Our Lenten series of Journeying Towards Liberation is a journey of introspection and learning. It is an opportunity to learn more about privilege and racism, as well as the many ways that racism intersects with other forms of oppression. We begin our exploration on Ash Wednesday with a service of acknowledgement and repentance. We will continue to journey each week, here on our website, with options for learning and reflection.
Reach out to rev. mandi, revmandi@dupageuuchurch.org
Book: Feminism is for Everyone by bell hooks
Speech/Essay: Black/Queer/Diaspora at the Current Juncture by Jafari Allen
Movie: Moonlight Available on Max, HULU, YouTube or Amazon Prime
Podcast: Strange Fruit by NPR
Family Book: Anti-Racist Art Activities for Kids: 30+ Creative Projects that Celebrate Diversity and Inspire Change by Anti-Racist Art Teachers
Exercise: Commit to becoming an anti-racist/anti-oppression person! Consider enrolling in Meadville Lombard’s Beloved Conversations.
Book: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Speech/Essay: “The Urgency of Intersectionality” TedTalk by Kimberle Crenshaw
Movie: Dear White People Available on Netflix or for rent on Amazon Prime, YouTube, or GooglePlay
Podcast: NATAL on Spotify or ApplePodcasts
Children’s Book: Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford
Exercise: Ideally, with a group of friends or family, do the Privilege Exercise Walk. What did you learn? What did you feel? Imagine what this exercise looks like with people of different privileges.
Book: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum
Speech/Essay: “Racial Microaggressions: The Narratives of African American Faculty at a Predominantly White University” by Chavella T. Pittman
Movie: The Hate U Give Available on HULU or rent from YouTube, Amazon Prime, or Google Play
Podcast: Code Switch on NPR
Children’s Book: The Real History of Juneteenth by Elliott Smith
Exercise: Research Microaggressions. (Resource from Harvard Business Review.) Think about the ways that you may have perpetuated microaggressions on others. What might you have said or done instead?
Book: Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
Speech/Essay: “The Uses of Anger” by Audre Lorde
Movie: Get Out by director Jordan Peele, available on Amazon Prime subscription and HULU, rent from YouTube or Google Play
Podcast: There Goes the Neighborhood on WNYC
Youth Book (ages 11+): This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell
Exercise: Do some research into the mentality of “White Savior”. What does it mean? How does it show up? Examples: The Blind Side or The Help (movies) Reflect on the ways you may have done this racially or in other ways (as an able-bodied person or someone with economic privilege.)
Book: White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
Speech/Essay: “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” by MLK Jr.
Movie: When They See Us on Netflix
Podcast: Come Through with Rebecca Carroll from WNYC Studios
Children’s Book: Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey
Exercise: Investigate the brands you use and their ties to prison labor. Consider alternatives that might break the cycle of abusive labor practices.
Book: I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin
Speech/Essay: “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X
Movie: Just Mercy available on Peacock, HBO Max, or Rent from Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Google Play
Podcast: Jemele Hill is Unbothered on Spotify
Children’s Book: Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff
Exercise: Talk with your family or friends about race. How do you racially identify? What does it mean to be culturally “white” or BIPOC? What ways do you have privilege?
Book: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Speech/Essay: “The Gates to Freedom” by Angela Davis
Movie: 13th directed by Ava DuVernay
Podcast: 1619 from the New York Times
Children’s book: Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano PhD
Exercise: Take the implicit bias test from Harvard University. Discuss with your family or a friend the results and your learnings. What did you learn? Was it a surprise? What might be some next steps to take?
