Racial Justice Resources
Pray
- An Examen for White Allies
- Praying the Examen on a Lenten Journey for Racial Justice (not just for Lent)
- Prayer Service for the Elimination of Racism from the Sisters of Mercy
- Prayer Service for Racial Healing in Our Land from the USCCB
- Prayers for Racial Justice and Reconciliation from Xavier University
- Engaging in a Racial Examination of Conscience from Communities of Salt and Light (USCCB)
Act
- Prayerfully reflect on and discuss the issue of racism, including its individual and societal manifestations, by utilizing key resources such as:
- USCCB Backgrounder on Racism
- USCCB Special Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities: Report and Recommendations (2016) and U.S. Bishops Establish New Ad Hoc Committee on Racism (2017)
- U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letter on Racism, Brothers and Sisters to Us
- Additional resources are at USCCB.org/Racism
- Advocate for police brutality accountability. Campaign Zero is a great place to learn more about legislative issues. U.S. Representative Justin Amash, a conservative independent from Michigan, won support from a Minneapolis Democrat on Monday for his “Ending Qualified Immunity Act.”
- The National Bail Fund Network has a full directory of bail funds by state, and ActBlue has also set up a secure donation link that will let you simultaneously send money to up to 37 nationwide bail funds.
- Support a black-led social justice organization.
- Join SURJ DC, a chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial justice. Members of the HT Migrant Team have been collaborating with SURG on immigration issues. We can do more.
- Participate in the Washington Interfaith Network Freedom School Fridays. In the spirit of Freedom Schools during the Civil Rights Movement, the WIN Freedom School Fridays, offer a deep public inquiry in the form of weekly one-hour sessions at 12pm.
- If you have the desire to join a protest, be safe. Wear a mask, bring hand sanitizer, and water. Don’t feel safe protesting? Drop off a supply of water and snacks.
Learn
- In December of 2018, Dr. Marsha Chatelain spoke at Holy Trinity as part of the Toolbox for Justice series. I had the benefit of attending, and the experience was challenging and transformative. If you missed it or even if you attended, it is worth revisiting the video.
- Talk to your children about racism:
- Guidelines for parents
- Listen to Kojo For Kids: Young Adult author Jason Reynolds Talks About Racism and the Protests
- 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on race, racism and resistance
- Anti-Racism Resources
- Further suggestions for books, movies and more
- Justice in June curriculum (choose 10, 25, or 45 minutes per day)
Read
Articles
- After George Floyd’s Suffocation: A Litany for Oxygen From a Black Jesuit by Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J.
- To fight racism, Catholics must hunger for justice like we do for the Eucharist America Magazine
- How Can Catholics Help Lead the Fight Against Racism by Olga Segura. Fr. John of the Church of Saint Francis Xavier New York also shared a powerful homily yesterday (begins at 27:21).
- The Assumptions of White Privilege and What We Can Do About It by Fr Bryan N. Massingale, professor theology at Fordham University
Books
- How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Uluo
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Raising White Kids by Kennifer Harvey
- Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
- The Next American Revolution by Grace Lee Boggs
Watch
- 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay
- Just Mercy, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
- Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
- When They See Us Now
- LA 92
- BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee
- The Hate U Give, directed by George Tillman, Jr.
- Dear White People
Listen
- 1619 Podcast
- Code Switch
- Pod Save the People