The Prophet-Dreamer
I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Future of Multicultural America, edited by James Echols. Robert Franklin, Emilie Townes, James Forbes, and four other leading religious voices look at the impact of King's vision, on the 40th anniversary of his speech. Have we taken his message of racial justice to heart? Can there be solidarity in our multicultural country? And how do we keep the dream alive, to "hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope"? Fortress Press.
A Spot of Activism
Seasoned community organizer and squeaky wheel Charles Dobson boils down the essentials of how to create social change in The Troublemaker's Teaparty: A Manual for Effective Citizen Action. Learn how to organize community clean-ups, avoid "grassroots wilt," influence decision-makers, and - helpfully - mediate and resolve conflict. His clear and lively prose includes tips on circumventing folks who, say, schedule "public meetings" when most of the public can't attend. New Society Publishers.
A Daily Vision
God's Neighborhood: A Hopeful Journey in Racial Reconciliation and Community Renewal, by Scott Roley, with James Isaac Elliott. Roley thought he was headed for a singing/songwriting career, but when he and his family wound up in an underserved neighborhood - called, appropriately, Hard Bargain - a personal journey into community renewal, social justice, and racial reconciliation ensued. Roley writes honestly and humorously about what it means to truly love one's neighbor. InterVarsity Press.
Read the Full Article
