Starting Resources
Just beginning to think about how race and culture operate in your life. Here are a list of places to start. These resources are offered as entry points for reflection, curiosity, and formation as we learn how to live together in a changing country. We especially lift up voices of color, whose lived experience and insight are essential to any conversation about shared flourishing.
You don’t need to read or watch everything. Start where you are. Let the work unfold.
Books
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? – Martin Luther King Jr.
A clear-eyed, urgent reflection on America’s moral crossroads that feels strikingly current.
Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
A personal, poetic reflection on race, history, and belonging.
The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
Still one of the clearest voices on love, truth, and moral responsibility.
How the Word Is Passed – Clint Smith
A powerful exploration of how history is remembered and taught.
So You Want to Talk About Race? – Ijeoma Oluo
Practical, honest, and accessible for those just beginning.
Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
Essays that challenge silence, power, and complicity.
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson
A human story of justice, mercy, and moral courage.
Letter from Birmingham Jail – Martin Luther King Jr.
A short but essential text on urgency, justice, and responsibility.
The Will to Change – bell hooks
A searching exploration of love, power, masculinity, and responsibility in American culture.
Podcasts
1619 – Nikole Hannah-Jones
A reorientation of American history that helps listeners understand the roots shaping the present.
Scene on Radio: “Seeing White”
A slow, careful exploration of whiteness, race, and identity in the United States. Especially helpful for white Americans beginning this work.
Code Switch (NPR)
Thoughtful storytelling and reflection on race and culture in American life, grounded in lived experience rather than debate.
Intersectionality Matters! – Kimberlé Crenshaw
Deep, explanatory conversations about systems, power, and identity in the U.S., not tied to daily headlines.
Ear Hustle
Human stories from inside the American prison system that expand empathy and understanding beyond stereotypes.
Throughline (NPR)
Historical context for understanding how past decisions continue to shape American society today.
Seeing White Christianity (select episodes or series)
Long-form reflection on race, faith, and American Christian identity, avoiding reactive commentary.
Films & Documentaries
Race: The Power of an Illusion (PBS)
A foundational documentary on race as a social construct.
The Color of Fear
An honest, raw look at interracial dialogue.
13th – Ava DuVernay
A clear examination of race and the criminal justice system.
I Am Not Your Negro
James Baldwin’s voice brought forward with power and restraint.
Eyes on the Prize (PBS series)
Essential civil rights history told through lived experience.
When They See Us
A humanizing story of injustice and consequence.
Whose Streets?
A ground-level look at protest and civic engagement.
Race (Documentary)
Available here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/race/
A thoughtful, accessible exploration of race, history, and belonging.
A Note on Posture
These resources are not meant to replace relationships, accountability, or lived practice. They are companions for reflection as we learn how to show up with integrity, courage, and responsibility.
If you’re just beginning, that’s okay. Everyone starts somewhere.