As we seek to foster empathy for others, it is helpful to understand their background and experiences. Here is a list of resources compiled by Encompass Therapist Jordan Kamwesa, LPC. We invite you to keep listening and learning with a humble, teachable heart as you grow in your knowledge of black culture, history and trauma. Some voices/teachers listed below may resonate with you more than others. Consider following them on social media or through a podcast. The work toward healing is ongoing and including more voices into our routine will help us all continue to grow.
Movies
Just Mercy
Selma
Harriet
Fruitvale Station
The Hate you Give
Hidden Figures
When They See Us
12 Years a Slave
If Beale Street Could Talk
The Color Purple
Remember the Titans
Documentaries
13th: From Slave to Criminal With One Amendment
The Innocence Files
Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992
The Central Park Five
Strong Island
I Am Not Your Negro
3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets
Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise
Dispatches from Cleveland
Hoop Dreams
4 Little Girls
Dark Girls
True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality
Books
“Be the Bridge” by Latasha Morrison
“How to be Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi
“White Fragility” by Robin Diangelo
“I’m Still Here” by Austin Channing Brown
“Many Colors” by Soong-Chan Rah
“Prophetic Lament” by Soong-Chan Rah
“Unsettling Truths” by Soong-Chan Rah
“Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The Elusive Dream” by Dr. Korie L. Edwards
“Let Justice Roll Down” by John M. Perkins
“The Upside-Down Kingdom” by Donald B. Kraybill
“The Color of Compromise” by Jemar Tisby
“12 Years a Slave” by Solomon Northrup
“The Hate you Give” by Angie Thomas
“Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly
These resources share experiences of injustice and trauma in the lives of black people from throughout history including events in our lifetimes. You’ll find many of these resources are accessible through your local library. Others may be viewed through a variety of retailers. Thank you for your willingness to develop your cultural competency. As you review these materials, prayerfully consider what your next right step toward restoration and reconciliation might be and then be brave to complete it.
In closing, here are the words of Latasha Morrison from her book, “Be the Bridge:” “In the love of the family of God, we must become color brave, color caring, color honoring, and not color blind. We have to recognize the image of God in one another. We have to love despite, and even because of, our differences.”
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