Grace and peace to you, 
 
On Sunday, May 31st, the staff at Elk River Lutheran began conversation around racism and the recent events surrounding George Floyd and the protests in Minneapolis. We felt called to engage in the conversations around race in America even if we feel ill-qualified to be a voice in the wilderness of these trying times. The reality is that as white Americans we are invited to listen to important voices, unheard voices, of those who live a different life and story than we do. In the midst of these conversations we wanted to continue to provide resources around the conversations so others may learn, grow, and seek to understand the realities that have led us to the situations we are experiencing today. Our hope is that we continue to be invited to hear the voice of the marginalized, the least, the lost and the lonely. 
 
To confront racism in America forces us to confront both our past and our privilege. It forces to deal with the places where racism has existed in our families or origin, and where we have benefited while others have been treated as less than equal. This work is neither easy or comfortable but we called to the work of justice, mercy, and reconciliation. 
 
You will find below various resources from books to websites to help you engage in the conversation and to wrestle with these larger questions of racial injustice and equity. We invite you to join us in the conversation in the coming days, months and years as we find our compassion and voice in the work of justice. 

Resources for Understanding Racism

​Adult Books:
  • Just Mercy: Brian Stevenson
  • Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race: Debby Irving
  • White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism: Robin DiAngelo
  • Dear Church: A Love Letter From a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in America: Lenny Duncan
  • Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice: Paul Kivel
  • Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories: Eddie Moore
  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness: Michelle Alexander
  • Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America: Ibram X. Kendi
  • White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son: Tim Wise
  • Living Into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America: Catherine Meeks
  • This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on how to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work: Tiffany Jewell
  • Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out: Ruth King
  • Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism: Drew G. I. Hart
 
 
Documentaries and Movies to Watch:  
 
Children’s Books:
  • The Skin You Live In: Michael Tyler
  • Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters: Andrea Davis Pinkney
  • Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock: Aslan and Kelly Tudor
  • The Day You Begin: Jacqueline Woodson
  • ​My Hair is a Garden: Cozbi A. Cabrera
  • Something Happened in Our Town:  Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
  • Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up: Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney
 

Understanding Recent Events and Racism in America: Thoughts to start discussions.
Health and Race