The COS Antiracism Team continues to add resources to the antiracism library. The newer books are still housed in the doorway of the COS building for easy access. Recently we have added Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. We have also purchased a subscription to Yes! Magazine. Yes! describes itself as “Journalism for People Building a Better World.”
Both of these additions to the library offer opportunities to reflect on savoring God’s Creation as well as learning of the ways that others are planning and executing active respect for our creation.
Another book added, Halfway Home, Race, Punishment and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration will help us look at the extreme difficulty for returning citizens. Written by Reuben Jonathan Miller, a former chaplain in the Cook County Jail in Chicago and a sociologist studying mass incarceration, Miller spent years alongside prisoners and ex-prisoners.
We have also added another book by Jemar Tisby. His first book, Color of Compromise, followed the history of the church and racism. This second book is a follow-up, entitled How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice. This book provides a framework for pursuing racial justice with very doable actions, equipping people to fight against racism.
And, something other than a book or magazine, we commend to you a podcast called Refugia: https://debrarienstra.com/refugia-podcast/ Host, COS member and Calvin Professor, Debra Rienstra interviews a different guest each week, exploring the evocative idea of refugia from a variety of perspectives, from biology to worship to politics.
Their own introduction says, “This is a podcast, ultimately, about watching for places where God is working at renewal—of the earth, of the church, culture, and society. It’s about seeking how we might participate willingly and courageously in that divine work.”
And finally, watch for some video spots from COS members on our COS Facebook page. We want to share how some of our COS members responded to last June‘s (2020) Church of the Servant “Call to Justice:”