October 2022 marks this year’s Black History Month. Although learning and celebrating Black history should not just be a ‘one month only’ activity, it is a good chance to continue to remember, learn and honour the contribution of Black people globally. To start this off, we have asked members of our We Are Tearfund community to recommend media (such as books, videos and podcasts) that reflect and celebrate Black history.
We also took a deep dive into some of the greatest films to share about Black history and celebrate Black actors. You can read that article here.
BOOKS
Healing the divides by Jason Roach and Jessamin Birdsall. This book focuses on how every Christian can advance God’s vision for racial unity and justice. If you want practical steps on how you can play your part in healing the divides, this is the place to go.
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge is a great book by a Black British female author exploring race relations from a British lens. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the UK’s relationship with race.
Reading while Black by Esau McCaulley shares how the same God and the same Bible speaks to different people in meaningful and true ways. It is pivotal that the White Western Church reads literature from all parts of the body of Christ, and equally that Black voices are heard and valued. As McCaulley puts it ‘your context will speak to the Bible and the Bible, being the living breathing word of God, will speak back to your context’.
Street Pastors by Les Isaac is a story of how Les started the street pastors movement. It’s a great account of faith in action as he pioneers an inter-denominational church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue.
A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. by Clayborne Carson (editor), Peter Holloran, Keith David (narrator) and Jay Gregory (narrator). This book is a collection of the transcribed sermons of Martin Luther King Junior – some never published before!
We need to talk about race: Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches by Ben Lindsay. It is quoted to be ‘an eye-opening insight into the black religious experience’ as Lindsay re-aligns us to the kingdom of God, showing it is not just a white man’s religion when God is impartial and invisions a diverse body of believers. As the blurb says ‘it is time for the Church to start talking about race’.
VIDEOS AND DOCUMENTARIES
Beleaf in Fatherhood is a Youtube channel with the mission to equip fathers, give hope to mothers, and inspire children. Glen shares stories about what it’s like to be a dad. From helping his daughter with her edges, to teaching his kids to swim, to developing the legacy of your family.
Lenny Henry’s Caribbean Britain explores the black experience in the UK, from the arrival of the post-war Windrush generation to the present day. Presented by Sir Lenny Henry, the series highlights some of the difficulties that Black people have faced in the UK. Whilst also celebrating the enormous contribution that Black people have made to British culture and society.
Subnormal looks at the damage the British education caused young Black children during the 1960s. This UK schools scandal depicts the perspectives of Black parents, teachers and activists as they together campaign ‘to expose the injustice and force the education system to change’.
After the Flood: the Church, Slavery and Reconciliation is a documentary produced by the Movement for Justice and Reconciliation. The documentary covers how the 18th century Church became involved in chattel slavery, how the Church justified its involvement in the trade and the impact today. The film then moves on to explore what this means for Christian reconciliation today.
PODCASTS
The Black History Buff podcast presented by King Kurus, is a podcast that evolved from a desire to share Black history with his young son. However, he didn’t want the Black history that he told his son to be what it is limited to in public schools: slavery, oppression and racism. He wanted to share the richness of Black history and the heroes and heroines that impacted the world around them. This podcast unearths many hidden stories from Black history. Every episode is expertly researched, and hopes to challenge, entertain and enrich listeners.
The Together podcast is We Are Tearfund’s own podcast, covering topics about faith, justice and how to help change the world. Particularly relevant episodes are Episode 56 with Jordan Christian, Birmingham City Church’s youth worker, about the need to normalise Black History and continue the conversation. Or listen to our conversation with Junior Garr in Episode 40 about how as a singer-songwriter Garr is reimagining spirituals in modern music and how to be an activist through music.
The Basement with Tim Ross is the place to learn from Ross’ wealth of knowledge. This podcast encourages people to come down into ‘the basement’ – the place to get real, vulnerable and honest. By talking to those of influence, you will receive advice and mentoring for the struggles that Christians face.
JM Journal is a podcast by one of our We Are Tearfund community members, Julian Morgan. Julian gives us an insight into his life. This is a podcast that is attached to his personal journey, navigating faith, family and relationships – as well as life’s curveballs such as handling grief. Julian started this out of his desire to help others navigate life learning from his ‘navigation or lack of navigation’ in life.