint in the South where she faced Jim Crow as a Freedom Rider and was arrested for her activism. This activism and Jane Crow sexism led her to relationships with mentors such as Thurgood Marshall and Eleanor Roosevelt in addition to obtaining her law degree from Howard University.
Murray, P. (2018). Song in a Weary Throat: Memoir of an American Pilgrimage. Liveright.
The Great Book of Asian American Heroes: 18 Asian American Men and Women Who Changed American History
-Bill O’Neill
-paperback, $11.90
-188 pages
-LAK Publishing
-2021
-description: This unique resource by O’Neill highlights what made these extraordinary people heroes and heroines amid the struggles that they endured. Most of them seen here are of Chinese and Japanese ancestry, with some who are of Indian, Southeast Asian, and Polynesian descent. The reader will also appreciate the ready reference information listed which make it a fun fact book to have on one’s shelf as well for the whole family.
O’Neill, B. (2021). The Great Book of Asian American Heroes: 18 Asian American Men and Women Who Changed American History. LAK Publishing.
Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence
-Sharon E. Pearson
-Mark M. Beckwith
-Kindle, $18.69
-paperback, $19.67
-208 pages
-Morehouse Publishing
-2015
-description: This book is an outcome of a gathering of Episcopalians that took place in Oklahoma City in 2014. They engaged in deep conversation and prayer to address the violence in society and ways to reclaim peace. Divided into four sections, it contains topics of advocacy, education, pastoral care, mental health, systemic/root cause of violence, hate crimes, and much more.
Pearson, S. (2015). Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence. Morehouse Publishing.
Saving Words: 20 Redemptive Words Worth Rescuing
-Joseph S. Pagano, edito
-Amy E. Richter, editor
-paperback, $26.00
-Kindle, $9.99
-hardcover, $41.00
-214 pages
-Cascade Books
-2021
-description: Clergy, theologians, poets, teacher-scholars, and laity have contributed to this compelling collection of essays on words they want to preserve and proclaim, and reflections on the language that is so needed for facing current situations. Contributors include The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, and The Right Reverend Brian L. Cole, our own fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee.
Pagano, J. S. & Richter, A. E. (2021). Saving Words: 20 Redemptive Words Worth Rescuing. Cascade Books.
Anti-racism, Social Justice, and Peace Resources for Adults
Diocese of East Tennessee
Prepared by Alvin Blount for July 2022
Costs may vary depending on where purchases are made.
The Matter of Black Lives: Writing from The New Yorker
-Jelani Cobb and David Remnick
-hardcover, $18.97
-paperback, $19.99
-Kindle, $16.99
-864 pages
-Ecco
-2021
-description: This anthology from the pages of The New Yorker provides the reader with stories of triumphs and tragedies regarding Black life in America. According to Cobb, this is not an anthology about race, but more of a collection about a set of events and the people who are tasked with confronting it, and a chronicle of our past and a vision for a better American future. Contributors include Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Toni Morrison, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Calvin Trillin, and many others.
Cobb, J. & Remnick, D. (Eds.). (2021). The Matter of Black Lives: Writing from The New Yorker. Ecco.
Reading the Bible from the Margins
-Miguel A. de la Torre
-paperback, $22.00
-Kindle, $10.49
-208 pages
-Orbis Books
-2002
-description: de la Torre’s view is that issues involving race, class, and gender can influence biblical understanding, and those “standard” readings of the Bible are not always acceptable to ones on the “margins.”
de la Torre, M. (2002). Reading the Bible from the Margins. Orbis Books.
In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma
-Bernard Lafayette, Jr.
-Kathryn Lee Johnson
-paperback, $24.95
-Kindle, $18.99
-175 pages
-University Press of Kentucky
-2019
-description: Written with Kathryn Lee Johnson, this memoir tells the story of Lafayette’s years in Selma, Alabama, a small, sleepy town that eventually became a nationally known battleground for racial equality and a site for social change in 1965. Born in 1940, Bernard Lafayette was a Freedom Rider, cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a leader in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, a primary organizer of the 1965 Selma voting rights movement and an associate of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lafayette, B. & Johnson, K. (2019). In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma. University Press of Kentucky.
Jackson, 1964: And Other Dispatches from Fifty Years of Reporting on Race in America
-Calvin Trillin
-hardcover, $8.29
-paperback, $5.28
-Kindle, $13.00
-275 pages
-Random House
-2016
-description: The author began his career as a journalist while covering the Civil Rights Movement in the South. He writes about issues that are as relevant today as they were in the sixties such as the role of race in the use of deadly force by police. Jackson 1964 is an account of a half-century of racism in America as witnessed by Trillin, an award-winning journalist and writer.
Trillin, C. (2016). Jackson, 1964: And Other Dispatches from Fifty Years of Reporting on Race in America. Random House.
Anti-racism, Social Justice, and Peace Sources for Adults
Diocese of East Tennessee
prepared by Alvin R. Blount for June 2022
Prices of sources can vary depending on where they are purchased.
Across That Bridge: A Vision of Change and the Future of America
-John Lewis
-paperback, $8.31
-hardcover, $45.99
-Kindle, $10.99
-210 pages-Hachette Books
-2019
-description: John Lewis, United States Congressman, and a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, draws from his experiences to offer the reader wisdom and principles for challenging injustices to inspire positive change in the world. This source is a winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work.
Lewis, J. (2019). Across That Bridge: A Vision of Change and the Future of America. Hachette Books.
Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion
-Jonathan C. Augustine
-paperback, $17.79
-Kindle, $18.31
-160 pages
-Baker Academic
-2022
-description: This source was written by Jonathan “Jay” Augustine, a nationally recognized speaker, church leader, reconciliation scholar, law professor, and senior pastor of St. Joseph AME Church in Durham, NC. The author challenges us to position the church as a model for reconciliation, justice, diversity, and inclusion in our parishes and society at large. He maps racial progress through his exploration of civil reconciliation from the era of civil rights to the Black Lives Matter movement. Augustine’s interdisciplinary scholarship here is deep in theology, with a foreword by Retired Bishop, William Willimon, United Methodist Church, and an afterword by The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. A must-read for clergy, lay leaders, and any citizen interested in social justice!
Augustine, J. C. (2022). Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion. Baker Academic.
Deep River: The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death
-Howard Thurmond
-paperback, $14.00
-160 pages
-Friends United Press
-1975
-description: Howard Thurmond was a spiritual mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr. and other icons of the Civil Rights Movement, and founder of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, San Francisco. He was Dean Emeritus of Marsh Chapel, Boston University, and served as Dean of Rankin Chapel and professor of theology at Howard University in Washington, DC. One of the most influential religious leaders of the twentieth century, and author of more than twenty books including his well-known, Jesus and the Disinherited, he explores here how protest and resistance are expressed in spirituals, a genre of American, Christian music.
Thurmond, H. (1975). Deep River: The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death. Friends United Press.
Justified by Her Children: Deeds of Courage Confronting A Tradition of Racism
-Roy G. Pollina
-paperback, $19.95
-Kindle, $14.95
-290 pages
-Whaler Books
-2021
-description: In this must-have source, our own Roy Pollina, a semi-retired priest, and author, guides the reader to see that the evil of racism can easily masquerade itself as an accepted manner of doing things, and confronting this evil is opposing society’s order. He further guides the reader to explore that racism can be eradicated by small deeds of little-known citizens young and old.
Pollina, R. G. (2021). Justified by Her Children: Deeds of Courage Confronting A Tradition of Racism. Whaler Books.