I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ​ - John 13:34

​Since Sawyerville began in 1993, one of our three goals has been to improve race relations in Alabama. We teach our campers, students, and staff to love one another with no exceptions, as Jesus loves us, and to respect the dignity of every human being, as our Baptismal Covenant requires.

This webpage will serve as a collection point for resources on race that we've created or that have inspired us. We will continue to examine the way that we work towards our goal of improving race relations in Alabama, and we welcome your feedback on how we can improve. 

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Breanna Mitchell, Sawyerville's Summer Learning Coordinator, has launched a blog series called The Brave Space. Here, Breanna will share books she's reading, movies she's watching, and conversations she's having about race. This series invites us into a brave space where we can learn what life is like for others across racial lines.

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Panel Discussions

Over the summer, the Sawyerville interns hosted four panel discussions on race relations. They gathered college students and interns, clergy, high school students, and community leaders. Click the images below to view videos of the panel discussions on our YouTube channel. 

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Antiracism Resources

This list is a work in progress. Have a resource you think we should add? Email Claire Cotten at claire@sawyerville.org.

Books

• For adults
  • "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin DiAngelo
  • "How to Be An Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi
  • "Stamped from the Beginning: the Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" by Ibram X. Kendi
  • "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson
• For youth
  • "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Ibram X. Kendi
  • "Just Mercy: Adapted for Young Adults" by Bryan Stevenson
• For young children
  • "A Kids Book About Racism" by Jelani Memory

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Videos

• "We Need to Talk About an Injustice" - TED talk by Bryan Stevenson
• "Slavery to Mass Incarceration" - from the Equal Justice Initiative

Films and Documentaries

• Just Mercy
• Selma
• 13th

Museums and Memorials in Alabama

• The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute - Birmingham, AL
• 16th Street Baptist Church - Birmingham, AL
• Kelly Ingram Park - Birmingham, AL
• Safe House Black History Museum - Greensboro, AL
• The Legacy Museum: From Slavery to Mass Incarceration - Montgomery, AL
• The National Memorial for Peace and Justice - Montgomery, AL
• Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and the Parsonage Museum - Montgomery, AL
• Rosa Parks Museum - Montgomery, AL
• The Freedom Rides Museum - Montgomery, AL
• Civil Rights Memorial - Montgomery, AL
• The Edmund Pettus Bridge - Selma, AL
• Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail - Selma, AL
• National Voting Rights Museum and Institute - Selma, AL
• Selma Interpretive Center - Selma, AL

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Other

• Resolutions from the Episcopal Church's General Convention and Executive Council
  • 2018-A229: Acknowledge Police Violence and Confront Racism 
  • 2018-B024: Urge Alternatives to Deadly Force by Police and Support Training in Mental Health Crisis Intervention
• Resources for responding to racial violence from the Episcopal Church
• Videos on racism and reconciliation from Amplify Media
• "Don't be a bystander: Resources for those in the movement for change" from Fuller Youth Institute

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