Springtide™ Research Institute is headquartered in a suburb just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. We have felt first-hand the expressions of outrage and resilience, grief and hope that have spilled out of this city and into the world following the murder of George Floyd, and we are encouraged by the energy and vision an emerging generation has for engaging intergenerational movements to dismantle racism and systems of oppression. Sharing in a commitment to the work of antiracism, we are grateful for the expertise our Research Advisory Board members bring to their own fields and communities, across multiple faith traditions as well as no faith tradition, and we invited these leaders to share the resources they’re leaning into at this time. The collection below includes both resources to which these board members have contributed personally, as well as resources they utilize in their own learning and work with young people. 

Dr. Onnie Rogers, a developmental psychologist and professor of psychology and education at Northwestern University, offered the following pages she’s following, 

“I’ve found the writing of @blackcoffeewithwhitefriends (follow on Instagram) so helpful and impactful, and her website, Black Coffee with White Friends, also has resources and actions. 

@theconsciouskid (follow on Instagram) is another excellent resource with a wealth of information and instruction about racism, white supremacy, and actionable ideas to implement in our lives and relationships.

I also recently wrote an op-ed with colleagues, published on CNN Health: White parents: Talk to your kids about racism to raise more empathic adults.”

Nima Dahir, a PhD student in sociology at Stanford University studying access to housing and racial discrimination, shared,

“I have been thinking of what would make the most sense in this current moment. I have been rereading and sitting with The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois in recent weeks and have found much fodder for thought and reflection in it.” 

Br. Ernest Miller, FSC, the Vice President for Mission at La Salle University, offered the following recommendations:

• The assumptions of white privilege and what we can do about it by Fr. Bryan Massingale, Professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Fordham University 
• A Special Message from Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III | When is Someday? (video from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL) 
• Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III | The Cross and the Lynching Tree: A Requiem for Ahmaud Arbery (video from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL) 
• A Pastoral Letter to the Nation from Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign (text and video) 
• To fight racism, Catholics must hunger for justice like we do for the Eucharist by the Editors at America Magazine 
• James Baldwin Speaks! The Fire This Time: A Message to Black Youth (a recording with a message for all to hear — Baldwin speaking at a high school in Oakland, CA) 
• The Myth of White Fear by Dr. Luisa Ossa, Associate Professor of Global Languages and Literatures at La Salle University 
• Catholicism, Racism, and Social Justice: Historical Realities and Lasallian Visions for the Future by Dr. Luisa Ossa, Associate Professor of Global Languages and Literatures at La Salle University 

Seher Siddiqee, the Assistant Director of Spiritual Life and the Advisor for Muslim Affairs at the University of Chicago, highlighted the following organizations: 

• Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative 
• Sapelo Square 
• The Sky is Ours: A Self Care Primer for Black Muslims 
• Muslim Wellness Foundation 

Kenji Kuramitsu, a hospital chaplain, adjunct professor at McCormick Theological Seminary, and community care chaplain for The Obama Foundation’s fellowship program created, 

A Booklet of Uncommon Prayer: Collects for the #BlackLivesMatter Movement – and Beyond.

Araceli Calderón de Weis, the Parent Involvement Coordinator at Centennial BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services), shared the following,

“Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition is a great organization directly helping and educating within Colorado.

And White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism is a book on challenging racism by first examining yourself.” 

 

Rev. Abigail Visco Rusert, the Director of the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, offered this from her organization,   

“In this issue of Engage, find theological frameworks, starting points for conversations about race and identity, and a litany for worship: Talking Race with Youth: Ferguson, Eric Garner, and #BlackLivesMatter.”

Rabbi Elan Babchuck, the Founding Director of Glean Network and the Director of Innovation at Clal, shared the following resources:

• We Call for a Public Fast for George Floyd from Rabbi Jeremy Markiz
• A Small Needful Fact by poet Ross Gay 
• Anti-racism resources for white people
• An Anti-Racist Reading List by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi 

 

Sarah Kapostasy, the Clinical and Social Services Director of Out Youth and Transgender Wellness, wrote,

“From my faith tradition, I’ve been working through the resources outlined in: Responding to Racist Violence: LEARN, PRAY, ACT: Resources for Addressing Racist Violence and Police Brutality. 

From that list, I’ve particularly appreciated: 

• To Serve and Protect: The Police, Race, and the Episcopal Church in the Black Lives Matter Era by Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart of Calvary Church in Washington D.C. 
• The Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart on policing, reconciliation, black lives and the church’s role (video) 
• The urgency of intersectionality (A TED Talk on gender and racist violence with Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw).”

Casper ter Kuile, cofounder of Sacred Design Lab and cohost of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast, pointed to the online guide:

White Accomplices: Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice 

Dr. Andrew Zirschky, the Academic Director at the Center for Youth Ministry Training, wrote,

“Rev. Dr. Carolyn Helsel’s 2019 book, Anxious to Talk About it: Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully About Racism, tackles the difficulty of getting predominantly white congregations to confront racism and bigotry. 

Dr. Gregory Ellison II’s book, Fear+Less Dialogues: A New Movement for Justice, details the principles and procedures he uses for engaging diverse people in difficult community dialogues in which they are enabled to authentically see and hear others. The book is a companion to Ellison’s larger movement and nonprofit of the same name: Fearless Dialogues.” 

 

Chris Stedman, the founding director of the Humanist Center of Minnesota shared,  

“There are so many incredible activists and organizations doing vital work on the ground here in Minneapolis, like Black Visions Collective, a Black-led, Queer- and Trans-centering organizing group. 

MPD 150 has been pushing conversations on policing and the abolition movement for years and has some valuable resources for people interested in learning more. 

Finally, if you’re looking for an organization to give money to in addition to the ones above, I really appreciate the Okra Project, which works to bring meals to Black Trans people around the country.” 

 

Please check back or bookmark this post as we will add to it when and if more recommendations come in. You are invited to circulate this resource list widely.