Literature Link Jan 16, 2022–3rd Reconstruction
• The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement by The Reverend Dr. William J Barber II with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Here is the book from which Matthew read an excerpt. “In this memoir of how Rev. Barber and allies as diverse as progressive Christians, union members, and immigration-rights activists came together to build a coalition, he offers a trenchant analysis of race-based inequality and a hopeful message for a nation grappling with persistent racial and economic injustice. Rev. Barber writes movingly — and pragmatically — about how he laid the groundwork…” Here is a summary from Amazon. If you click on the “Look Inside” link, you can read the prologue and some of Chp.1. https://www.amazon.com/Third-Reconstruction-Mondays PoliticsMovement/dp/0807083607asin=0807083607&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1 In The Battle for the Soul of America Is Being Fought in the States Bill Moyers.com offers a different excerpt from the book. This excerpt ‘names names,’ as they say. Very powerful writing. https://billmoyers.com/story/the-third-reconstruction/
• “Vision and Justice” a poem by Amanda Gorman. A performance by 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman for the Vision & Justice Convening on April 25, 2019. [from Aperture.org] “My oh my, did Douglass keel over and laugh? What must have it been like to go from /Being an image of property, /To being the image of progress,” Another powerful performance from Ms Gorman who spoke at President Biden’s inaugural. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWrAEPxCCSo
• Who Are Your People? by Bakari Sellers and Illustrated by Reggie Brown. I saw the interview with this author [last week] on the Ari Melber Show, MSNBC. “This powerful picture book with beautiful illustrations by Reggie Brown is a joyful recognition of the people and places that help define young readers and adults alike. This inspiring picture book by New York Times bestselling author Bakari Sellers is a tribute to the family and community that help make us who we are.” This site has an audio excerpt and a very cool short video.
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/who-are-your-people-bakari-sellers?variant=39307503239202
• “The Problem We All Live With” by Hakeem Angulu. [non-fiction]. This is a short essay about the 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell and about the racism our school children still face. “Ruby Bridges, the little girl depicted in Norman Rockwell’s 1964 The Problem We All Live With, was born in Tylertown, Mississippi. In 1960, at the age of six, she was one of the first six Black children in New Orleans to pass the test that allowed them to go to William Frantz Elementary, the local all-white school.” https://medium.com/@hakeemangulu/the-problem-we-all-live-with-2c04867362a4
In faith, Dale Dunnigan