Since February is Black History Month, I thought I would present a list of books in the CGS Library that are by or about African Americans and their experiences.  Please note: in the list below, the numbers that follow each entry are the call numbers, the way you can find the book cited on the shelves.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me about what I did with the title you want that you can’t find. 


CGS Library
Black History Month
Books dealing with the African American experience

Anderson, Victor. Creative exchange: a constructive theology of African American religious experience.  277.306 And

Arnold, Harriet. Antioch, a place of Christians: chronicles of an African American church, 1893-1993.  926
Baldwin, James. The fire next time. 305.896073 Ba
Baldwin, Lewis. Never to leave us: the prayer life of Martin Luther King, Jr. 363.092 Ba
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the world and me. 305.800973 Coat
Cone, James. A Black theology of liberation. 230.089 Cone
Cone, James. The cross and the lynching tree. 277.308 Cone
Copeland, M. Shawn. Enfleshing freedom: body, race, and being (Intersections in African American theology)  233.089 Cop
Collier-Thomas, Bettye. A treasury of African American Christmas stories. 810.8 Col
Cudjoe-Wilkes, Gabby. Psalms for Black lives. 261.1 Cud
Douglas, Kelly Brown. Sexuality and the Black church: a womanist perspective.  230.082 Dou 
Duncan, Lenny. Dear Church: a love letter from a Black Lutheran preacher to the Whitest denomination in the U.S. 266.6 Dun
Echols, James. I have a dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the future of multicultural America.   305.8 Ec
Gordon Reed, Annette. On Juneteenth. 394.263 Gor
Griffin, Horace L. Their own receive them not: African American Lesbians and gays in Black churches. 261.84 Grif
Haley, Alex.  Roots.  929.2
Hannah-Jones, Nicole. The 1619 Project. 973 Han
Harris, Jessica. High on the hog: a culinary journey from Africa to America. 641.59 Har
Harvey, Jennifer. Raising White kids: bringing up children in a racially unjust America. 649.709 Har
Jenkins, Willis. Bonhoeffer and King: their legacies and import for Christian social theology.
  261.10 Je 
Johnson, G. Jeff. Black Christians: the untold Lutheran story. 267.1 Jo
Joshi, Khyati. White Christian privilege: the illusion of religious equality. 305.67 Jos 
King, Martin Luther, Jr.  Strength to love. 220 Ki
Kujawa-Holbrook, Sheryl. Injustice and the care of souls: taking oppression seriously in pastoral care. 206.1 Kuj
Lorde, Audre. Sister outsider: essays and speeches. 814.54 Lor
Mason, Eric. Woke Church: an urgent call for Christians in America to confront racism and injustice.   272.3 Mas
Nittle, Nadia. Bell hook’s spiritual vision. 305.42 Nit
Noel, James A. The passion of the Lord: African American reflections. 232.96 No  
Obama, Michelle. Becoming. 973.932 Obama
Oluo, Ijema. So you want to talk about race. 305.800973 Ol
Pero, Albert. Theology and the Black experience: the Lutheran  267.1 Pe
Pinn, Anthony. What is African American religion?
Reynolds, Jason. Anti-racism and you. 305.800973 Rey
Ritchie, Andrea. Invisible no more: police violence against Black women and women of color. 365.232 Rit
Taylor, Keeanga. From #Black Lives Matter to Black liberation. 305.896 Tay
Thomas, James. A rumor of Black Lutherans: the formation of Black leadership in early American Lutheranism. 261.1 Tho
Ward, Jesmyn. The fire this time: a new generation speaks about race. 305.896 Ward
Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste: the origin of our discontents. 305.5 Wil
Wilkerson, Isabel. The warmth of other suns. 304.80973 Wi
Williams, Reggie. Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus. 230.044092 Wi
                                                                     Youth books
Cherry-Paul, Sonja. Stamped (for kids): racism, anti-racism and kids. J 303.8 Rey
Hamilton, Virginia. The people could fly: American Black folktales. J 398.208 Ha
Lyons, Kelly. Sing a song: how Lift Every Voice and Sing inspired generations.  J 813.6 Ly
Pinkney, Sandra. Shades of Black: a celebration of our children. J 306.7 Pink
Tarpley, Natasha. I like my hair.  J 813.54 Tarp

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From Pastor Kristofer Rhude:

It is common across administrations for politicians to make false statements or institute sinful policies regardless of party. To respond to them all would be a full-time job in itself. But I am writing today to respond to a specific attack made against our own church. You may have seen that this weekend, Elon Musk, in his new government role, has made false accusations about the Lutheran church—accusing our church of both federal crimes, and questioning the legitimacy of our religious beliefs.
 
Mr. Musk’s statements are offensive and obviously false. The legal funding for these programs was publicly approved by the federal government, and robust accountability structures are in place to ensure it is spent as appropriated. And while our church is not perfect, we have always striven to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ: to feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome the stranger, and accompany the imprisoned. Lutheran Social Services (LSS) and Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services), are two of our non-profit ministries whose mission is to answer this calling—both joint projects of the ELCA and the Missouri Synod (LCMS).
 
Around the country, LSS provides services for seniors, youth, veterans, refugees, and people with disabilities. LSS helps people find housing, jobs, and the healthcare they need. Nearly 1 in 50 Americans access life-giving services through these ministries each year. Right here in Northern California, LSS is currently supporting nearly 4,000 formerly homeless individuals with safe, stable housing in 32 supportive housing programs across seven counties. LSS has also been a leading partner to California communities rebuilding after wildfires.
 
Global Refuge is one of the largest resettlement organizations in the country, welcoming over 800,000 people to the United States since 1939 and helping them to build new lives and a new home here. Last year alone, Global Refuge welcomed 14,000 refugees from across the world to our shores, helping them to immigrate, and then aiding them in finding housing, jobs, healthcare, and access to other necessary services. These organizations are some of the most impactful ways that our church serves our neighbor in communities in every region of our nation. This is the work of the church: in the love of God and in service to our neighbor.
 
Now, I believe it would be worthwhile to have a thoughtful conversation around the relationship between government funding and religious institutions like ours. However, these comments did not question this relationship, but instead made a direct attack on the legality and legitimacy of our work to follow the Gospel of Christ—work that this church has been engaged in long before the idea of the United States was even a dream.
 
Such attacks are becoming commonplace. In addition to anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric continuing to rise across the country, a resolution was recently introduced in the House of Representatives to condemn a single sermon of an Episcopal priest. The vice-president has attacked his own Catholic Church after their bishops criticized his administration’s rescinding of protections for churches from immigration raids. A clear pattern rooted in the sin of Christian nationalism has emerged: that to many in power in our government, religious speech and practice is only legitimate if it aligns with particular political and theological agendas. These threats to our freedom of religion should be deeply and personally concerning to all of us.
 
The threat to the vulnerable in our community is even more immediate. If our government ends these already budgeted programs as Mr. Musk has promised, it will cause immense suffering—primarily amongst those who are already at most risk in our country. Global Refuge’s work has already been severely impacted, after a stop-work order from the State Department in January effectively halted much of their operations. Nearly 6,000 legally resettled refugees are in danger of eviction and food insecurity because of this order.
 
I am deeply concerned, and I am angry about all of this. But I encourage you to watch presiding bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s response to these accusations, which shares the good news in this moment—the good news that our church will never be intimidated or threatened into abandoning the Gospel of Christ. In faith, I trust that our church, our ministries, and our members will continue to share the love of Christ in our communities—especially in service to the most vulnerable. Though this is a single threat among many which we face, it is an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to our living, active faith, which teaches us to walk with those in need, regardless of what the powers of this world demand.