Taking Faithful Steps Toward Justice

Luke 4:18

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free."

Quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate,

adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

KING IN THE WILDERNESS

An HBO Original Documentary

(For Adults): The 2018 HBO Original Documentary is a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life, from his part in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to his assassination in 1968. So often Dr. King is reduced to just his "I Have a Dream Speech". The film presents the fuller, more revolutionary, more human preacher, activist, and organizer. Owen Gleiberman states in his review for Variety, "[The Documentary] takes Martin Luther King Jr. down from the mountaintop. You glimpse the real glory of who he was; not a walking monument but a human being with fear, humor, guts, and (amazing) grace under pressure."

MARTIN'S BIG WORDS

By: Doreen Rappaport

Martin's Big Words, is a children's book written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier. This picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brings his life and the profound nature of his message to young children through his own words. Several readings of the book by teachers, youth and entertainers can be viewed on YouTube.

Taking Faithful Steps Toward Justice

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -think about such things.

Quote from Nawal El Saadawi,
in Memoirs from the Women's Prison (1986)
"Nothing is more perilous than truth in a world that lies."

PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty God, give us the grace to lay to heart
the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.
Take away whatever hinders us from godly union and
strengthen the holy bonds of faith and unity.
Help us to be led by your truth as we seek
to love and serve on another.
~ Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Waking up White
and Finding Myself in the Story of Race (adults)

By: Debby Irving

(For Adults): For twenty-five years, Debby Irving sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a colleague and neighbor, she worried about offending people she dearly wanted to befriend. As an arts administrator, she didn't understand why her diversity efforts lacked traction. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, in 2009, one "aha!" moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan. In Waking Up White, Irving tells her often cringe-worthy story with such openness that readers will turn every page rooting for her-and ultimately for all of us.

Brown Girl Dreaming (ages 10+)

by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming is a 2014 adolescent novel told in verse by author Jacqueline Woodson. It discusses the author's childhood as an African American growing up in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York.

Going Down Home With Daddy (ages 6+)

By Kelly Starling Lyons

Illustrated by Daniel Minter

Set at one young boy’s annual family reunion, this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book by Kelly Starling Lyons and Daniel Minter is a rich and moving celebration of Black history, culture, and the power of family traditions.

Justice Steps for March 23rd

Mark 12:31

'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no other commandment greater than these."

Quote from Benjamin Franklin

"Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected

are outraged as those who are."

FOR ADULTS:

How To Be An Antiracist

By: Ibram X. Kendi

Author Ibram X. Kendi takes readers through his journey to become an antiracist - a person who believes that all racial groups are equal and supports policies that reduce inequity. Antiracists acknowledge that there are differences between races, but these differences aren't responsible for inequities - policies are.

Note: Ibram Xolani Kendi is an American author, professor, anti-racist activist, and historian of race and discriminatory policy in America. He received his undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University and his M.A. and PhD. from Temple University.

FOR CHILDREN:

Antiracist Baby

By Ibram X. Kendi

Take your first steps with Antiracist baby! Or rather, follow Antiracist Baby's nine easy steps for building a more equitable world.

With bold art and thoughtful yet playful text, Antiracist Babyintroduces the youngest readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism.

Note: This is a board book that is colorful and simple. Grandparents and grandchildren can enjoy this together.

How To Talk To Kids About Race

By Jemar Tisby
(You Tube Video)

Note: This is a helpful resource in talking with your children. It is particularly helpful when they have questions about what might have been said from the kids at school or what they see on TV.

Justice Steps for March 16th

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,

but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.

Let each of you look not to your own interests,

but to the interests of others.

Quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

"An individual has not begun to live until (they) can rise above

the narrow horizons of (their) particular individualistic concerns

to the broader concerns of all humanity."

ADULTS:

The Warmth of Other Suns

By: Isabel Wilkerson

A Pulitzer Prize winning non-fiction book about the history of the African American people during the great migration from the south in the years 1915 to 1970. Black citizens traveled to the northern and western states in search of a better life. This beautifully written history of America is told through the lives of three amazing people that settled in three different areas of the USA. Through thousands of interviews, Isabel Wilkerson learned the story of this exodus of almost six million people that changed the face of America.

A Most Beautiful Thing is the story of the Manley High rowing team, a group of young Black men from the West Side of Chicago who became unexpected best friends on the water. Coming almost entirely from broken homes, including multiple cases in which mothers were addicted to drugs and fathers were absent, these men were prime candidates for gang life.

This documentary shows how their experience grows into a passion and gives the men a newfound purpose that includes healing relationships with Chicago area police officers.

The movie is available on Amazon Prime.

FOR CHILDREN

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

By Mildred D. Taylor

Grades 4th - 7th

The book takes place in Mississippi during the 1930's and the Jim Crow era. The Logan family works hard to keep their farm. They endure many racial injustices while living under the Jim Crow laws. Mom teaches in the black school, and dad works part time for the railroad as they struggle to keep their land. Cassie, their daughter, begins to question the inequalities of life, the differences of the white and black school, and the family resolves to take some action.

This book would be excellent to read as a family and discuss together.

Appropriate for parents of children ages 3-15:

How To Talk So Kids Can Learn About Anti-Racism & Social Justice

By: Nicola Davies

Nicola Davies is a renown children's author. In her book How to Talk so Kids Can Learn About Anti-Racism and Social Justice, she shares ideas to help parents talk about the concepts of race, racism, and social justice with kids. It is important for families to start having 'the conversation' and to start learning how to behave when confronted with racist situations.

This book will help you learn about the root of prejudice, identity formation, race and racism. The information will allow you not to feel uncomfortable or feel you lack knowledge and understanding about the topic when your child shares their concerns and questions about diversity. There are separate chapters with ideas for working with children from three years through teens.

"All parents need to help their children think and talk about our country's racial inequality as a step toward creating a more equal society."

Justice Steps for March 9th

Psalm 106:3 ESV

Blessed are they who observe justice,

who do righteousness at all times!

Quote from MLK letter from Birmingham jail:

"... I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership

of this community would see the justice of our cause

and with deep moral concern serve as the channel through which our just grievances could get to the power structure ..."

ADULTS:

The Sun Does Shine

How I Found Life And Freedom

On Death Row

By: Anthony Ray Hinton

Also,

Martin Luther King's letter from the Birmingham jail.

Letter from the Birmingham jail

CHILDREN:

Far Apart,
Close in Heart

By Becky Birtha

Children can experience many emotions when a parent is in jail or prison. They may be angry, sad, lonely, or scared. Sometimes friends act differently toward them. Sometimes the children begin acting differently too. In this important book, young readers will learn that even when it feels like nothing can get better again, there are ways they can improve their circumstances. Sending letters, talking to a trusted grown-up about their feelings, and even visiting a parent in jail or prison can help keep a parent close in their hearts. Use this title as a helpful tool to start a conversation with any child in this situation and to remind them they are not alone.

Visiting Day

By: Jacqueline Woodson

In this moving picture book from multi-award winning author Jacqueline Woodson, a young girl and her grandmother prepare for a very special day--the one day a month they get to visit the girl's father in prison.

Teen Book:

Harbor Me

By: Jacqueline Woodson

It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives

From The Desk Of Zoe Washington

By: Janae Marks

Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?

A crime he says he never committed.

Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge.

But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

Justice Steps for March 2nd

For Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.
Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James 2:13

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy
Matthew 5:7

FOR ADULTS:

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction • Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize • An American Library Association Notable Book

FOR YOUNG ADULTS:

Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice

Stevenson's story is one of working to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society--the poor, the wrongly convicted, and those whose lives have been marked by discrimination and marginalization. Through this adaptation, young people of today will find themselves called to action and compassion in the pursuit of justice.

A portion of the proceeds of this book will go to charity to help in Stevenson's important work to benefit the voiceless and the vulnerable as they attempt to navigate the broken U.S. justice system.

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION:

Just Mercy is a 2019 American biographical legal drama film co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, and Brie Larson. It tells the true story of Walter McMillian, who, with the help of young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, appeals his murder conviction. The film is based on the memoir of the same name, written by Stevenson.[5]

FOR CHILDREN:

Jacqueline Woodson Reads "The Day You Begin" | Bookmarks | Netflix Jr.

Finding the courage to share your story can connect you to others — even when you feel all alone.Watch Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices, only on Netflix, JR.

Justice Steps for February 16th

1 John 3:18 NIV

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

"Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind." James Baldwin

ADULTS: The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou is Maya Angelou's first collection of poetry. By the time of its publication in 1994, she had published five autobiographies, eventually going on to publish seven, and five books of poetry.

FAMILIES & CHILDREN: RUBY BRIDGES

This film presents the real-life tale of young Ruby Bridges (Chaz Monet), one of the first African-American children to attend an integrated school in the Deep South. At only age 6, Ruby is selected to attend an all-white school in New Orleans, causing an uproar in the racially divided region.

JUSTICE STEPS FOR FEBRUARY 2ND

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:10 "

FACT OF THE WEEK

Did you know that the segregationist policies of the early-to-mid 20th century dramatically altered the urban terrain of metropolitan Detroit and other major U.S. cities? Through a tactic called "redlining", federal agencies and local governments drew boundaries around minority communities that they thought to be "in decline" or "unsafe". Labeling these neighborhoods "risky", mortgage companies would deny black families loans to improve their houses or to buy property in other areas of the city. This resulted in the cultural, physical, and political isolation of minority communities as well as a host of other problems: "redlined" communities were more likely to be heavily policed, to experience a decline in basic city services, and to have an unsteady or declining job market. Though "redlining" is no longer an acceptable practice today thanks to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the lasting effects of the policy and others like it are apparent. In 2016, black loan applicants in the city of Detroit were 1.8 times more likely to be denied a housing loan than their fellow white citizens. In the same year, the average denial rate for black applicants in the Detroit metro area was 22%, much higher than any other racial category.

ADULTS

In The Color of Law (published in May 2017), Richard Rothstein argues with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America - the incessant kind that continues to dog our major cities and has contributed to so much recent social strife - is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels.

FAMILIES & CHILDREN

“The Berenstain Bears’ New Neighbors”by Stan & Jan Berenstain

This classic Berenstain Bears story is a perfect way to teach children about the importance of accepting others just as they are!

This initiative was formed through the collaboration of King of kings' pastoral leadership, the God's Work Our Hands group and the Anti-Racism Task Force. These will be a series of individual opportunities for education, reading and prayerful consideration in preparation of a Prayer Walk for justice to be held in April 2021.

ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES HERE

JUSTICE STEPS JANUARY 19TH

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:8:

ADULTS:

Injustice isn’t always overt; sometimes you need to look deeper. Please take time to view the historical documentary, 13th and learn how injustice can disguise itself.

CHILDREN: Age 4-9

“Something happened in our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice.” by Marietta Collins, Ph.D

This initiative was formed through the collaboration of King of kings' pastoral leadership, the God's Work Our Hands group and the Anti-Racism Task Force. These will be a series of individual opportunities for education, reading and prayerful consideration in preparation of a Prayer Walk for justice to be held in April 2021.

ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES HERE