Dismantling Racism

Welcome to Dismantling Racism a webpage of the Appalachian District Office created by Rev. Gloria Hughes, The Appalachian District Vitality Associate. If you have other great resources that we can add below please feel free to e-mail Gloria at GHughes@wnccumc.org.

Books: 

 

  1. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo  

  • Debunking The Most Common Myths White People Tell About Race 

  • GCORR has put out a Youtube video by Dr. Robin DiAngelo on Deconstructing White Privilege. “Dr. DiAngelo is the author of "What Does it Mean to Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy" and has been an anti-racist educator, and has heard justifications of racism by white men and women in her workshops for over two decades. This justification, which she calls “white fragility,” is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.” This video is part of the Vital Conversations 1 video series. For more information on this series, click here: http://www.gcorr.org/video/vital-conv...  

  1. Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman 

  1. Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation by Jennifer Harvey 

  1. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson  

  • This book has been made into a powerful movie and for the month of June, Amazon Prime has made this available to watch for free.  

  1. The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby   

  1. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown 

  1. How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi 

  1. Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do by Claude M. Steele 

  1. Descending Like A Dove: Adventure in Decolonizing Evangelical Christianity by Tommy Airey 

  1. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarcerations in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander  

  1. ReDiscipling The White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity by David Swanson 

  1. Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum 

  1. White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to be White by Daniel Hill 

  1. The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Fear by Rev. William Barber III 

  1. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein 

  1. The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone 

  1. Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Faith in America by Michael O. Emmerson 

  1. Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity by Edward Gilbreath 

  1. Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism by Drew G. I Hart, Christina Cleveland 

 

 

Ted Talks 

Understanding My Privilege Sue Borrego 

  • University Chancellor, Susan E. Borrego, reflects on her life as an emancipated minor and dissects the emotionally charged conversation surrounding race relations in the United States. This raconteur uses her powerful first-person account of "White Privilege" and "Black Lives Matter" to underscore the responsibility each one of us has to bring about change. Sue is a lifelong educator, championing the transformational power of education. Sue’s career has been driven by a dedication to student success that was inspired by her own ability to see what a difference higher education can make, should make, and does make in students’ lives. 

How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time Baratunde Thurston 

  • “Baratunde Thurston explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of ... eating, walking or generally "living while black." In this profound, thought-provoking and often hilarious talk, he reveals the power of language to change stories of trauma into stories of healing -- while challenging us all to level up.” 

 

Links  

  1. Systemic Racism Explained – video that would be a great starting place for congregations 

  1. Discipleship Ministries: Resources for Responding to Systemic Racism  

  1. Navigating 2 Viruses  2 viruses of racism and the COVID-19 pandemic 

  1. Radical Discipleship: Deleting your white friends doesn’t end racism; being in relationship is strategic by Tim W. Shenk  

  1. Black Parents Explain How to Deal with the Police 

  1. Facebook: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man Part I by Emmanuel Acho 

  1. James Baldwin Documentary I Am Not Your Negro   

  • free on Amazon Prime for the month of June 

  1. Parents Outraged After Students Shown “White Guilt” cartoon for Black History Monty 

  1. T.D. Jakes Presents: The Church and Race Featuring Leading Voices of The Church   

  1. 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge – this is the one that Howard Fleming spoke about during our Zoom call 

  1. Implicit Bias Test by Harvard 

 

 

 

Education is so important and here’s why: 

Things white people say. . .  

“I don’t see color” 

“Racism isn’t real” 

“All lives matter” 

“Blue lives matter” 

 

 

Resources that would be helpful in this stage: 

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo  

This is a Paradigm Shift 

Why I’m Not Racist is only half the story 

Debunking The Most Common Myths White People Tell About Race 

GCORR has put out a Youtube video by Dr. Robin DiAngelo on Deconstructing White Privilege.  

Beginning of awakening: 

Don’t think you can read your way through awakening, open your eyes and the eyes of your heart to see, hear, become aware of your own language and that of others. Do some honest journaling of what you are discovering.  

 

Have open and honest listening sessions with others, preferably anyone other than Caucasian. Listen. Really hear what they are saying and where these feeling are coming from. 

Know the history  

Black history is our history. Know the stories, know the struggles, know the truth of black history. So much of the history is misrepresented in History books some public schools use are grossly incorrect. Know the truth! 

Resources that would be helpful in the part of the process:  

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein 

Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lines by Dick Gregory 

There is nothing like conversation, no matter how hard it is: 

Sit with your black brother and sisters, let them share the stories of their heart. Don’t try to fix, impose your views. . . just listen.  

Pray 

Listen 

Pray