racial reconciliation

Nearly every community in America is being hit hard by the recession and there seems to be no end in sight. It is great to see many churches and ministries reaching out to help. But, imagine what the impact would be if Christians of different ethnicities in your community were all working together to help during this difficult time?

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Color of Change is focused on using the Internet to empower and inform African Americans about issues affecting them and how they can help. Started in the wake of Katrina by James Rucker and Van Jones, this organization works to amplify the political voice of Black America.

In the movie, "Baby Boy," Jody and his "baby momma" Yvette are seen bickering over Jody’s over-use of her vehicle.  Though Jody often offers husband-like companionship to Yvette by taking her to work, he tends to take advantage of the freedom afforded him.  This is because he not only takes Yvette’s car keys without her permission; he is also seen throughout the movie running a host of miscellaneous errands in her vehicle.  These miscellaneous errands includes "boosting"–or selling stolen merchandise–in her car, going to see his "other baby momma," Peanut; and driving his friends around in her vehicle.

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I recently paid a visit to the Boston Public Library, and came across a pamphlet called "Black Is…2009."  The pamphlet lists an array of suggested fiction and non-fiction readings, as well as DVDs that seemingly represent what it means to be Black.  Though I was enticed by the title, I was also in a hurry.  For this reason, I quickly grabbed the pamphlet, bolted out the library door, and walked back to work.

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WallStats.com has just released a new poster, entitled "389 Years Ago". This "typography mashup", as they call it, traces African American history from three-hundred and eighty nine years ago, when the first slave ship landed in the American colonies, to November 4th, 2008, when our first Black President was elected.

Black folks live with their hearts. Wide open. Big. On their sleeves. Bleeding. For everything black. Everything. Black. Is Good.

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Doug Schaupp, the co-author of Being White: Finding our Place in a Multiethnic World recently spoke at the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) on ways to build justice through relationships across racial and ethnic boundaries in our lives and ministries. Also included with the podcast is a PDF with resources and discussion questions.

In December 1955 an overworked black woman from Tuskegee, Alabama sat down in a place on a Montgomery bus that was not her place. Or so she’d been told. She was arrested and jailed. She’d broken a law, albeit unjust. That was a first for her.

Not long afterward, a black preacher from Georgia helped in the effort to boycott the Montgomery bus system for their unjust law. He was young and energetic. And also new, with strange new ideas. He stood up and said strange things. He helped others stand up. It was a first for him. He had a dream.

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Whether or not you like Obama, I stumbled upon this article by a great pastor, John Piper. In it, Piper is talking about Obama making Christ a minister of Condemnation. It is a fascinating arguement. Read-

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The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of our country’s most passionate and self-sacrificing advocates for ethnic unity. We still have a long way to go in building a less racialized society and a more multi-ethnic church — but, we wouldn’t be near as far as we are if it were not for the teachings and sacrifices of men and women like Dr. King. Even forty years after his death, his teachings remain amazingly relevant and powerful. I have included some "classics" as well as a few you may have not seen before in this post. I hope they will help to encourage you in your efforts to build biblical, multi-ethnic community.

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This Monday, January 19, 2009, is also King Day of Service, a Congress-intiated national day of community service focused on initiatives to keep the dreams and ideas of Dr. King alive in the community. So, give of your time! There are thousands of projects planned all over the , If you are looking for volunteer opportunities and service projects for you and your group to do on MLK Day of Service, search at ChristianVolunteering.org today!

It was decades before the Web when Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous quote that “Eleven o’clock Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America.” MLK’s point was that the church sets a poor example in its own segregation of congregations. The effects of ongoing segregation were recently detailed in the book Divided by Faith. The basic point of the book is that the segregation of the church results in a separation of “social capital” between communities which perpetuates injustice. For example, a church member in a very resourced church who is looking for a job, may get 10 referrals from friends in the church, whereas a church member in a church where 50% of the attendees are unemployed might not get any referrals.

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