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.