• U.S. Civil Rights: Chapter 1

6. Additional resources

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​Suggested reading

Stand your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas

Preview Stand your Ground (Prologue, introduction, and most of the first chapter.)

Kelly Brown Douglas’ book is a wonderful resource to further explore and wrestle with one’s context and story. This is precisely what she does as she lays out some of the U.S.’s story.

Documentaries, movies and videos

  • Lowdnes County and the March to Black Power,
    90-minute documentary. (We will be driving through Lowdnes County when
    we go from Montgomery to Selma) So far, we’ve only been able to find
    this as a rental on Amazon Prime, or through a Peacock subscription.

  • Either the movie Selma, or this 30-minute documentary Selma: A March to Remember

  • 13th—a documentary on Netflix

  • The 1964 murders of Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman (9 minutes), along with this article, Murder in Mississippi

  • The water crisis in Jackson is frequently in the news, this CNN video clip gives some background on why there continues to be ongoing water concerns in Jackson, and this article illustrates the way white power continues to takeover in Jackson, "one of America’s blackest big cities."

  • Till—130-minute film based on the true story of Mamie Till-Bradley, an
    educator and activist who pursued justice after the murder of her
    14-year-old son Emmett Till in August 1955.

  • Jesus Wasn’t White—What if the pictures of Jesus that we’ve known for so long contribute to the racism we work and pray to eliminate?

Web-based resources

If you are the kind of person who likes to be well-prepared for possible learning experiences, here are links to web-based options for you to explore:

  • Stir up peace: Video series on nonviolent direct action from Mennonite Mission Network.

  • Anti racism resources from Indiana-Michigan
    Mennonite Conference, including curriculum that can be used as a group or in Sunday School classes.

  • The Eyes on the Prize: PBS documentary series on the civil rights
    movement. Series overview

  • The danger of a single story: Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her
    authentic cultural voice—and warns that if we hear only a single
    story about another person or country, we risk a critical
    misunderstanding.


Books

Hungry for even more? There is no expectation that you explore this list prior to the trip. It is here for you as a resource in case you seek recommendations now or after the trip. This list is also provided in your print materials.

  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (preparation for the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery). The movie is also very good, but the book goes deeper.
  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
  • Trouble I’ve Seen by Drew Hart
  • Who Will be a Witness by Drew Hart
  • Been in the Struggle by Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer
  • Dear White Peacemaker by Osheta Moore
  • Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby
  • Bearing the Cross, by David Garrow (The definitive biography of Dr. King.) 
  • Stand your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas
  • God of the Oppressed by James Cone
  • The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
  • The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race by Willie James Jennings
  • Katie’s Canon: Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community by Katie Geneva Canon
  • Ferguson & Faith: Sparking Leadership & Awakening Community by Leah Gunning Francis
  • Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community by Charles Marsh and John Perkins

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