We need to talk about race
Over the last few years, we have started to see much more discussion about race and the unspoken issues that affect swathes of our society. Christians on the Left has sought to engage more with BAME members and with majority BAME churches as we find our way forwards on this issue. We are very much on a journey and one step has been to help our members engage with some of the issues by providing training and resources.
In December we ran a short Zoom session with Rev David Shosanya from Paideia Training & Consultancy and Mike Royal from the Cinnamon Network. The thoughtful, relaxed session gave us plenty of food for thought and some great “homework” for both individuals and organisations. Paid CotL members can send us your gmail address or a Google or YouTube username so that we can give you access to the YouTube video.
A former member of our Executive Committee has also put together this short list of resources that you might want to check out. Thank you Tola for taking the time to compile these for us.
Below are some resources I've found useful and informative as I’ve been researching these ideas throughout 2020. They are a mix of 'sacred and secular' thinking, from both the UK and US. I hope they are helpful. Put an evening in your diary to watch some of the longer ones, or use your commute or lunch break to chew over some of the shorter ones with a pen and paper for your own thoughts.
Body Language - Learn more about the culture and subconscious behaviours that feed the racism of otherwise good people. Brilliant and simply explained. (75min)
African Theology - with Dr Vince Bantu. “This interview alone can be life-changing for so many people.” (1hr)
Brother Casey Part 1 (8min) & Part 2 (9min) - Short and sweet, Catholic & Fransiscan perspectives
Relevant magazine's podcast (85min) This is just one sample but there's much more from the same fab team
For our white friends desiring to be allies - Article from the very excellent Soujourners movement
Washington Post article - Don’t join a book club.
NEF podcast with Gary Younge - Once this moment of the whirlwind passes, how can we make sure we achieve lasting change? (43min)
Podcast interview with Nikhil Pal Singh - George Floyd & Black Lives Matter: Racial Capitalism (33min)
My UK church, King's London, has also been trying to engage with this issue even more meaningfully of late and have produced lots of resources, including a short-ish interview with Ben Lindsay; author of We Need to Talk About Race.
In addition, I'd highly recommend the Jude 3 Project Youtube channel, which features diverse theological perspectives from the African diaspora, and not just African-American.
There's also this 2014 lecture by Prof. Cornel West (he's generally a good source) and this very recent online lecture by Prof. Willie Jennings on Reimagining Education in a time of Racial Crisis. I'd also recommend his interview with the Sacred Podcast. Lastly, this 2018 lecture by Sandra Van Opstal is excellent and confrontational in the best way.
Posted by Daniel on behalf of Tola.
