Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 – October 15 to celebrate the culture and contributions of Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean.
Be the Bridge has a helpful blog with some history and key terms as well as recommendations for books and other resources to commemorate this month: Celebrating & Honoring the Hispanic & Latinx Community.
After the long Covid lockdown, many of us are feeling a yearning to get out of the house. As restrictions loosen, businesses are reopening, including our area museums. This summer is a great opportunity to learn more about our local history. By understanding the history and culture of our city, we will be better equipped to bring God's healing and reconciliation to our neighborhoods and our region. We hope you've had a chance to visit one of the places highlighted in our previous newsletters featuring Seattle and Tacoma. In the newsletter, we'll feature Bainbridge Island and opportunities to learn about Japanese American Exclusion.
The month of May is officially designated as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We invite you to explore some local history through the University of Washington Libraries South Asian Oral History Project (SAOHP). This project records pan-South Asian immigrant experiences in the Pacific Northwest.
As we head into the Christmas break, we thought it would be fun to share some of the resources that members of our J&RR team have found the most helpful this year. If you're looking for Christmas gift ideas, something to enjoy over your vacation, or maybe inspiration for a New Year's resolution to learn more, we've got you covered. You shouldn't assume that we agree with everything in these resources, but they've increased our knowledge and understanding in some way and helped us to listen and understand different viewpoints.
Listed below are a few of the newer publications on diversity, issues of racial injustice, enslavement, criminal system, immigration, poverty, and the Christian church. Our Library collection contains more than 90 resources (books & DVDs, as well as children resources) on these topics.
Visit our Library website and search by SUBJECT, using either Justice, Reconciliation, or Diversity to bring up the majority of resources for this topic. Place a "hold request" by completing the request form, and a Library volunteer will contact you for availability and curbside pickup. Questions? Contact us at
I was in the shower, thanking the Lord for the blessing of hot water, when I suddenly stumbled over the word "blessing." Rather boldly, I asked, "Lord, if blessings mean things like available water, sufficient food, shelter, etc., does that mean that the millions of people who don't have these things are not blessed?" Clearly this was a rhetorical question whose answer must be "no," but I needed some new thoughts about this notion of being blessed.
The Justice and Racial Reconciliation Team has created a website where we've been collecting and organizing the resources we have sent to our newsletter readers over the past two-and-a-half years. https://www.belpresjustice.org
For people who are new to the group, there's a Where Do I Start page that provides a short list to get you started on your Christ-centered understanding of justice and racial reconciliation. Our Learning Resources section is divided by type: books, movies and videos, podcasts, etc. Each entry has links to detailed descriptions elsewhere online to sites such as Amazon.com and IMDB.com.
If you're looking for things to watch or read while you're staying at home, we've got some suggestions from Anthony Ballard, BelPres Pastoral Resident for Justice & Racial Reconciliation. And if you missed the Maundy Thursday service, be sure to check out Anthony's BelPres preaching debut! (https://www.facebook.com/BelPresChurch/videos/217587372802681/)
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