Racial Justice Resources

We, the members of First Parish Lexington affirm and promote journeying to spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppression in ourselves and our institutions*. Central to our faith development as Unitarian Universalists are the actions we take – Within, Among, and Beyond – to deepen our commitment and accountability in our own personal development, church-wide development, and community development, leaning into white supremacy, dismantling systemic racism, embracing multiculturalism, and building Beloved Community. First Parish offers opportunities for individuals to work with others in discussion, discernment, development, implementation, and aspirational sustainability across identities and communities to address oppression in all its forms. All persons of faith are invited to create this widening circle of transformation as a central tenet of our shared UU values, principles, and purposes in our faith movement and our world.

*The Eighth Principle of Unitarian Universalism was adopted by the First Parish Lexington congregation on June 13, 2021.

A beginning list of resources is provided below and has been shared by individuals within our community of organization’s websites, programs, and readings.

Unitarian Universalist Organizations National

Unitarian Universalist Organizations State

Local, State-wide and National organizations and programs 

Books

Many of these books are available through the Cary Memorial Library, Lexington

Many important sources can be found at In Spirit, our UUA bookstore-  Anti-Oppression/Anti-Racism site: https://www.uuabookstore.org/Anti-Oppression-Anti-Racism-C1356.aspx

  • Abrams, Stacey. Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America. Henry Holt and Co., 2020.
  • Abrams, Stacey. Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change.Henry Holt and Co., 2019.
  • Alexander, Michelle. The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. The New Press, 2020.
  • Banaji, Mahzarin R., and Anthony G. Greenwald. Blindspot: Hidden biases of good people. Bantam, 2016.
  • Barber, Rev. Wm. J. The third reconstruction: How a moral movement Is overcoming the politics of division and fear. Beacon Press, 2016.
  • Bayoumi, Moustafa. How does it feel to be a problem?: Being young and Arab in America. Penguin, 2009.
  • DiAngelo, Robin. White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press, 2018. (Parish read Spring 2019)
  • Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne.  An indigenous peoples’ history of the United States. Beacon Press, 2015.
  • Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An indigenous peoples’ history of the United States for young people. Beacon Press, 2019.  (Parish read Spring 2020, High School AP level book)
  • Gilio-Whitaker, Dina.  As long as grass grows: The indigenous fight for environmental justice, from colonization to Standing Rock, Beacon Press,2020.
  • Hong, Cathy Park. Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning. One World, 2020.
  • Jones, Nancy Palmer and Lin, Karin.   Mistakes and miracles: Congregations on the road to multiculturalism, Skinner House, 2019.
  • Kendi, Ibram. Antiracist baby. Penquin, 2020.
  • Kendi, Ibram.  How to be an antiracist. Random House, 2019.
  • Kendi, Ibram Stamped from the beginning: The definitive history of racist ideas in America. Nation Books, 2016.
  • Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013.
  • McGhee, Heather. The Sum of Us:What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Crown Publishers, 2021. 
  • Meade, Desmond. Let My People Vote. Beacon Press, 2020. 
  • Oluo, Ijeoma. So you want to talk about race. Seal Press, 2019.
  • Ortiz, Paul. An African American and Latinx History of the United States. Vol. 4. Beacon Press, 2018.
  • Perry, Imani. Breathe: A Letter to my Sons. Beacon Press, 2019.
  • Saad, Layla F. Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor. Sourcebooks, Inc., 2020.
  • Saini, Angela. Superior: the return of race science. Beacon Press, 2019.
  • Singh, Annalese. The racial healing handbook: Practical activities to help you challenge privilege, confront systemic racism, and engage in collective healing. New Harbinger, 2019.
  • Sue, Derald Wing. Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race. Wiley, 2016.
  • Takaki, Ronald. A different mirror: A history of multicultural America (Revised edition). eBookIt. com, 2012. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ronald-takaki/a-different-mirror/9780316022361/  (classic)
  • UUA, Widening the circle of concern: Report of the Commission on Institutional Change. 2020.
  • Villanueva, Edgar. Decolonizing wealth: Indigenous wisdom to heal divides and restore balance. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2018.

Programs

  • Dismantling Racism- Lexington. A six-week series of classes withing a small group of Lexington people to learn about racism and how to become an ally and/or activist. Contact Katie O’Hare Gibson or Debbie Armstrong for more information or to sign up for the next series of classes.
  • Beloved Conversations (Virtual) is a program for those who are seeking to embody racial justice as a spiritual practice. https://www.meadville.edu/fahs-collaborative/beloved-conversations/ 
  • Jubilee Trainings Anti-Racism Training:Learning Together About Systemic Racism

For more information contact: Paula Cole Jones pcolejones@gmail.com

Please reach out to our team at any time.  

July 2020 , compiled by Julie Tobin and JoAnn Mulready-Shick

July 2021 updated  JoAnn Mulready-Shick