Racial Justice Resources, Chapter 1: Disclaimers, Baby Steps, Intersectionality, and Critical Race Theory

You may read Chapter 2: For Church Study, Feminist Work, & Theology here.
Chapter 3: News Sources & Organizations; Whiteness & White Supremacy
Chapter 4: History & Poetry

I get asked for resources periodically. Sharing resources is my job. I've been asked about racial justice resources. I started a list over a year ago and it's time to post it, however incomplete.

The list is getting big. So I will post in brief chapters. Here's Chapter 1. A beginning. More will be posted throughout this week.

No, I haven’t read everything I’m about to post. Not all of these resources are church-related or religious. That’s because any good Christian is informed by work in multiple sectors and disciplines. Because our world is informed by all of it. I will post blogs, news sources, books, articles, training organizations, people everyone should read or listen to. I will post academic books, books written to be understandable to the average reader, sources that aren't Christian, and people/resources that may be controversial. That's because I respect our capacity to handle it.

You may notice something or someone you would recommend is missing. I have not included every possible resource for the following reasons:

-There are a lot of resources out there and they won’t fit here. (Add in the comments!)

-I haven’t read them yet.

-They are by or are people who are jerks (and not the jerks I enjoy).

-They are by or are people who are unaccountable to a larger community engaged in antiracism work.

-The analyses they offer are overly binary, depending on issues between white people and black people, to the exclusion of a more complicated analysis and full reading of history. We who aren’t black or white understand there are a ton of issues there, but if we know we can't bring about racial justice without pulling on all the threads that exist. If I do recommend something with a binary analysis, it’s because I trust its inherent brilliance.

Baby Steps

For those just beginning to think about race, difference, racial justice, and faith, read every book by Eric Law. His work offers excellent processes, lots of good exercises to do in groups, thoughtful questions, and a lovely writing style. The more you know, the more you can get out of his work, but it's safe for beginners.

Intersectionality 

Here's a definition, with a great selected bibliography. Read.

Intersectionality (Key Concepts), by Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge

Critical Race Theory

Global Critical Race Feminism, edited by Adrien Katherine Wing (My first full critical race theory book was the first edition.)

Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings that Formed the Movement, edited by Kimberle Crenshaw, Neil Gotanda, Gary Peller, and Kendall Thomas

Friends, readers, colleagues, please add your suggestions in the comments! I can go back and amend the episodes based on your contributions.