Conversations on Race and Culture
Below find resources from our congregations conversations on Race and Culture offered monthly at Grace.
Resources for Learning about Hispanic Heritage and the influence of Hispanic culture in the US
Resources on Anti-Asian Hate
How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion | Peggy McIntosh
Discussion questions:
1) What did you hear that caught your attention?
2) What did you think of her comparison between gender and race?
3) What did you think of her label of the men in her group as “Nice men?”
4) Peggy wrestles with the idea of being “Nice” or “Oppressive.” Do you relate to her struggle? Have you thought that your niceness is enough? Or someone else’s niceness is enough? How does being one or the other conflict with our ability to hear people who are stating they are oppressed.
Additional Resources:
Article to read: The Invisible Napsack by Peggy McIntosh
The Impact and Extent of White Privilege
Discussion Questions:
· How many times did you answer “yes”? Where would you be after taking 2 steps forward for each yes answer?
· Did you notice yourself becoming uncomfortable? If so, why or what caused that?
· Who did your heart go out to as you watched the video?
· If you had been one of the runners back near the starting line, how would you have felt? Would you have run the race or stayed put?
Additional videos to watch:
Video: “The Myth of Race, Debunked in 3 Minutes”
Video: Black-ish video about Juneteenth
Video: “The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921” regarding the Tulsa Race Massacre, also called the Tulsa Race Riots, which took place May 31st and June 1st 1921
Movie: Just Mercy After graduating from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or those not afforded proper representation. One of his first cases is that of Walter McMillian, who is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving his innocence. In the years that follow, Stevenson encounters racism and legal and political maneuverings as he tirelessly fights for McMillian’s life. Rated PG-13 Available for streaming; Just Mercy trailer
“I didn’t even know I was part of the problem!”
Discussion Questions:
1) What spoke to you in the video?
2) What is a question you’ve been asked about race that you have struggled to answer?
3) What have you seen in yourself lately that has been exposed because of George Floyd’s death and the recent attention to listening to people of color?
4) What white allergies do you think you have participated in or have?
5) Matthew M. asks the question, how can I be a better a white man. In these last few weeks, have you been made aware of anything that you need to do differently. What has bubbled up in you?
Additional Resources:
Article: “You Should be Feeling Miserable” by Rebecca Carroll; The Atlantic, June 2. 2020
Video: “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man – Episode 3” with Chip and Joanna Gaines:
Video: “I Am Not Your Negro” – 2017 documentary film streaming for free on Amazon or $0.99 on YouTube Trailer for “I Am Not Your Negro” Rated: PG13
Podcast: June 10, 2020; Brené Brown interview with author Austin Channing Brown
Where Do We Go from Here – How do we begin to be anti-racists?
The best selling author of “How To Be An Antiracist” and “Antiracist Baby,” Dr. Ibram X. Kendi joins Stephen Colbert to discuss what it takes to call one’s self antiracist, and how he believes it’s in everyone’s interest to end the racist policies that cause inequality in this country.
Discussion Question:
1) What spoke to you in the video?
2) What did you agree with in this video? Or what is something you like?
3) Ibram Kendi never speaks about his own faith, but he has some religious undertones in what he has to say. How does what he has to say connect with your faith?
4) Antiracism is a new concept for many of us, maybe you just learned about it now- what do you think about this concept of being antiracist.
5) What might you do to be an antiracist?
Additional Resources:
Video: “Book Talk: How to Be an Anti Racist” Atlantic contributing editor Ibram X. Kendi discusses his book, How to Be an Antiracist, shining a light on the state of racism in America and what we can do about it. October 1, 2019
Documentary: “13th” – Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay’s examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. Rated TV-MA Available via Netflix and Youtube; 13th Trailer
Article: “What five black fathers are saying to their children about this historic moment” by Caitlin Gibson; The Washington Post; June 19, 2020
Article: “My grandparents were racist. Here’s how I moved on with my head held high” by Carolyn Copeland; The Washington post; June 23, 2020
Please note: The thoughts and opinions regarding political figures made in any of the resources listed above or by their contributors are their opinion and are not an attempt to push a political agenda by Grace Lutheran or to be partisan in any way.
