Anti Racism Resources
With the leadership of Mennonite Church USA, we agree that “this is not a time for Mennonites to be the quiet in the land. We call on our congregations to lament and pray together. More than that, we encourage you to stand in solidarity with communities of color, walk alongside them and, indeed, be led by them” (MC USA Statement on Racial Injustice, June 1, 2020).
|
Mennonite Church USA statement on racial injustice
Mennonite Church USA statement on anti-Asian Racism and COVID-19 "The overwhelming outcry over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police should have non-black preachers trying to address racial justice, even if for the first time. First and foremost, non-black preachers need to listen to leaders of the black community who have been doing this work for so long. Since we are still in the midst of a pandemic, the resources are readily available for non-black preachers to listen and learn. This is only the beginning, but we must listen so that we too can speak out." --Lee Ann Pomrenke
Find a list of 5 timely sermons by black preachers here. Articles:
"We Need to Engage in More Costly Peacemaking," Glen Guyton, Executive Director of MC USA "I Can't Breathe: A Meditation," David Boshart, President of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary "I Cannot Speak of Love To You Today," Regina Shands Stoltzfus, 2016 "The Mennonite Church, Racism, and Whiteness: Two Reflections," Tobin Miller Shearer and Brenda Zook Friesen, 2016 The 1619 Project by The New York Times (interactive web magazine version) The Cross and the Lynching Tree: A Requiem for Ahmaud Arbery by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus |
Outreach & Service Racism Webinar Recording with Drick Boyd, "Musings of a Recovering Racist"
Books and studies from the Formation Resources Library:
These books are available to be borrowed from the Formation Resources Library housed in Kalona. If you would like to borrow one of these books, please contact Amanda Bleichty and she'd be happy to send resources your way. Christian. Muslim. Friend. Twelve Paths to Real Relationship by David W. Shenk The New Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by Michelle Alexander ✓The New Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness STUDY GUIDE ✓Plantation Jesus: Race, faith and a new way forward by Skot Welch & Rick Wilson Wrongs to Rights: How Churches Can Engage the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Edited by Steve Heinrichs ✓Beyond the News: Racism by Mennonite Media Productions ✓These are either written as curriculum or include a discussion guide. Other books: (not currently available in the Formation Resources Library, but Amanda would be happy to add them if interest in borrowing them was indicated)
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Eric Michael Dyson The God Who Sees: Immigrants, the Bible, and the Journey to Belong by Karen Gonzalez Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry Beyond Colorblind by Sarah Shin Film
13th (Available for free on YouTube) Just Mercy (Available for free on Amazon) Eyes on the Prize: A History of the Civil Rights Movement (Available for free, but need to create account) Podcasts
1619 by The New York Times (Available for free wherever you get your podcasts) Code Switch by NPR (Available for free wherever you get your podcasts) Unlocking Us by Brene Brown (Specifically, this interview with Ibram X. Kendi) |