Civil Rights Pilgrimage 2026 Reading List
The Long Road Towards Justice and Beloved Community:
A Civil Rights Pilgrimage
Required Reading and Preparation Assignments
Per the covenant you made during the application process, all participants are required to complete the following reading and reflection assignments prior to the pilgrimage to help prepare ourselves spiritually, mentally, and emotionally for the experience.
- Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
- Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture article by Tema Okun (8 pages)
- Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
- Watch “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North,” by Katrina Browne (1 hr 26 min documentary film)
- Read and reflect on The Academy for Spiritual Formation’s Core Values
Recommended but optional resources:
We believe the following resources would also be beneficial but the resources above are of higher priority.
- My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
- “13th” – documentary film by Ava DuVernay (1 hr 40 min)–about the 13th amendment, mass incarceration, and racial inequality. Stream for free on Netflix or YouTube.
- “Backs Against the Wall” – documentary film by Journey Films (1hr)–includes interviews with Luther Smith, a favorite Academy faculty and a renowned Howard Thurman scholar. We will have a Zoom session with Dr. Smith prior to the retreat. The documentary is available to rent or buy on Vimeo.