Read, Watch, Listen, and Engage

This archive will grow and get richer as you, students, faculty, and staff at UNA share resources that have opened your eyes and inspired you. Send us your suggestions at ddei@una.edu.

  

grace will lead us home cover

Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Massacre & the Hard-Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness | By Jennifer Berry Hawes

 

Just Mercy

Just Mercy| By Bryan Stevenson

From one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time comes an unforgettable true story about the redeeming potential of mercy. Bryan Stevenson was a gifted young attorney when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned, and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man sentenced to die for a notorious murder he didn't commit. The case drew Stevenson into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship - and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
 
Educated

Educated | By Tara Westover

Born to survivalist in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to trya a new kingf of live. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far if there was still a way home.

 

the souls of black folk

The Souls of Black Folk | By W.E.B. Du Bois

First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dares to bescribe the racism that prevailed at that time in America-and to demand an end to it.  Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
 
free speech on campus

Free Speech | By Irwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman

A university chancellor and a law school dean – both constitutional scholars who teach a course in free speech to undergraduates—argue that campuses must provide supportive learning environments for an increasingly diverse student body but can never restrict the expression of ideas.

 

heavy

Heavy – An American Memoir | By Kiese Laymon

In this powerful and provocative memoir, gender-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse.

 

when they see us

When They See Us
(https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549)

Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park in 1989. This Netflix series created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay is based on the true story.

 

a fantastic woman

A Fantastic Woman | Directed by Sebastian Lelio
(https://www.sonyclassics.com/afantasticwoman/)

"A FANTASTIC WOMAN is the story of Marina, a waitress and singer, and Orlando, an older man, who are in love and planning for the future. After Orlando suddenly falls ill and dies, Marina is forced to confront his family and society, and to fight again to show them who she is: complex, strong, forthright, fantastic." (Sony Pictures Classics). Academy Award Winner - Best Foreign Language Film 2018.

 

13th

13th | Directed by Ava DuVernay
(https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741)

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality. " More African-American men are incarcerated, or on probation or parole, than were enslaved in 1850, and the United States, which accounts for 5% of the world’s population, counts nearly a quarter of the world's incarcerated people." Time Magazine

 

hidden figures

Hidden Figures | Directed by Theodore Melfi
(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/)

"HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)-brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big." Rotten Tomatoes