70+ Race Resources for White People

70+ Race Resources for White People

It’s time.  

Maybe you read a news article on your Facebook feed or listened to a podcast and feel it’s time for you to finally DO something about the injustices in our nation.  

Perhaps it is time for that.   

But our African American sisters and brothers have asked that before we speak, we be sure that we have done something else first: educate ourselves.     

Its not the job of the African American community to teach white people about racism, so we must intentionally and humbly lean in, listen and learn how white culture is killing black lives.  Specifically, they want us to grasp our role in the visible and invisible structures that are threatening to crush them.  


The following list of resources is far from exhaustive, but will serve as a springboard for those who want to learn more about racism in America right now. Most of the resources are current and ones I’ve run across in the past six months, but do not include news events or historical documents.  

Though Ive read all the articles and listened to the podcasts in this post, I’m still working my way through the list of books, all of which come highly recommended by others.  Please add additional resources in the comments section of this post.   

 

 

70+ Race Resources for White People

 

Podcasts

The Liturgists 
Episode 34–Black & White: Racism in America 
(If you only have time to listen to one podcast from this list, I would recommend this one.  It’s nearly two hours, but it’s so packed with insight that you’ll want to listen again.) 

Code Switch: Race and Identity, Remixed 
Can We Talk about Whiteness? 

On Being (with Krista Tippet)  
Michelle Alexander–Who We Want to Become: Beyond the New Jim Crow

John A. Powell: Opening the Question of Race to the Question of Belonging 

The Practice 
Stories of Resurrection in Race 

Seminary Dropout 
Austin Channing Brown 

Deidra Riggs on Women of Color Writers, the Church, and More
 
Jo Saxton on Post-Christendom, Discipleship, and Being a Woman of Color
 
Michelle Higgins on That Sermon at Urbana (Here is the talk that this is about: Michelle Higgins) 

This American Life
Part I:  The Problem We All Live With 


Part II:  The Problem We All Live Wit

(On segregation/integration in schools.) 

Videos:

Michelle Higgins, Urbana 2015  

How Parents Talk to Their African American Sons about Police

  

On the Web:

Talking to Our Kids about Race: 

How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism 

Like Me, Like You Kids 
A place to buy toys and decorative items for kids that reflect diversity. From the site: “Our hope is to curate beautiful products that allow children of color to see themselves in the art, books and toys they interact with daily. We also hope that children of all shades would grow up appreciating the gift of diversity – like me, like you.”
 
Raising Race Conscious Children 

12 Books Featuring Black Fathers (for all ages)

28 Black Picture books that Aren’t About Boycotts, Buses or Basketball

50+ Picture Books about Mixed Race Families 

In the Church:

Why Jesus’ Skin Color Matters, by Christena Cleveland for Christianity Today

It’s Not a Multicultural Church if… by Starlette McNeill at Raceless Gospel 

When Christians Won’t Say #BlackLivesMatter by Kevin Wright at Huffpost

Understanding White Privilege:

How White Privilege Affects 8 People of Color on a Day-to-Day Basis, by Paige Tutt for Bustle 

I’m White, but I Married the Son of a Black History Icon–And This is What I Discovered about Color, by Cara Meredith at For Every Mom  

On a Plate: A Short Story about Privilege   

The Problem with Saying ‘All Lives Matter,’ by Tyler Huckabee for Relevant Magazine 

When You’re Accustomed to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression, by Chris Boeskool for Huffington Post 

White Privilege, Explained in One Simple Comic (language alert!)

White Privilege: Lessons from a White Mama of Black Children by Christy Richardson at Elephant Journal 

White Privilege and What We’re Supposed to Do About It, by Kristen Howerton at her blog, Rage Against the Minivan

**White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh  
(This checklist is used all over the country in college classes to teach about white privilege). 

Black Womanhood:

The Recipe: A Reflection on Black Womanhood by Austin Channing Brown at her blog 

4 Things ‘LEMONADE’ Teaches Us About Black Womanhood by Courtney Hall Lee at Sojo.net

White Fragility:

Why White People Freak Out When They’re Called Out About Race, by Sam Adler-Bell for Alternet

“Dear White People, I wish you knew…”

The Heartbreaking Reality of Raising Black Children in America, by Jacalyn Wetzel for the Huffington Post

I Used to Lead Tours at a Plantation. You Won’t Believe the Questions I Got about Slavery., by Margaret Biser for Vox

On Race, Rights & Raising a Black Son: An Interview with Rachel Yantis at Scraping Raisins

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Why White Moms Need to Care about Murdered Black Children, by Danielle S 

Ten Things White People Need to Quit Saying, by Melody Moezzi for Huffington Post  

To the White Parents of My Black Son’s Friends, by Maralee 

What You Can Do:

70+ Race Resources for White People

 
One Small Square, by Lisha Epperson for The Mudroom  (The Mudroom did an entire series on race in June of 2016 that was fabulous.) 

What You Can Do Right Now About Police Brutality, by Ijeoma Oluo for Huff Post Blog  

The Case for Reparations, by Ta-Nehisi Coates for The Atlantic 

Ok, White Folks, Here’s What You Can Really Do to Help, by Pastor Jonathan Brooks 

The Ugly Truth about Diversity at Scraping Raisins

Books

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America

Between the World and Me

The Cross and the Lynching Tree

Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America 

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology

More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (Issues of Our Time)  

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race
 
 
People/Blogs to Follow on Twitter or Facebook:

These voices–both white and people of color–are bravely speaking out about racism in our country.  If you subscribe to their blogs, follow them on Twitter or “like” their pages on Facebook, then you’ll be sure to always be kept abreast of the latest that is going on in the African American community.

*active on Twitter

**active on Facebook 

**A Musing Maralee

Austin Channing Brown

*Broderick Greer  

*Shay Stewart-Boulay/Black Girl in Maine

Danielle S/Mamademics

Deidra Riggs

Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil

Drew G. I. Hart  

*Jasmine Banks 

Jennifer/Baby Making Machine  

Jo Saxton

Jon Greenberg

Judy Wu Dominick 

**Kristen Howerton/Rage Against the Minivan

Lisha Epperson

**Latasha Morrison

 
Online Journals:

Ebony

Huff Post Black Voices

The Root

Find a long list of news sources here

Facebook Group:

Be the Bridge  (also a website)


Additional Lists of Resources:

Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism–From Ferguson to Charleston 

Racial Reconciliation Resources (from First Free Church, Chicago) 

This list barely scratches the surface of the resources available, but I hope that these passionate voices will start you on your journey toward self-education in matters of race and racism

Feel overwhelmed by the vastness of the problem? 

It helps to remember that though the nation is a quilt of many squares, you are only responsible to do your part in toppling racism by “tending to your one small square“–that corner of the world God has placed you in for such a time as this (Lisha Epperson).   

~~~

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~~~

Next Posts: I once was (color) blind, but now…

Mourning and the Duty to Delight 

Previous Post: A Muslim in Our Home

Related Posts:

31 Days of #WOKE

The Ugly Truth about Diversity

On Race, Rights & Raising a Black Son: An Interview with Rachel Yantis 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a book and buy it through Amazon, you will not be charged extra, but I will receive a very tiny commission.

~~~

 

  

22 Replies to “70+ Race Resources for White People”

  1. I applaud about this open dialogue about race and faith because that effects how Christians of all backgrounds treat and live with one another and breakdown this social taboos in the Body of Christ and fullfill to spread the Good News to all Nations!!

    Ursula

    Light Black African (sometimes considered a "polar bear or being White" by MEAN folks) and mother of bi-racial child (black/white)

    http://www.blueridgebeautyblogger.com

  2. The book What Does It Mean to Be White by Robin DiAngelo is worth it's weight in gold. Also her article on White Fragility, available online as a PDF. Great resources you've compiled here.

  3. A great historical foundation: "My Face Is Black Is True: Callie house and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations" by Mary Frances Berry.

  4. So great and I will share this in my monthly newsletter. May I add, "Stand Your Ground" by Kelly Brown Douglas? Also "The Very Good Gospel" by Lisa Sharon Harper. If you're interested, I've interviewed Harper about her book. If you check out my website stumptownchristian (dot) com, I've also interviewed Pastor Cliff Chappell on why saying you're colorblind is not a good thing.

    Thanks for the compilation!

  5. Thanks, I'll check those resources out! This will be continued education for me, so I'm sure I'll eventually write another post with more titles. And I will definitely check out your site!

  6. YES! I discovered it the day after I posted this list and wish I had included it. I've been binge-listening since then (in fact, I'm listening right now…) Thanks for the addition!

  7. Hi Leslie. This couldn't be more timely! With all the uproar that has hit the nation as well as with the elections I think education is key to understanding one another's grievances. Thank you for this. I was wondering if you do any guest blogging at all. Would love to feature your work on our site http://www.prayerrelay.com.

  8. B"H — Hi Leslie, this is a very good resource list. Just off the top of my head I would suggest you also include the works of Tim Wise. He is probably one of the best white anti-racist speakers on the circuit right now. He has several books and there are numerous YouTube videos where you can hear him speak. Shlomo Brabham

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