George Floyd's murder and those of fellow African-Americans at the hands of police call us to listen and learn about racism from the voices of outrage and racial-justice activism. This is a starter-list of recommended articles, podcasts, videos and books.

ARTICLES

America’s Lost Soul, by the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of Union Theological seminary, May 30, 2020.

As a black man, I understand the anger in our streets. But we must still choose love, by Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Washington Post, May 31, 2020.

Dear White America: I know it's hard, but you have to acknowledge what is happening in our country, by Pia Glenn, parishioner, actor and activist, Salon.com, August 11, 2015.

Don't understand the protests? What you're seeing is people pushed to the edge, by Kareem Abdul-Jabar, activist and retired professional athlete, Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2020.

To Serve and Protect: The Police, Race, and the Episcopal Church in the Black Lives Matter Era, by the Rev Gayle Fisher-Stewart, Episcopal priest & former police officer, Anglican Theological Review, Summer 2017.

What can I do in the face of systemic racism and white supremacy? by Bill Pitkin, social justice advocate & brother of Deacon Katie Derose, on Medium.com, May 30, 2020.

PODCASTS

A Brave Space with Dr. Meeks, a twice-monthly podcast by the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, featuring interviews on a wide range of intersectional topics around racial healing and resistance to racism.

Code Switch, a weekly NPR podcast produced by a multi-racial, multi-generational team of journalists exploring overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture, how they play out in our lives and communities, and how all of this is shifting.

The Read, a weekly podcast on American culture through a frank, unvarnished pro-black lens.

Seeing White, a multi-part podcast series, produced by a white host who takes listeners on his journey to examine whiteness and the history of racism in this country.

VIDEOS

Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism, a short video on implicit bias and hour our subconscious influences our perceptions. It is a New York Times production, as part of their 2-3 minute video series "Who, Me? Biased?" with additional titles like Check Our Bias to Wreck Our Bias, and The Life-Changing Magic of Hanging Out.

Policing, reconciliation, black lives and the church’s role, by the Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, a 20-year veteran of the Washington DC police force prior to ordination.

Racism has a cost for everyone – TedTalk by Heather C. McGhee, political commentator and strategist, on how racism makes our economy worse.

Racism makes us sick – TedTalk by Dr. David R. Williams, chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard University, about measuring the impact of discrimination on well-being in a way that goes beyond traditional measures like income and education, and instead reveals how factors like implicit bias, residential segregation and negative stereotypes create and sustain inequality.

BOOKS on RACISM in AMERICA

Living into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America, by Dr. Catherine Meeks, director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. Combining personal stories with theoretical and theological reflections, Meeks lays out how dismantling racism in the 21st Century has to be different from the work of the past and also offers ways for that journey to progress.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander, civil rights lawyer and legal scholar. An expose of the devastating reality and impact of systemic racism in American criminal justice system.

Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America, by Dr. Jennifer Harvey, professor of religion and ethics at Drake University. The book offers age-appropriate insights for teaching children how to address racism when they encounter it and tackles tough questions about how to help white kids be mindful of racial relations while understanding their own identity and the role they can play for justice.

So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo, writer and speaker. A primer and conversation guide on subjects from intersectionality to affirmative action, "model minorities" and more, designed to facilitate having honest discussions about race and racism how they infect almost every aspect of American life.

Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God, by the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of Union Theological Seminary. A historical and contemporary examination of “stand your ground” culture from the perspective of an African American mother and theologian.

Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race, by Debby Irving, racial justice educator and writer. A searingly honest memoir on her gradual awakening to the mechanics of race operating in her life, and how white Americans are socialized into racist privilege.

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, by Dr. Carol Anderson, professor of history at Emory University A historical look at how efforts of whites, in both the North and the South, have prevented (and still are preventing) emancipated black people from achieving economic independence, civil and political rights, personal safety, and economic opportunity.

Image: Pieta (detail), Tylonn J. Sawyer