Grab some coffee or tea and join me for a rundown of some good things I’ve read or watched or learned recently, and also what I’m working on. I hope you find something helpful!

Jamie Grace’s Playlist for Understanding
Do you know Jamie Grace’s music? She’s been speaking a lot about racism lately, and I love hearing from her! She created this playlist “for understanding why a lot of black people feel a lot of things.” Goodness, music sometimes hits you in ways an article doesn’t. The song “Rose Petals” be Dee Wilson is incredible.

Juneteenth is tomorrow (Friday, June 19)! I only learned about this holiday a few years ago, but it’s definitely in the news now. Virginia made it a state holiday a few days ago!

You can read the history of Juneteenth here.

To celebrate tomorrow, you can join Truth’s Table Live Prayer on Instagram

You can join The Witness and Black Christian leaders, creatives, and historians observing Juneteenth LIVE online: “Free to Be” starting 10 am on Friday (or on their Facebook page).

Brené Brown recently interviewed Ibram X. Kendi about “How to Be an Antiracist” and it’s incredible. His work has been important to me.

Esau McCaulley wrote an op-ed called “What does the Bible say about Black anger” in which he examines rage and the Psalms. McCaulley is a professor at Wheaton, theologian, and pastor. He also hosts the new podcast, “The Disrupters.”

Faitth Brooks, co-host of the podcast, Melanated Faith, wrote this post on Instagram that convicted me!

I kept hearing about the Ava DuVernay documentary 13th on Netflix about mass incarceration and I finally watched it. Whew. Just watch it and then let me know what you think! We have work to do, people.

I read the book of Amos last week and thought of God’s judgment and prophecies against Israel’s wickedness in the context of our own country. Lord, have mercy on us!

Someone I follow recommended this article that references the work of James Cone in the book, The Cross and the Lynching Tree. Trigger warning: It contains graphic descriptions of lynchings. Here is one quote.

“If the makers of the spirituals gloried in the cross of Jesus, it was not because they were masochistic and enjoyed suffering. Rather, the enslaved Africans sang because they saw on the rugged wooden planks One who had endured what was their daily portion. The cross was treasured because it enthroned the One who went all the way with them and for them. The enslaved Africans sang because they saw the results of the cross—triumph over the principalities and powers of death, triumph over evil in this world.” [Cone, 150-151]

I want to read this article about eminent domain and African Americans. In my own city, our mostly-Black neighborhood was demolished in the 60s for “urban renewal.”

Do you imagine the Bible characters as white? How are they depicted in your illustrated Bibles or story books? James C. Lewis reimagined what Bible characters might have looked like in this series of portraits.

I think we can all learn from Dr. Tony Evans. He wrote this recently: America’s racial crisis is a result of the failure of the church to deal with racism

This book was recommended to me, so I just ordered it: I was excited that Be the Bridge met their fundraising goal this week! They are still looking for monthly donors to continue their amazing work. If you’re looking to get started with their materials, you can download:

or the youth guide:

You probably know him as the creator of Veggietales or the “What’s in the Bible” series, but Phil Vischer also has a podcast with Skye Jethani, The Holy Post where he talks about faith and social issues. This video addresses race in America (“100 years of history in 17 minutes”) and is so good!

Here’s a good resource for churches wanting to address racial injustice:
The AND Campaign’s guide to Christian advocacy

On a personal note, I’m making some art for an August show at a local shop! I think I’m going to create a bird series on vintage book pages. Here’s a little peak:

Thanks for following along! Let me know if this kind of post is helpful!

antiracism books rac reading