DEI Resource List: Antiracism

Being an antiracist means more than just not being racist. Antiracism is the active dismantling of systems, privileges, and everyday practices that reinforce and normalize white dominance. “The beauty of antiracism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.” — Ijeoma Oluo

As Unitarian Universalists, our first step toward becoming anti-racist is to educate ourselves. DEI has compiled this list of resources; as time permits, please use the resources on this list to build your awareness of the aspect of our history that most of us didn’t learn in school. You will gain a much better understanding of the past as well as current issues and events.

Note: Some of the linked reviews may require a subscription.

Articles

“The Black Hole in The White UU Psyche” - From UU World, 5 pages
Unitarian Universalism, the faith that we love, has repeatedly stated, sometimes in word but more often in deed: Black Lives Don’t Matter. What is the consequence of not knowing Unitarian Universalism’s black history? We have embraced a false narrative about who we are. Read this article to see why.

‘An Honest Beginning’ With a Tragic End: The Legacy of the Kerner Report, 15 pages
In 1968, the Kerner Commission identified white racism as the main cause of civil unrest. It blamed white society for the conditions in the mostly Black urban ghettos. Its most famous line was as follows: "What white Americans have never fully understood—but what the Negro can never forget—is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto. White institutions created it, white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it." 50 years later, little has changed.

Books

America’s Racial Karma by Larry Ward, 144 pages
In these short reflective essays, Larry Ward, PhD, leading Zen Buddhist teacher, offers his insights on the effects of racial constructs and answers the question: how do we free ourselves from our repeated cycles of anger, denial, bitterness, pain, fear, violence? Larry Ward looks at the causes and conditions that have led us to our current state and finds, hidden in the crisis, a profound opportunity to reinvent what it means to be a human being. This is an invitation to transform America's racial karma.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabelle Wilkerson, 496 pages — Available in the UUSG Library
This is a nonfiction book by the American journalist Isabel Wilkerson. The book describes racism in the US as an aspect of a caste system – a society-wide system of social stratification characterized by notions such as hierarchy, inclusion and exclusion, and purity. Wilkerson does so by comparing aspects of the experience of American people of color to the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org. NYT Review.

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, 238 pages — Available in the UUSG Library
This book is considered to be THE book on antiracism. Kendi dissects why the divisions and inequalities of racism remain so prevalent. How to Be an Antiracist punctures the myths of a post-racial America, examining what racism really is—and what we should do about it. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org. NYT Review.

Not a Nation of Immigrants: Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, 400 pages
Whether in political debates or discussions about immigration around the kitchen table, many Americans, regardless of party affiliation, will say proudly that we are a nation of immigrants. In this bold new book, historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz asserts this ideology is harmful and dishonest because it serves to mask and diminish the US’s history of settler colonialism, genocide, white supremacy, slavery, and structural inequality, all of which we still grapple with today. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org.

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, 688 pages — Available in the UUSG Library
If you haven’t read this classic yet, you must do so; it will change your life. Library Journal calls it “a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those. . . whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories.” Packed with vivid details and telling quotations, Zinn’s award-winning classic continues to revolutionize the way U.S. history is taught and remembered.

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, 594 pages
Available in the UUSG Library
As Kendi shows, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. They were created to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation's racial inequities. In shedding light on this history, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose racist thinking. In the process, he gives us reason to hope. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org.

The Sum of Us, by Heather McGhee, 355 pages
Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy—and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. As one of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers, McGee offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color. Winner of the Porchlight Business Book Award. Longlisted for The Andrew Carnegie Medal. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org. NYT Review.

Waking Up White by Debbie Irving, 288 pages
Words from the author: “Waking Up White is the book I wish someone had handed me decades ago. My hope is that by sharing my sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, I offer a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As I unpack my own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, I reveal how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated my ill-conceived ideas about race.” Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org.

We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, 232 pages
This young adult adaptation of the New York Times bestselling White Rage is essential antiracist reading for teens. It is also quite appropriate for adults. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org. NYT Review.

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, 178 pages — Available in the UUSG Library
Since 1865 and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, every time African Americans have made advances towards full participation in our democracy, white reaction has fueled a deliberate and relentless rollback of their gains. History texts often teach that the United States has made a straight line of progress toward Black equality. The reality is more complex: milestones like the end of slavery, school integration, and equal voting rights have all been met with racist legal and political maneuverings meant to limit that progress. White Rage is historically accurate and transformative. Purchase at your local independent bookstore or via Bookshop.org. NYT Review.

Documentaries

The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, 6 hours; 1 hour per episode
DVD Available in the UUSG Library or Watch on Amazon Prime
This is a MUST SEE! Narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., this video explores the evolution of the African American people. It addresses the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives. An excellent background for understanding the African American world view. (PBS)

America's Great Divide, 1 hour, 55 minutes
“America’s Great Divide” addresses our county’s current divisiveness by analyzing media coverage over the past two presidencies. Part 1 covers the presidency of President Obama; Part 2 covers that of President Trump. The video incorporates actual TV video snippets with interpretations by historians. Watch on Frontline.

MLK and the FBI, 106 minutes
The first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. From Emmy Award winning director Sam Pollard and featuring interviews with Andrew Young, James Comey, Clarence Jones, and more. You may want to read the reviews – there is some controversary as to its accuracy. NPR review. Watch on Amazon Prime; Watch on Apple TV; Watch on Hulu Premium; Watch on Google Play (available to rent); Watch on YouTube (available to rent).

The People V the Klan. (Paid subscription to one of the below services required.) 4 hours; 1 hour per episode
The four-part CNN docuseries tells the little-known true story of Beulah Mae Donald, a Black mother in Alabama, who took down the Ku Klux Klan after the brutal murder and lynching of her son, Michael Donald. He was nineteen years old in March of 1981 when he was found dead, hanging from a tree in Mobile. The local Black community immediately suspected it was a Klan lynching, but local law enforcement was slow to acknowledge that the murder was racially motivated. Beulah Mae and local Black leaders refused to back down until Michael’s killers and the hateful organization they belonged to were brought to justice. Trailer; Watch on Apple TV; Watch on HBO Max.

Soul of a Nation on ABC, 6 hours; 1 hour per episode
A six-episode series that offers a look at racial reckoning in present-day America, tackling issues ranging from policing to reparations and segments highlighting the arts and entertainment. It's the first time a major broadcast network has dedicated a primetime news magazine to Black life. Watch on ABC.com (no subscription required); Watch on Hulu Premium (paid subscription required).

The Uncomfortable Truth. (Paid subscription required) 1 hour, 25 minutes
When the award-winning filmmaker of An Ordinary Hero, Loki Mulholland, dives into the 400-year history of institutional racism in America he is confronted with the shocking reality that his family helped start it all. ABC 4 News Review; Watch on Amazon Prime.

United Shades of America, 1 hour per episode; 7 seasons
If you haven’t been watching United Shades of America on Sunday evenings at 9:00 on CNN, you’re missing an opportunity for unique insights. United Shades is a CNN documentary series starring comedian W. Kamau Bell. Bell visits communities across America to understand the challenges they face. The show was named Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the 69th, 70th, and 71st Emmy Awards. Watch on CNN.com.

Film

Green Book. (Paid subscription to one of the below services required) 2 hours, 9 minutes
A bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South. They must rely on the "The Negro Motorist’s Green Book" to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger, as well as unexpected humanity and humor—they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime. Trailer; NYT review; Watch on Amazon Prime (rent or buy). A copy of an actual Green Book is in the UUSG Library. Please leave it in the library.

Podcasts

The Movement That Never Was: A People's Guide to Anti-Racism in the South and Arkansas, Episode 1. 33 minutes
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Episode 1 begins with the protests over the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and the explosion of interest in antiracist movements, particularly in white communities, and looks ahead to what this newfound interest might mean for the country.

The Movement That Never Was: A People's Guide to Anti-Racism in the South and Arkansas, Episode 2. 34 minutes
Listen on Apple Podcasts
The second episode of The Movement That Never Was: A People's Guide to Anti-Racism in the South and Arkansas looks at working class solidarity in antiracist movements, and how organizing for the rights of the working class has created integrated antiracist groups in the past, like The Rainbow Coalition in South Chicago in the 1960s, and in current projects like the Belford County Listening Project in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

The Movement That Never Was: A People's Guide to Anti-Racism in the South and Arkansas, Episode 3. 34 minutes
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Episode 3 looks at the 2020 election/21 election in Georgia. It briefly covers the political history of the South, the creation of the current electorate in the South, and its racist roots. Labor Unions had a significant impact in integrating Backs and whites in Arkansas. Labor unions were responsible for recruiting black members and influencing the politics of Arkansas by voting to remove the poll tax.

The Movement That Never Was: A People's Guide to Anti-Racism in the South and Arkansas, Episode 4. 25 minutes
Listen on Apple Podcasts
The fourth episode of The Movement That Never Was: A People's Guide to Anti-Racism in the South and Arkansas covers the wealth gap between black and white families and some of the ways to close it. As the Black Lives Matter movement took to the streets last year, many embraced the campaign to support black-owned businesses, but that same support has been difficult to find for reparations initiatives.

Resistance. NPR’s Terry Gross’s (Fresh Air) interview with Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr, 42 minutes
Listen via NPR
Tejan-Thomas Jr.'s Resistance podcast explores different aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement. The podcast has been mostly devoted to the protests that started last summer after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but it also chronicles Tejan-Thomas Jr.'s personal history. Tejan-Thomas Jr. was born in Sierra Leone and came to the U.S. when he was 8.

Un(re)solved - PBS FRONTLINE Broadcast, 48 minutes
Visit PBS to listen via Spotify or Apple Podcasts
FRONTLINE's new, multipart narrative podcast series "Un(re)solved" tells a story of lives cut short and a federal effort to re-examine cold cases that date back to the civil rights era. Under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, the federal government has investigated more than 150 race-related cold cases. A new podcast and multiplatform project from Frontline examines its success, and what truth and justice look like in decades-old cases.

White Lies, Episode 1: The Murder of Rev. James Reeb. 51 minutes
Listen via NPR
Should be required reading for every UU.
If you don’t know the story of Rev. James Reeb, Unitarian Universalist minister, pastor, and activist, you really must listen to this. While participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, he was murdered by white segregationists, dying of head injuries in the hospital two days after being severely beaten. Three men were tried for Reeb's murder but were acquitted by an all-white jury.

TV Series

The Underground Railroad. The first chapter aired on May 14, 2021. 10 hours; 1 hour per episode
Available through Amazon Prime Video or Watch on Amazon Prime (paid subscription or rent). Also available in book form.
From Academy Award® winner Barry Jenkins and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad is a new series that chronicles Cora Randall’s desperate bid for freedom in the Antebellum South. After escaping a Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad beneath the ground. Reviews have been mixed, but the story is compelling, and the cinematography is rich and unique. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 96% rating. The brutality and violence render it inappropriate for children. (Amazon)

Workshops

UUSG Workshop: “See-Something/Say-Something: An Antiracism Workshop”, 3 hours
Save the Date for January 27, February 1, and February 3, 2023, 6-8pm, via Zoom
In this workshop particcipants talk about implicit bias, micro vs. macro aggressions, and what we might do or say in the moment when someone crosses the line. These skills will help UUSG become a more hospitable and welcoming place to newcomers. This workshop will be hands-on. There is no cost to UUSG members and friends. All are welcome, though some familiarity with the ideas involved are recommended.