February is Black History Month in the U.S., and the theme for 2023 is “Black Resistance.” According to the “2023 Black History Theme Executive Summary” by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, this theme presents “a call to everyone, inside and outside the academy, to study the history of Black Americans’ responses to establish safe spaces, where Black life can be sustained, fortified, and respected.”

To help Christian communities lift up stories of Black agency, resistance, and creation of safe spaces for Black lives in both American and church history, we have put together a working resource list for engaging Black History Month. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, it seeks to provide a variety of starting points for embracing Black History Month’s invitation with heart, honesty, and hope.

Read

Books for Children

• Resistance Stories from Black History for Kids: Inspiring People and Events That Every Kid Should Know by Rann Miller (Berkeley: Ulysses, forthcoming March 2023)
• Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2021)
• “Picture Books for Antiracists” by Miriam Willard McKenney – A Building Faith article that offers multiple book recommendations
• “Schomburg’s Black Liberation List for Young Readers“ (Kids) at the New York Public Library website – Another place to find a list of recommended readings

Books for Youth

• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2020)
• This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell (London: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2020)
• “Schomburg’s Black Liberation List for Young Readers“ (Teens) at the New York Public Library website – A list of recommended books for teens

Books and Articles for Adults

• The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (New York: Penguin, 2021); see also the PBS documentary series
• Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619 – 2019, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain (New York: One World, 2021)
• In My Grandmother’s House: Black Women, Faith, and the Stories We Inherit by Yolanda Pierce (Minneapolis: Broadleaf, 2021)
• Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter by Kelly Brown Douglas (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2021)
• “Black History Month: Teaching the Complete History” by Coshandra Dillard, Learning for Justice (Jan. 29, 2020) – An article that points to the need for approaches to Black history that do not center violence and trauma and suggests ways forward with “liberation movements,” “Black activism,” “intersectional identities,” and “Black literature”
• Lifelong Learning’s Formation Fundamentals Book Group Series 3 – From Tuesday, January 31 through Tuesday, February 28, the Formation Fundamentals Book Group will be reading and discussing online The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020); to learn more and register, follow this link

Listen

• Beyond Black History Month, hosted by Femi Redwood – A podcast that engages Black history, race, and inequality with episodes published weekly
• Black History Year – A podcast about lesser known people and stories of Black history with short episodes published every weekday
• GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp: The Walking Podcast, hosted by Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison – A podcast made for Black women with 21-day series for listening and walking to stories of “Black resilience and resistance”
• Noire Histoir, hosted by Natasha McEachron – A podcast that features Black history past and present as well as book and movie reviews with episodes published twice weekly (also available in blog and video formats)
• “A Code Switch Playlist for Black History Month” by Dianne Lugo and Isabella Rosario, Code Switch (Feb. 1, 2020) – A curated series of Code Switch podcast episodes that highlight conversations on Black history

Visit

• Black History Month Virtual Festival, hosted by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History – An online event that includes book talks, panel discussions, and other programs; see the full schedule here
• U.S. Civil Rights Trail – A list of historic sites, centers, and museums across the U.S. that are part of the Civil Rights Movement, along with a video library and a podcast to accompany the trail
• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture – The museum is hosting a number of programs for Black History Month (which you can read about in this Jan. 23, 2023 article); you can also visit the “Searchable Museum” here
• “12 Black History Museums You Can Explore from Home” by Tykesha Burton, Momma Wanderlust (Sep. 2022) – A list of museums with online exhibits on Black history

Investigate

• Learn more about Black history in relation to your church’s history; one tool that may help is The Episcopal Church’s “Becoming Beloved Community Where You Are” (updated 2022), available in English and Spanish
• Find out more about stories of Black resistance in your neighborhood, city, county, or state

Reflect

Resources for Reflection

• “Black History Month Multigenerational Activity Journal and Resource Book,” The United Methodist Church Michigan Conference (2022) – A downloadable PDF for children and their families with readings and activities for Black History Month
• “A Care Plan for Honest History and Difficult Conversations” by Labrea Pringle, Learning for Justice Magazine (fall 2022) – An article with tips that may be useful to cultivate “inclusivity,” healthy emotional awareness, and whole-body discernment in conversations when addressing topics like racial oppression and injustice
• The Night Is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing by Catherine Meeks (New York: Church Publishing, 2022) – A book of meditations aimed at helping readers “reexamine many of our narratives and seek to find deeper clarity within ourselves as participants in shaping the future” in relation to racial injustice in the U.S. today, as Catherine Meeks says in the Preface

Prayers and Liturgies

• “Black Liturgies” by Cole Arthur Riley – On her website, Cole Arthur Riley describes “Black Liturgies” as “a project seeking to integrate the truths of dignity, lament, rage, justice, and rest into written prayers”; you can follow the project on Instagram
• “Worship Resources for Black History Month,” The United Methodist Church Discipleship Ministries (Nov. 15, 2020) – A collection of prayers, liturgies, and poems for Black History Month and for racial justice throughout the year

Featured image, “Civil rights march on Washington, D.C.” (Aug. 28, 1963), is by Warren K. Leffler from the Library of Congress on Unsplash (original source linked here)