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Afrikan Wisdom: New Voices Talk Black Liberation, Buddhism, and Beyond YLdited by Valerie Mason-John (Vimalasara) North Atlantic Books, 2021, 384 pages (paper), $19.95
This rich anthology features essays from three dozen contributors of African descent representing diverse spiritual traditions. Acknowledging that "the topic of enlightenment has a controversial place within the Black Liberation movement," editor Vimalasara, a Buddhist teacher, has framed the collection in the personal and communal experiences of confronting systemic racism. She adds, "This book is just a glimpse of what is possible through the lens of nonviolence," yet wanting to change the world through nonviolence is in fact a "privilege" for many in the Black community. A challenging and invaluable offering.
To My Beloveds: Letters on Faith, Race, Loss, and Radical Hope By Jennifer Bailey Chalice Press, 2021, 128 pages (cloth), $16.99
Drawing on the lessons of her "foremothers" and other ancestors, Jennifer Bailey offers a meditation on building resilience and strength for the relentlessness of our current moment. Grounded in a womanist ethos, she expands our understanding of traditional self-care practices to transformational healing models that address the systemic suffering of communities as well as individuals. As a younger BIPOC faith leader who has founded and led cross-movement initiatives, including her Faith Matters Network, Bailey extrapolates "radical hope" as an organizing framework to those engaged at the intersections of frontline activism and interreligious structures.
With Liberty and Justice for Some: The Bible, The Constitution, and Racism in America By Susan K. Williams Smith Judson Press, 2020, 248 pages (paper), $23.99
Long focused on the intersection of religion, ethics, and social movements, Susan Smith tackles hard questions for a nation whose public space has been dominated for decades by evangelical Christians. Their two primary "sacred" texts have not been merely impotent in eliminating racism, she argues; rather, they have been used to sustain white supremacy. Smith provocatively examines how our foundational documents have failed people of color and asks: Can those whom a nation has considered "we the problem" ever become "we the people" who are celebrated in the Preamble to the Constitution?
Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World By Jacqui Lewis Harmony, 2021, 221 pages (cloth), $27.00
A superstar presence in...